Party of a Lifetime
I’m sharing my many years of experience to help you to commemorate a life well-lived:
celebrations of life for recently-deceased loved ones
milestone birthdays or celebrations for a living guest of honor
Flexible packages allow you to receive as much assistance as you wish. Whether you need help with the basic details, want someone there at the event to help you focus on your guests, or would like for me to handle the whole thing, let’s talk!
About Party of a Lifetime
I have been planning nonprofit events of all shapes and sizes since 2003 – first as a staff member and volunteer board member, and full-time freelance since 2011 as Tugboat 23 Consulting.
The pandemic-related slowdown in events, plus the loss of my father and a beloved uncle in the months prior to the pandemic, caused a lot of soul-searching. I realized that my biggest strengths in event planning – adding the creative and intensely client-specific aspects to the day – are a good fit for helping families celebrate the life of a loved one.
I know how planning memorials often involves juggling busy work schedules, family drama, possible children, executor duties, and grief. I would like to take the weight off of busy shoulders and help others create personal and meaningful celebrations of life. I am envisioning helping with the sort of events that are planned for a few weeks/months after a loss as opposed to the funeral itself.
I have picked "Party of a Lifetime" as the name of this aspect of my work, as I am also helping plan milestone senior birthdays. How joyful to celebrate a life while the guest of honor is still there to enjoy it!
List of services available:
Party of a Lifetime serves people who are:
· Planning a celebration of life for a recently-deceased loved one
· Planning a milestone birthday or celebration for a living guest of honor
In these descriptions of my services, I am referring to the person being celebrated as the “Honoree” – whether the event involves your loved one in person or in spirit, I am delighted to assist you in making it a meaningful, personal, and low-stress celebration for all involved.
Planning guideline session ($500 per event)
This service is intended to assist you in creating the most meaningful celebration possible, while staying within your budget and capacities as a busy person with many things on your plate. Ideally, we would meet as soon as you know that you have a memorial or celebration to plan.
I would meet with you (a group of up to 6 people) for a 2-hour brainstorming session. We’d discuss the following:
· Wishes of the honoree
· Logistical concerns such as timing, proposed venue, proposed food, and other details
· How to tailor the event to various special needs of your guests
· Ways to make the event more unique to the honoree’s personailty and style
· How to divide and conquer the tasks at hand
With the information I have gathered from our meeting, I will create your working documents:
· Personalized to-do list
· Personalized prospective timeline for your event
· List of ideas to consider for your event
Zoom is also an option if meeting participants are in different locations.
Extra fee applies for meetings outside a 25-mile radius of Arlington, MA.
Depending on availability, an upgrade to cover additional services would be available
All services require 50% of fee at start of work, with the balance due two weeks after the event date.
At-event coordination ($1000 weekend, $800 weekday)
If you are comfortable with planning a celebration for your loved one, but want to be fully present without worrying about the logistics on event day, this is a great option for you.
I would hold a 1- hour meeting (a group of 3 people maximum, in-person or over zoom) 1-2 weeks prior to the event, where we will discuss the following:
· Wishes of the honoree
· What vendors you have hired and your wishes for the service they provide
· How you envision the timeline of the event going (i.e. when is music playing, when are people speaking, what order are people speaking in?)
· Sensitive situations – family members that should be kept apart, people who should NOT speak under any circumstances, etc
· Simple touches that can be added to your plans to make the celebration more personal
· Any family or friends who would like a “helper” role at the event
Following the meeting, I will draft a timeline for your approval, and ask you to provide my contact information to the vendors/venue for any final instructions.
On event day, I will:
· arrive at least 90 minutes before guests are expected, to talk with vendors and set up the venue. A family member can bring whatever decorations and memorabilia you have, and I’ll help set it up. This includes making sure any slide shows or other A/V displays are running smoothly.
· manage all interactions with vendors so you can pay attention only to your guests
· stage-manage your event so any speaking program or other aspects of the day run smoothly
· run interference for any sensitive family situations or guest interactions
· work with vendors to clean up and return any personal items after the event ends
Extra fee applies for meetings/events outside a 25-mile radius of Arlington, MA.
All services require 50% of fee at start of work, with the balance due two weeks after the event date.
Whole-event help – the whole enchilada ($3000 weekend, $2700 weekday)
Maybe you have never planned an event, have too much on your plate, or family dynamics make it best to have a neutral party handling the details. I am here for you!
Ideally, we would meet as soon as you know that you have a memorial or celebration to plan. After determining an event date and budget that works for all parties, I would meet with you (a group of up to 6 people) for a 2-hour brainstorming session. We’d discuss the following:
· Wishes of the honoree
· Logistical concerns such as timing, proposed venue, proposed food, and other details
· How to tailor the event to various special needs of your guests
· Ways to make the event more unique to the honoree’s personailty and style
· How to divide and conquer the tasks at hand
· Sensitive family situations
With the information I have gathered from our meeting, I will handle the following tasks. You have consulted for your approval/questions regarding any major decisions, and you will be the ultimate signer/payer of the contracts.
· Create and follow to-do list for your event
· Contact potential vendors (venue, food, music, etc) and negotiate contracts
· Work with you to assign appropriate tasks to friends/family looking for a “helping” role at or prior to the event
· Make sure invitations and RSVPs are handled in the manner that best fits the occasions
· Create a prospective timeline for your celebration – timing of speakers, music, food, etc
· Brainstorm special personalized touches for the event and (with your permission) make them happen
· Work with and/or invitee list to collect photos and/or stories of the honoree to share at the event
On event day, I will:
· arrive at least 90 minutes before guests are expected, to talk with vendors and set up the venue. A family member can bring whatever decorations and memorabilia you have, and I’ll help set it up.
· manage all interactions with vendors so you can pay attention only to your guests
· stage-manage your event so any speaking program or other aspects of the day run smoothly
· run interference for any sensitive family situations or guest interactions
· work with vendors to clean up and return any personal items after the event ends
Extra fee applies for meetings/events outside a 25-mile radius of Arlington, MA.
All services require 50% of fee at start of work, with the balance due two weeks after the event date.
Additional services available:
· Creation of visual displays: powerpoint slide show, printed photo book, photoboards on easels
· Custom playlists tailored to your honoree’s preferences
· Collection of written or recorded testimonials from friends or family
Families often find projects such as slide shows and photo displays to be one of the “silver linings” of the memorial/celebration experience, so I haven’t automatically included these in my basic services. However, I recognize that any task can easily feel overwhelming during an emotional and busy time, so the above services are available for an additional fee. (fee will be based on the scope of the project)
