Getting to know me...

You don't know me, but you soon will.  I am going to perform a complete overhaul of this page just for you.  So far, I've given you the basics about myself and what I can do for you, but I feel that you deserve more.  You are my favorite person and I would like to share more of my life with you.  I want you to get to know the real me.  My ultimate mission is to develop breakthrough relationships with my extended community and that's you.  So, over the next week I will be making some changes to my site that will include special articles that I think you might find oober interesting to read about, DIY themes made up completely by yours truly, daily quick tips for your child's next big event, and my personal top picks for venues around the world, super cool gifts, and the cutest party outfits money can buy.  Be on the lookout for my musings next week.

Suri’s $100,000 Birthday Party (article)

Apparently, the Cruises are not concerned with what other people think.  They wanted to do something special for their dausghter and they did!  Check out the story of Suri's awesomely fabulous 2nd birthday party.

Suri’s $100,000 Birthday Party

Personalized Party Goods - your special order

If you are going to be planning your child's parties yourself, but you lack time or creativity to create unique party goods, then we've got you covered.  We can custom create all or some of your kids' party supplies and decorations.  You decide how much or how little help you really need and we will handle the rest.

We can create the following personalized kids party supplies just for you:

• favors
• prizes
• trinkets
• props
• cutouts
• banners/signs
• hats
• games/activities
• streamer
• costumes
• invitations/thank you notes
• table covers
• centerpieces

In order to ensure your satisfaction with your personalized party supplies, you will receive a mock up of your project before you order.  We want you to see it before you buy it so that you know exactly what you're getting.  You will receive a mock up of your items within 48 hrs after you have placed your order.  Your mock up will give the details of price per piece and delivery time requirements.

Planning Ahead - Your exclusive consultation

It's never too early to begin planning your child's next event.  I accept consultation appointments no less than 9 weeks from your scheduled event date, but I prefer at least 8 months for optimum service.  This gives me more time to get to know your child and prepare a knock-your-socks-off party.  The earlier I begin making contact with your family, the greater your events will be.  

At the initial consultation we will thoroughly discuss your family's specific needs so that I may better serve you.  Once I have a complete understanding of your needs, I will create a proposal that gives an overview of  your desired outcome, measures of success, method options available to you,  the likely project duration, our joint accountabilities, and your service terms and conditions with fees stated.  You will receive your proposal within 24 hrs after your initial consultation.

To schedule a consultation appointment, contact me (see contact post) as soon as possible once you know you are going to have a party for your child.  I only schedule a few consultations per year so you must act fast because it is first come first serve.  

I currently accept debit, credit, personal check, or money order.  Services will not begin until payment is cleared.  

"Events That Matter" child wish sponsorship program (news)

Every child has at least one wish that they want to come true, in fact probably many more than one.  Ever After would like to introduce our new child wish sponsorship program called "Events That Matter".  For every client I receive, I will donate 15% of my earnings to make one child's wish come true.  The program is open to children around the world between the ages of 0-13 and each child will be chosen in the order that they are enrolled.  

If you know a child who has a special wish, you may enter them into the program at any time by sending an email to mariah@everaftereventservices.com.  This email should include the child's name, date of birth, and contact information for notification purposes.  Once a child has been chosen, they are welcome to enter again.  This is Ever After's way of giving every child that one special wish because all kids deserve it.

Extravagant Children's Parties Given a Bad Name (article)

While it's easy to look at someone and say that person is snobbish or greedy, we all know that you can't or shouldn't judge a book by its cover. In today's society there is simply not enough time in one day and there is always work to do. Parents, especially successful ones, have to be creative to find time for their children but it's not always as easy as you think. They have to battle with overly demanding schedules, travel, and making sure that their little ones are getting life's necessities. They barely even have time to think, let alone finding the time to spend undivided time with their children. I guess you could say it goes with the territory of becoming successful. You have to give up some things to get others like the opportunities that wealthy parents can provide for their children. They can afford to send them to better schools, feed them healthier foods, and shelter them in palaces. All of this comes at a cost, however, and I'm not just talking money. Parents are growing more and more disconnected with their children despite technological growth and expert opinions on the subject. The guilt they feel is overwhelming because they are torn between providing this wonderful life for their kids and being there to see them enjoy it. They know they should be spending more time with them but they have a greater vision for their families and you don't accomplish this vision by sitting around at home. They want to provide for their kids now and possibly even grand children or great grand children. They work night and day to make this happen and at the same time they have to deal with feelings of neglecting their kids. On top of this, most of these parents still find importance in teaching their kids the basic morals of society and that money doesn't grow on trees. It's no different than latch key kids whose parents work double shifts to feed the family. They find a way to make the most of the situation, so who are we to say that these kids are not entitled to spending the perfect day with their long lost parents? Why are we denying these hard working citizens their much needed break with their family? With this in mind, think about the difference in pay of an average U.S. citizen and these "evil" parents. In comparison, these so called extravagant parties are the equivalent of paying for a $1000 party, which any party can easily add up to, in the average American household. Not to mention there are other factors that can support a parent's decision to go big, like finally conceiving after years of trying fertility treatments. There's no doubt that this is going to be one spoiled child, but who wouldn't after going through such heartache and stress? The truth is that almost any parent would spoil their child if they could. It's never really about how much you're spending on the party itself. It's more about getting the results you want regardless of what you have to pay. This is especially true if those results involve your family's connection and well-being. Experts agree that parties offer stress relief and boost self esteem in children so it seems like a pretty good idea to start the "spoiling" there.

The many ways to reach me

I look forward to meeting your family!  Here is a current list of times I am available to speak with you about your distinct needs.  Feel free to contact me in the form that works best for your personal schedule.

I respond to all mail received via postal carrier before 5pm on the next business day

address: 597 Yeend Ave

Chickasaw, AL 36611

I respond to all emails before 5pm on the next business day

email: mariah@everaftereventservices.com

I can be reached by phone during normal business hours Mon-Fri 9am-5pm central time

office: 251-457-5547

tollfree: 1-877-727-8995

I respond to all faxes before 5pm on the next business day

fax: 251-457-5548

I am available as everaftereventservices at the following messengers between 5pm and 8pm central time

AIM

YAHOO

Perfect Princess Party Theme - advice featured on ParentingPink.com

Perfect Princess Party

If you have a little girl, sooner or later you're going to have a princess themed party.  With a bit of creativity, you can give your daughter the party of her dreams for her next birthday.

Princess Party Venue:  Choose a location that looks elegant or can easily be transformed into an elegant spot.  Some choices include ballrooms, a large room in your house, or a large covered are in the park or in your backyard (you can use a large tent to achieve this)

Princess Party Decor:  Your decor will have to be extravagant, not saying you have to use a lot, but it needs to look elegant as well.  Use sheer fabric or tulle to drape around the space instead of paper streamers.   Use a large amount of pink and white balloons with green ribbon curls hanging down into the party space.  Stick paper or silk flowers EVERYWHERE (including on the walls) and hang a few on the ends of the balloon ribbons.  Use various sized paper cutouts on the walls embellished with glitter and have all banners printed or drawn on fabric so that they look like fancy scrolls.  Cover all seating with sheer pink fabric and secure it in place with large green ribbons.

Princess Party Tablescapes:  Cover each table with a solid white cover first, then layer on a slightly smaller pink cover, and finish it with a green runner.  All layers should be visible.  For centerpieces, arrange short vases down the center of the runner and fill them with sand and paper or silk flowers (vases do not have to match).  Inter-weave the vases with pink and white ribbon scraps.  Just kind of let the ribbons fall into place, you don't want them to look neat.  You can either use all pink, all green ,or all white tableware.  For a less dramatic look, mix and match tableware styles and colors. 

Princess Party Invitations/Thank Yous:  You can either buy invitations and thank you notes or you can make them yourself.  On your computer, type up what you want your invitations to say and print as many as you need. Cut and paste the printouts onto embellished pink or white card stock.  Use ribbons, glitter, and tiny beads to make your invitations come to life.

Princess Party Favors:  Wrap candies in sheer fabric to make little princess bundles.  Tie them off with curled ribbon. Purchase or buy jeweled crowns and tiaras.  In addition to the candies, you could also throw in pink hi-bounce balls, sunglasses, or hair accessories.

Princess Party Games:  

princess charades: kids take turns acting out princess themed characters while others guess what they are trying to act out

musical dress up:  lay out one article of clothing per child minus one.  sit kids on one side of room and dress up items on the other side.  start the music.  when music stops, children mus race across the room and put on one dress up item. the kid who fails to put something on is out (and gets a special prize for playing).

pin the tail on the dragon:  Draw a tail-less dragon on a poster board.  Make a separate fabric tail. (use velco as the connector instead of pins or tape)  Blindfold each child and have them try to "pin" the tail on the dragon

court jester:  let kids sit in a big circle around the "it" kid.  the "it" kid has to do whatever she can to make the other kids laugh.  first one to laugh is it.  

Princess Party Prizes:  use simple prizes like beaded trinkets, candy, and simple toys

Princess Party Menu:  think rustic when you're planning a menu for a princess

cupcakes with pink/white/green frosting

pink lemonade

chicken fingers

pink ranch dip

carrot sticks

fruit chunks

roasted red potatoes (bite sized chunks) Princess Party

About Ever After (news)

Our Mission:

To empower family reconnections from the inside out by developing breakthrough relationships within our extended community.

Our Values:

We value close family relationships and tight bonds between parent and child.  We believe that children are our future and we are 100% committed to fostering their physical, mental, and spiritual growth.

What Can We Do For You?

Ever After is an upscale children's event planning service.  The following is a list of currently offered services: 

• You can hire us to plan your child's entire event or we can provide you with situational assistance.  
  
• You can have customized invitations, favors, and decorations made just for your child with just one phone call.
  
• You can hire us on retainer for the ultimate value.  Our retainer service is for extremely busy moms or those who don't have the time to sit down with their children to map out an exceptional party.  We schedule specific times to spend one-on-one with your child/family over the course of several months in order to get a real understanding of what is truly going to make them smile.

What Makes Us So Special?

We do not have any set prices or themes.  Our services are fully customized for your unique child.  We will never try to force-fit a pre-designed theme on your child.  We use extensive measures to thoroughly understand your child's personality and desires for the special day. The result is a guilt-free, stress-free, highly enjoyable event for you, your child, and all of your guests.