Barkin Country Estates Grand Re-Opening

Planned to a T Events

Announces the Grand Re-Opening of

Barkin Country Estates

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been five years since the devastating wild fires of Southern California came upon us. We barely escaped a total loss of not only our home, but also our lives. At 2am that frightful morning in October, 2007, our daughter, son in law, one year old grandson and 6 of our neighbors found ourselves in our pool avoiding the smoke and fire as it surrounded our home on all four sides. God's protection was with us as the fire swarmed past us and rushed up the hill but left our home standing. While we did not go unscathed, and had to clean, restore, repaint, re-stucco, and re-carpet everything, our structure remained tall in the middle of the blackened landscape.

Today we have our home fully operable and in full swing, ready to again serve as a beautiful site for your glorious event. We welcome you and look forward to assisting you with your cherished events.

David and Edie Barkin

You are cordially invited

to celebrate with us at an Open House

November 10, 2012 from 11am to 3pm.

Barkin Country Estates

18355 Sycamore Creek Road

Escondido, CA 92025

Come visit with the Barkins and Planned to a T Events.

Meet some of our preferred vendors!

See why Barkin Country Estates should be your #1 choice for your special event.

Please RSVP to plannedtoatevents@gmail.com

For more information call Planned to a T Events 

(760)473-7211

Wedding MBA 2012

Hi everyone!  Just got back late last night from an amazing 3 days in Las Vegas at the Wedding MBA Convention! My head is about to EXPLODE! For 3 days, every hour, from 8am to 6pm, we had another class to go to. Some hours there were 3-4 classes and I had to choose!! OMG! I wanted to be in 3 places at once.

Attending these events gets my adrenaline flowing like crazy. You get the opportunity to meet people from all over the world who have the same passion as you. You speak the same language! Love hearing what Event Planners are doing in New York, or Texas, or Ohio!

We were able to learn from the best in our industry. There were classes on trends, technology, communication, what the future has in store, social media, inspiration, how to transform a vision into a reality, and so much more.

We got to meet and hear from Renee Strauss and Kevin Lee (Beverly Hills Bride),
















Top management from Wedding Wire, Martha Stewart Weddings. There were even people to help us learn how to manage our business' more effectively and with less stress! This all means better service and more creativity and value for our clients.

 

Of course, there had to be a little down time too! The Knot invited us to a great cocktail party at Tao Beach at the Venetian.

A Day of Polo!

A couple of weeks ago I spent an absolutely perfect day at the San Diego Polo Club. As the Mom to 4 sons I've spent many a day watching baseball, basketball, football, soccer, golf, track and field, and even rollerblading.  But we'd never watched Polo. This was a new experience, a reason to CELEBRATE!!

We gathered friends and family. Everyone was given their food, or beverage, assignment, and we headed for tailgating. I came prepared with the basic rules for spectators (helps curtail the disagreements), the pop-up canopy (but my forehead still burned and peeled), lots of chairs. It was perfect! Relax, enjoy the company, have a new experience (stomping the divets a la "Pretty Woman")...

!

This is how we do Polo....
Planned to a T Style!







                                                                               

Time to get ready for fall...

After spending a day this past weekend at  The Vintage Marketplace , I decided that it is time to transition our home into fall. I am a California Girl and really love the sun. My mind really likes to hold onto Summer and postpone fall as long as possible.  I have several fall events in the works and really needed that boost. The creative displays and decor really got my creative juices going.

Soooo...it's time to take this amazing birdcage that I found at The Vintage Marketplace

And these fun crows that I found at Michaels...

and some flowers and newspaper..

And get our home ready for fall!  What's your project for today?

Before the Wedding comes the Engagement!

.

I love weddings...I love the whole event from the engagement to the parties, and showers, the shopping, the planning, the creating, the rehearsal and dinner, and, of course, the big day.

The wedding that I was a part of 2 weeks ago started with a fun engagement session. Outdoors, casual, sweet.  Here's a little peek...

Go on over to  Brushfire Photography's Blog to see the rest of this session.

Check back tomorrow for the beautiful sneak preview of the wedding ...

Summer Entertaining?

If you were planning a Summer Party, what type of party would it be?  I'm planning a get-together for friends and family and I can't decide what to do!  I love entertaining. My mind is spinning with ideas! Don't know what to choose.  Picnic? BBQ? Tea Party? Beach? Tuscan? Brunch? What colors??  What food?

Help!  What is your favorite?

Last Minute Wedding Planning!

 One day a very dear friend called to say that she was getting married and could I help her put together the wedding?  I told her "of course! Have you picked a date?" She said "yes, 2 weeks from now. Can you do this?" I told her "of course"!

So I set to work putting together the day of their dreams.
Small, intimate, family and a few friends
A day that they would all remember.
A day that would surely "Bless the Broken Road"
that had brought them together





I brought in all my favorite vendors --
who I knew would never let me down







All of the family, from the Mother of the Groom (above),
to the grandsons (on the right) were there to celebrate.
The ladies were a little bit giddy.

The Best of Friends were all gathered and
excited to be a part of the wonderful day.

The beautiful bride was escorted by her sons.  Ready to join the
man she would spend the rest of her life with.

A beautiful ceremony performed by the Pastor,
and friend

A mother who was happy to see her dreams for her child finally come true.

A dance to celebrate a
Happy Forever After.

A Beautiful and Sweet cake to
end a Beautiful and Sweet day.

Rainy Days and Basketball

Is it as gloomy at your house as it is at mine?  I have a feeling that everyone is going to stay at home and the TV is going to have nothing but basketball games on ALL DAY!  I can feel my Event Planning gears turning...March Madness Party Weekend it is!  
 

Make a quick menu...




Crock-pot Spinach Artichoke Dip


















 
Buffalo Chicken Poppers
























Put some taco filling on the stove that can be used for tacos, or on baked potatoes, or with chips.  




And, to pay homage to St. Patrick's Day...
 






Bailey's Irish Cream Brownies

































Now pick your teams...NCAA Tournament Bracket
        
        
  
AND MAKE A PARTY OF IT!

Still planning St. Patrick's Day?

I know, you keep thinking that it would be kind of fun to have some friends over to hang out and celebrate.  But you just haven't gotten it together. Well, just get on evite and get them invited. Then take a look at these FREE, yep, that's right FREE Printables to set the stage for a fun time.


These are all available for you to just download and print at  Pizzazzerie!  How easy can it get!  Now get going and create something fun for you and your friend and family.  Enjoy!

Let's celebrate Pi Day!

Here in Planned to a T World we are always looking for ways to celebrate. 

 First job,  









First Driver's License,









  100% on a spelling test...
                                   
I think you get the picture.




  Well, today, March 14,  we are celebrating Pi Day, 3-14!  Just a way to add some fun to a Wednesday.










 A simple way to add some frivolity to the day would be a menu full of Pi? 

Pizza with pineapple on top

Pie for dessert, of course

  

Maybe Pina Coladas to drink?

How about going for a Pi walk or run! 3.14 miles would do it! 














For those who really like this idea and want to plan ahead..



A Pi Wedding.  
What a way to celebrate your love forever! 


Of course you would need to have a Pie Buffet. 






Just remember, it's all about celebrating life and those around us.  
NOW GO CELEBRATE PI!

Now that we are full of green beer and goodies....

Remember, I'm planning a relatively quiet St. Patrick's Day at home. Our life has been pretty crazy busy lately and it would be nice just to hang out with friends and family and enjoy each other. No cell phones. No Laptop.  No iPod. Soooo...rather than letting the fam go with the usual routine of TV, I thought, how about a movie to set the tone!  


I surfed a bit more and found.......


Well, it does have Sean Connory?!











Actually, there are a whole lot more great movies about Ireland!  Pick your genre and put in your Netflix order!  


Just click on the links below and see what tickles your fancy!




10 Irish Movies
Top 10 Irish Films




Make it a day to celebrate your friends and family! 

What to do for St. Paddy's Day??

 

I've been giving some thought today about how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the family and a few friends.  We're not really a corned beef and cabbage kind of group. But it would be fun to create a little party with no expectations, just have a good time and hang out together.  So off I went into the world of Pinterest.

 I found lots of ideas for little ones. Like this one from The Fickle Pickle! Made me wish for kiddos in my home again.

Details on the Fickle Pickle Blog

But this year it's going to be Adults and Almost Adults.  Nothing elaborate, but enough to make it not feel like just any ol' Saturday  Night at home. So I kept on poking around and found some amazing ideas, all on one blog!!   These ideas all come from More Design Please Blog.   Check this out...

Simple, but fun and special!






You need to go to the blog to get all the deets! There is so much more.

Then I started thinking about what to do after we had completely stuffed ourselves with yummy good food.....  That will have to wait until tomorrow.

Fat Tuesday Goes to Rio!

Last year Planned to a T was in charge of the decor to transport the supporters of St. Mary Parish School in Escondido to Mardi Gras. Remember this event--Fat Tuesday 2011? Each year the PTG sponsors a Fat Tuesday Dinner Dance/Auction.

 This past weekend Planned to a T was responsible for the entire event
and took their guests to Rio de Janeiro!

          Guests were greeted 
            with Brazilian apps,
                   Cocktails, 
         and Samba Drummers!

  

      The Drummers were joined by


         SAMBA DANCERS!


      What a way to get the party going!

                                                                              

The dancers danced their way into the ballroom
 leading a float carrying the School Principal 
and surrounded by more dancers.

(hmmm? I think the dancers around the float looked remarkably like the school staff? With sequins and bling?)

The rest of the evening was filled with palm trees, tropical flowers, a custom created menu, music and dancing. Of course you can't forget the live auction to raise funds to help continue the legacy of fine education at St. Mary School. 
It was another successful event!