Thursday, April 30, 2015

Event Sitters -- What do they do?


Many couples go back and forth on whether or not to have children at their wedding and if children are included, is there an option for keeping them entertained so the parents can enjoy the reception?  To answer that, for this post, I’d like to welcome Chris Popple, owner of ‘Treehouse Event Sitters’.  See below for more about their services!  

Who are Treehouse Event Sitters and what do you do?

In a nutshell, Treehouse Event Sitters is a relatively new company that specializes in taking care of the smallest guests at any event from weddings to the largest corporate function.  We hire highly qualified staff and bring in all the crafts, games and toys to make sure that we create the best party possible within the party.

What a great idea!  How did this come about?

That’s a funny story, my wife Melissa and I own Candlelight Floral Designs and we specialize in weddings and event floral design – through that business, we meet with hundreds of engaged couples and event planners each year.  At Candlelight, we are very personal in our approach to helping them plan their wedding or event and we started to hear the same question multiple times.  We were being asked frequently what the etiquette was around inviting some (but not all) the children to the wedding.  We are finding that more and more wedding guests are coming in from out of town, state and even out of the country and leaving those children at home may not be an option.  The ability to bring their children to the wedding is a make-or-break for their own attendance.  It was after one of these consultations where the subject came up as an issue again that we started to discuss the opportunity for a company to provide a childcare service at weddings and events.  

I would imagine the ‘Treehouse’ is a really fun place to be but can you tell us a little more about the kind of activities that you run?

Absolutely, we hire childcare professionals from the local area – and at every Treehouse we have at least one fully-qualified elementary or middle school teacher.  Our team absolutely loves working with children and finds that an evening working for Treehouse is more fun than it is work.  We bring in all the craft supplies, toys, games and books that they will need to make for a memorable and fun time.  Treehouse attendees can paint birdhouses, t-shirts and pictures if they want to, but if they prefer, we create a reading nook, a movie corner or they can just hang out on the toy carpet.  We also provide other pre-arranged activities such as face painting, magicians, and puppeteers if the event planner or bride and groom would like us to.

So as a Bride, why should I hire a sitter for my wedding?

Children are an important part of every family and no one wants to exclude them from their wedding.  That said, every parent wants to be able to relax and have fun at the wedding of a close family or friend and it can be quite hard to do that while monitoring one or more children.  Our sitters have an enormous amount of experience in childcare and we adapt the activities at each event based on what the children want to do.  This concept allows the parents to attend the wedding, relax, have fun and makes for a much more memorable event for all.

 Where do you work?

There’s nowhere we won’t go, but our most frequent destinations are in Frederick County, MD. We have worked at Walkers Overlook, Ceresville Mansion and Thorpewood but we will travel further afield if needed!

How would I go about booking the service?

Simply call us on 240-440-4101 or email us on treehouseeventsitters@mail.com  
We also have a website at www.treehouseeventsitters.com



Treehouse Event Sitters provide on-site childcare services for all private and corporate events.  Based in Historic Downtown Middletown, MD since 2013, Treehouse have employed highly qualified elementary and middle school teachers to create a party within a party for the youngest guests.  Treehouse have a focus on arts and crafts based entertainment for ages 0-12 years old.


Thank you, Chris &  Melissa, for providing this service!!

Readers, have any of you been to a wedding that used childcare services?  If so, what was it like?

Have a great week!
Lexi

Saturday, April 18, 2015

A Moment with Monte Durham!!

In March, I was fortunate enough to attend the WeddingWire World 2015 Conference at National Harbor, near Washington, DC.  Over 1,300 wedding professionals attended this fabulous 2-day conference with presentations by great speakers, networking opportunities, and meeting a few celebrities! Taking this time to focus on how we run our business will ultimately result in better service for you, our brides and grooms!

Bill Rancic, the winner of NBC's The Apprentice in season one gave an amazingly inspirational talk at the conference.  His engaging manner encouraged us to continue to grow professionally and personally!


Dana Herbert, of "Desserts by Dana" who won "Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker, Season One" shared his cake decorating skills with his over lunchtime. Then we got to enjoy one of his delicious cakes!

"Something Old, Something New; Modern Twists on Classic Traditions" was the topic for this presentation by Monte Durham from "Say Yes to the Dress, Atlanta".  He was a wonderful, entertaining speaker!



Monte also led one of the break-out sessions on "Small Tips for the Big Day" encouraging us as wedding professionals to be mindful of the smaller things that can make your wedding day even better than you envisioned!



After the break-out session, Monte was gracious enough to pose for pictures with attendees!  


Thank you WeddingWire for this great experience!  
Looking forward to WWWorld 2016!