Category: Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Event Planner Tech Tip of the Day: Reading PDFs in iBooks

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

For us in the event planning world who use iPhone, iPad, and iOS (which seems to be the majority), we are always looking for that cool new shortcut or hack that will make life easier. While not splashy, using iBooks to read PDFs that are emailed is one that I have found to be a huge time-saver.

Let’s say someone emails you a PDF that is important, but you want to read later. The other day, I received the Splendid Insights Global Study Wedding Report (thank you Liene!). It is 41 pages of wedding marketing goodness that I do not have time to read in one sitting, unfortunately. I also am a compulsive inbox-cleaner, so I can’t leave something like that in my inbox.

Enter iBooks, the Kindle alternative for iOS. The thing is, it’s not just for books, it reads PDFs as well and organizes them elegantly on a nice little bookshelf.

To put your PDFs in iBooks, first tap once on the PDF attachment to make sure it is fully downloaded. Then simply press and hold down down on the attachment in your email. A pop up menu will ask you if you want to “Quick Look”, “Open in iBooks”, or “Open In…”. Select “Open in iBooks”. It’s that simple!

Now your PDF is on the bookshelf ready to read when you are on the train, waiting for your table in the restaurant, or whenever. You can also use this method to save any PDF – such as event plans, event timelines, or diagrams. No more clunky clipboards at the event, just put your phone or iPad in a handy spot!

Find this hint helpful? Know any other quick event tech tips? Please leave a comment below. And if you did find it helpful, please feel free to share or pin.

Idea of the day – LED light letters

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

LED-light-letters
Happy October! We are lucky in Portland that summer still seems to be holding on, in the afternoons at least. Makes me want to blog all the past warm-weather goodness from the last few months! One great idea we saw at a September wedding we coordinated, was a "BAR" backdrop sign designed by René Steelman of RK Steelman Events and Interiors (also mother of the groom!). It's always so flattering when event pros themselves hire us.

I loved this idea to create a "name in lights" using battery-operated LED tealights. No cords needed! René chose chevron fabric and pink rickrack which she mounted to a board. Then added embellishments like tiny mirrors with more tealights, pink flowers in test tubes, and of course, the letters. More pictures from this fun wedding are on our Facebook page.

Hope this gets your creative juices flowing – do let me know if you've seen or heard any great design ideas at weddings in Portland or beyond; email me at The Portland Wedding Coordinator or comment below.

Like this idea? Feel free to share or repin using the buttons below as well.

Gluten-free beer tasting tonight at Belmont Station

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Gluten-free-vegfamilycomImage from VegFamily.

Gluten-free is a hot topic around Portland weddings and events these days, as many people are eliminating this protein from their diet either for better health, or because they have been diagnosed with an intolerance. Whatever the reason, it's great to have options so you can accommodate those important friends and guests who are going this route.

So it's so great that tonight at Portland's lovely Belmont Station, one of my favorite places to get beer, there's a tasting where you can try every single gluten-free beer available in Oregon.From their newsletter:

THURSDAY JUNE 7  5 – 7PM GLUTEN FREE BEER TASTING. Taste every Gluten Free Beer available in Oregon, from Portland's own Harvester & Omission, plus all 3 New Planet Beers, Lakefront New Grist, Redbridge, Bard's Tale, and imports from Green's, St. Peter's and Estrella.  (FYI: In the case of Estrella and Omission there is some debate about whether they can be called Gluten Free but they are very low parts per million gluten, thus meeting stringent guidelines)  A brewer from Harvester and some of the distributor/brand reps will be present. 

If you've been wondering what gluten-free beer options are like, you'll definitely want to be there!

Are you eliminating gluten from your diet and wondering what to do with menu items at the wedding, such as cake, alcohol, and so forth? What creative ideas have you come up with? Any caterers or cake bakers you just love? Feel free to leave a comment.

Summer weddings and bugs!

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

A version of this article ran on Portland Wedding Coordinator in August 2011.

 Can you believe, it's the end of May and the outdoor summer weddings in Portland and Lake Oswego are here. If you are getting married at one of the outdoor gardens, waterfront or riverfront parks or venues you are probably wondering what to do about the possibility of bugs.

Bug-off spray is a must at outdoor weddings, but here are a few  tips to make you the perfect wedding host:

– Avoid DEET-based sprays that can irritate skin. Lemongrass and geranium oil-based repellents are available and they smell much nicer.

– Transfer the insect repellent spray into nicer glass bottles before setting them out at your event. Empty glass spray bottles can usually be found in the bulk beauty aisle (lotions and soaps) of natural grocery stores such as Whole Foods and New Seasons. Wrap the bottle in a ribbon to match your scheme, and then it will be guest-book-table worthy.

(Vintage atomizers could be fun too!)

image from Polyvore

– Burning lemongrass torches or candles can keep bugs down in the immediate vicinity. Having gently-blowing oscillating fans can also help.

– If the area seems to be uncontrollably buggy, consider applying non-toxic lawn or yard insect treatments (some examples here and here) several hours or days prior to the wedding (get the permission of the venue owner first).

 

{ Portland Wedding Coordinator loves } Bicycle themed gifts and favors

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/new/bike-gifts.html?cm_mmc=email-_-04_03_2012-_-multichannel-_-beauty&cm_em=emee@ejpevents.com

 

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Bicycle-Gift-Bags/3690.010/48668266.html

 

http://www.redbicyclette.com/images/Bottleshot-Syrah.png

Springtime and cherry blossoms means engagement photo time!

Posted on by Emee Pumarega

Today's warmer weather reminds me that springtime is just around the corner. For many of you who are getting married in Portland in 2012, this means engagement photos.

Portland-wedding-cherry-blossoms-engagement

Image by Paul Rich via My Portland Photographer. (actually taken in Maryland, but ah well.)

Why have an engagement photo taken? This is an exciting time, and it's fun to document the transition between singlehood and marriage. The photos have lots of uses, such as holiday cards, and save the dates. I say, err on the side of taking more pictures, at more events, than not. When you look back, you'll be glad you did.

And in the most practical sense, if you do your engagement shoot with your own wedding photographer, it gives you a chance to run through what it's like to be around that person for an extended length of time in the focus of their camera lens. If, like me, you don't have professional photos taken that often and can feel somewhat awkward about it, every chance you get to spend time with the photographer and get more comfortable in the process will help you feel more at ease when it comes time on the day of your wedding.