In Any Event...

It wasn't my intention to take almost the whole month of February off from blogging, but somehow almost all 28 days passed by with nary a peep from me. I even forgot to post a cute picture on Valentine's day anthropomorphising my dog, like I normally do. Why, you may have been wondering, did I forsake this blog for nearly a whole month (granted, the shortest month of the year)?

It's because I have been busy starting a new business, Harrington & Luscia Special Events- I am now officially working as an event planner!  Please check out my new website (still a bit of a work in progress): www.harringtonandluscia.com (The "Luscia" part is my great friend, former Martha Stewart colleague, and business partner, Anthony, who is also an exceptional planner and more fun than should fit inside one human man).

Don't worry, I'm still keeping up the housewivery, and I still love to make/fix/clean/cook things and write about them, so I will keep up this blog and my other writing. But, in some ways, planning parties in an official capacity feels like the fulfillment of my destiny. I have always loved throwing parties- when I was a little girl, I used to make the guest lists and plan the menus for my birthday parties six months in advance, even though I had (and still have, for the most part) the exact same group of friends I made in preschool. In college, I was the Social Coordinator for my women's club, and even once erected a large white party tent myself in order to save money (good thing it wasn't windy that night). After college, I went to work for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine for five years, where I was the Real Weddings editor, and spent my days designing crafty decorations, arranging flowers, and tying thousands of "perfect" bows on programs and favors (in 2008, my own wedding was in the magazine). I've helped many friends plan their weddings and parties through the years, and had my first "official" wedding in February, which went off without a hitch!

Event planning (and wedding planning, in particular) suits me because it's creative, aesthetic work, that also feeds my appetite to be hyper-organized with lists, timelines, and spreadsheets, get to know people people and families at an exciting, celebratory time in their lives, extol the virtues of tradition and etiquette, and boss people around a little bit (but never my clients!). It's kind of a perfect fit.

We are still building and expanding the business (look for a blog on all things party and wedding-related to come!) We are planning events all over the country in the next few months, and are always excited to talk to other people in the industry, or to offer advice and help to party planners and engaged couples. So please be in touch!

Meanwhile, thanks for hanging in there with me on this blog! I promise much more frequent posts and updates in March.  (But, just in case, my dog says Happy St. Paw-trick's Day in advance).