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Northern Colorado’s weather is cooling off, and that has us in the mood for fall-inspired cocktails ideal for a wintry wedding or a fun Friendsgiving. We wrote a blog for our friends at On the Rocks and wanted to share it here as well! Try the recipes below from two of our favorite regional partners – master alcohol deliverers Wilbur’s Total Beverage and vodka connoisseurs Spring44 Distilling.  Mulled Wine from Wilbur’s Total Beverage Fun fact: This cold-weather classic drink dates back to the Roman Empire.
1. Combine ingredients. Add wine, orange slices, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, honey, and any add-ins to a large saucepan or slow cooker. Stir to combine. 2. Stovetop: Cook the mulled wine on medium-high heat until it just barely reaches a simmer (do not boil – you do not want to cook off the alcohol). Reduce heat to low, cover, and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours. Slow cooker: Heat on low for about an hour until hot, and then reduce heat to warm until ready to serve. 3. Using a fine mesh strainer, remove and discard the used orange slices and spices. Give the mulled wine a taste, and stir in extra sweetener if needed. 4. Serve warm in heatproof mugs, garnish with orange rounds, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.  Spring 44’s Spiced Pear Martini A rich cocktail for a formal fall get-together, with pear, almond, and cardamom. To make, combine:
 Grand Old Fashioned by Wilbur’s Total Beverage This version of the traditional, elegant drink incorporates subtle flavors like orange oil to balance bitter and sweet flavors.
Combine aromatic bitters, Grand Marnier, and whiskey in an old fashioned glass. Add large ice cube and stir until cold and well incorporated. Garnish with orange twist, expressing oils over glass rim.  Boozy Chai from Spring44 Distilling The warm spices of chai evoke the coziness of fall: cardamom, clove, ginger, and black pepper. Booze it up with some Spring44 Vodka, add a splash of cream and you've created a sipping dessert. To make, combine:
 Apple Bees Knees Cocktail A seasonal twist on a classic gin cocktail. For the honey syrup:
For the cocktail:
1. To make syrup, place water, honey, and rosemary in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using. Remaining syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. 2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add in, lemon juice, apple juice, and honey syrup. Shake to combine and strain into a glass. Garnish with rosemary and apple slices. Shop local and celebrate the season at your next event or date night in with these warm, nostalgic signature cocktails. For more cocktail recipes, check out our list of eight local-inspired signature cocktails for all seasons. Let us help you brainstorm signature cocktails for your next event when you partner with MY BIG DAY or book with On the Rocks.  At My Big Day Marketing & Events, event safety is important to us. As an all-women team, some of us have experienced firsthand dangerous situations – and even sexual assault – at parties. While we’re all about fun, everyone needs to feel safe to enjoy themselves. As we enter the holiday party season, here are some tips for both men and women to celebrate safely.  1. Use the buddy system. If you’re going with a large group, divide into pairs so each person is responsible for one other. It’s much easier to keep track of one person after a few drinks than to try to remember who you came with and be sure everyone is accounted for. So buddy up, and look out for your partner throughout the night. Make a plan for how you’ll get home at the end of the night, and don’t leave until your partner is accounted for. 2. Never leave drinks unattended. It takes less than a second for someone to slip a substance into your drink without your knowledge, and date rape drugs are designed to be odorless, tasteless, and colorless. Don’t trust that your friend or acquaintance watched your drink the whole time you were in the bathroom or getting some fresh air. 3. Don’t accept drinks from others. For the same reasons you should never leave your drink unattended, you also should not accept drinks from others. This includes your friends, who may have set the drink down and inadvertently given someone else the chance to add unwanted substances to it. Likewise, don’t drink from communal containers.  4. Maintain situational awareness. Be aware of your surroundings. This is easier said than done when you’ve been drinking, which is why it’s important to utilize the buddy system and pace your consumption. 5. Keep an emergency kit with you. Have a small kit with your ID, phone, keys, and cash or credit card that you can keep on you at all times. Do not set this down or keep it in a loose pocket. If you have space, a phone charger or backup battery is also a good idea. 6. Eat and drink (water) first, and throughout the night. Not only will this give you energy to get through the night, it will lessen the negative impacts of drinking alcohol.  7. Set limits and pace yourself. Decide before you start drinking how many drinks you plan to have. Keep a tally on your phone or have a sober buddy keep track for you. Picking a number and having someone keep you accountable are the easiest ways to keep your intoxicated self from having “just one more.” 8. Avoid conflicts. Small arguments can escalate quickly into physical altercations with alcohol in the mix. If someone tries to provoke you, walk away and do not engage them. If you’re being harassed, it’s time to leave, but make sure to leave with a group. 9. Trust your gut. Sometimes your gut knows more than you do. If a situation feels “off” or uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to leave. It doesn’t matter if you just arrived, or if the party is ending in just a few minutes. It’s never too early or too late. Put your safety first. 10. Avoid alcohol. If you’re in an unfamiliar place and surrounded by strangers, skip the booze. You will be more alert and aware of what’s going on around you. Drinking is best reserved for when you’re with a group of people you know and trust. Put yourself first, and get home safe this holiday season. Our team looks forward to celebrating safely with you for many years to come. Get in touch now and let us plan your next event!  Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken Cheers to 15 years! My Big Day Marketing & Events is proud to be owned an opperated by outstanding women. We've been a lot of places and seen a lot of things. 15 years of hard work and community support. Thank you for being a part of our wild ride! Here is to 15+ more! Thank you to David Tutera for the shout out!  Contact MBD Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken If you’ve been bingeing on wedding movies in preparation for your big day, titles like “The Wedding Planner,” “Bridesmaids,” and “Bride Wars” probably come to mind. We’ll admit, some of us enjoy a girls’ night in with these guilty pleasure films – but they’re not totally accurate in depicting the event planning world. Here are a few things the movies get wrong about what event planning REALLY looks like: The over-the-top weddings Movie weddings tend to be extravagant and exaggerated, which can set unrealistic expectations for brides-to-be. Many of the weddings shown in these rom-coms would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to recreate – some over a million dollars.  Since the average amount couples budget for a wedding in the United States is $33,900, these weddings aren’t feasible for most couples to recreate. The good news is that we can help you create a magazine-worthy wedding even if your budget is less than a sixth of that national average. The drama Sure, we’ve seen some drama, but not every bride is a Bridezilla, not every mother-of-the-bride has a vendetta against the couple, and not every corporate client is difficult to work with. In fact, we love our clients, past and present. Events are often stressful for clients. After all, it’s your big day, and there’s a lot at stake. But that’s why you hired us! Our job is to relieve that stress and keep the drama to a minimum so you can soak up every memorable moment. Still - sometimes real life is even MORE unbelievable What if the picturesque trolley you hired to shuttle guests to their hotels after your scenic mountain wedding can’t make it out of the icy parking lot? Or, what if a water pipe bursts in the wall just before your ceremony on a -20 degree day? Yes, we have seen those things happen. Event planning requires equal parts perfectionism and flexibility. You don’t want your event planner to be a deer in headlights when something doesn’t go according to plan. That’s why you hire us!  We don’t get involved in clients’ personal lives As tempted as we may be if our client were Matthew McConaughey, you won’t catch us out drinking and dancing with a groom-to-be. We help our clients navigate personal circumstances from a logistical perspective, but we won’t be hanging around outside of meetings or gossiping with family members. We work as a team Certainly, there are solo event planners out there who make it work. But we find that event planning works best as a team. Remember that burst water pipe we mentioned? While some of our team was collecting gushing water in trash cans and throwing it outside, the rest of us were seamlessly conducting a wedding ceremony in the next room – on time, we might add. Meet our team of talented women here. We don’t use code words Okay, we could do this if we really wanted to, but we find it works just as well to communicate discreetly about what’s really going on. We always strive for transparency when it’s appropriate. And when we’re trying to mitigate your stress on the day of your big event, we’ll handle it as a team behind the scenes.  The perfect vision takes planning – and lots of logistics If events magically fell into place, we’d be out of a job. Having a vision is great, but what happens when your dream venue doesn’t allow you to work with the outside caterer you had your heart set on? Weddings and all other events require juggling lots of moving parts. If you have an event planner from the start, you won’t run into these issues. But even if you come to us further along in the process, don’t worry – we are great problem-solvers. We don’t trash talk past clients with our current clients (and we certainly don’t take bets on how long marriages will last) These things are unprofessional – not to mention just in bad taste. We wish all of our clients – couples, families, small businesses, and large corporations – the best, and we strive to give you the best. We won’t be broadcasting your pre-ceremony breakdown or the frustration you expressed during a high-stress time. All this said, there are some films that do get it right. If you want to know what event planning is like behind the scenes, check out “Fyre” (a cautionary tale of event planning gone wrong), “The First Monday in May,” or “The Ultimate Wedding Planner.” Need more convincing? Read about our top 10 reasons to hire a wedding planner. P.S. – these reasons also apply to work events, concerts, and anything else you can dream up! Hire My Big Day – for business, for community, for love, and for fun.  Contact MBD Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken
For nearly 15 years, My Big Day has been serving Northern Colorado in unique and creative ways... events, business development, media buying, marketing, website design, fundraising.... For over 25 years, Realities for Children has been supporting abused and neglected children in Northern Colorado through a wide range of services and with large event fundraisers. In 2020, Realities reached out to My Big Day to see if we would be willing to take on their annual NightLights campaign. During such a difficult year, fundraising was not the easiest job in 2020 - but MBD Marketing & Events rose to the challenge. Not only did we reimagine the event, we far exceeded their fundraising goal!  Here we are in 2021, and MBD has committed to a long-term partnership with Realities to manage all events and event marketing campaigns. This year will certainly present us with many challenges, but we are eager to help make a difference in so many children's lives. Carrie Stadtmueller is the event lead who will be managing all of the initiatives with Realities for Children. "I'm excited and honored to be be the lead on this full time contract, and even more so, because of the organization we are working with! Be on the lookout for some incredible ways to support children in our community!
 Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken The My Big Day Marketing & Events team was thrilled to help The Humphrey's host their private event for the Cattle Baron's Ball for The American Cancer Society. Here are some of our favorite photos from the night. It was such a pleasure to work with Food for Thought Catering, On The Rocks CO (mobile bar), Flexx Productions and the lovely team at ACS! 
Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken  My Big Day was honored to be responsible that this special day went off without a hitch during a time when everything is uncertain! Bryan & Cynthia had a beautiful COVID friendly backyard reception! With a private mountain ceremony at Sprauge Lake, and a carefully crafted socially distant reception plan, they were able to celebrate just as they wanted - with close family & friends and with all of the important traditions couples dream of.... plus sanitizer and face masks! Wedding Professionals: Event Planners: My Big Day Officiant: Todd Harding Ceremony: Spraug Lake, Estes Park Reception: Backyard reception in Loveland DJ: Suit & Tie DJs Event Rentals: Flexx Productions Cake: Colorado Rose Florals: Finishing Touches Photographer: Visual Poetry by Meghan Catering: Catering to You by James Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken  Many couples – including some of our My Big Day couples – are opting to elope rather than postpone or cancel weddings due to Covid-19. We did the work and searched lists of unique elopement locations in Colorado and Wyoming – here are our top 5 picks for each state.  Colorado
 2. Maroon Bells (Aspen) – These incredible mountains are Colorado’s most photographed spot. What to know: You must reserve the amphitheater for a $200 fee to have your ceremony at the Bells. Slots are released a year in advance, and regular Bells guests are still allowed to visit the site, so weekdays are your best bet. Plan for afternoon thunderstorms in the summer. If you want fall colors, aim for September. Consider going early for stunning sunrise ceremony photos and no tourists photobombing your wedding. If you have urgent questions about your wedding or conditions at the Bells, you’ll need to call the ranger station. 3. Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street (Denver) – The gardens offer a wide range of backdrops, from water and rose gardens to greenhouses. Another perk: The downtown Denver location makes this a convenient site for couples. What to know: Fees vary by location in the gardens, and it can be pricey, but you will save on travel fees from your florist, photographer, and officiant. You can bring your own alcohol for an intimate couples’ champagne toast. Click HERE to submit an inquiry.  4. Pikes Peak (Colorado Springs) – This scenic mountaintop offers a view all the way to Kansas on clear days. What to know: No need to hike – weather permitting, you can drive to the top of Pikes Peak. No permits and no fees, but keep in mind that tourists can come and go throughout your ceremony and no décor is allowed.  5. Guanella Pass (Georgetown) – A valley with breathtaking blue-green hills and water features. This is a fantastic backdrop for moody photos that are even more stunning during cloudy summer afternoons. What to know: No permits, no fees, no reservations. Wyoming 1. St. Alban’s Chapel (Centennial) – Historic, open-air chapel surrounded by beautiful scenery, including a lake. What to know: The chapel is usually accessible only in the late summer. It must be reserved for a small fee through St. Matthew’s Cathedral. Despite being called a chapel, the structure is very old and not quite a building, so there are no restrooms. You will not be allowed to decorate the structure because of its age, but you won’t need to! 2. Lake Marie (Medicine Bow National Forest) – A beautiful, green-blue lake with a snowy mountain backdrop. What to know: This location is drive-up friendly, but only accessible during the late summer when Highway 130 is open. Click HERE to see whether the area is currently open. No permits, no fees, no guaranteed reservations.  3. Schwabacher Landing (Grand Teton National Park) – A spectacular viewpoint on Snake River with easy access to the water and reflections of the majestic Teton Mountains. What to know: Snowy spring and winter weather can make the gravel road impassable, so plan for a summer or fall ceremony. Bring your camera for wildlife sightings. No permits, no fees, no guaranteed reservations and no decorations allowed. Note that the area is popular with fishermen and tourists snapping photos. 4. The Wedding Tree (Jackson Hole) – Aptly named, the tree provides a natural arch to get married under with a view of the Grand Tetons in the background. What to know: You will need to take a trail from the parking lot (about 5 minutes), and then get off the trail to access the tree, so carry your heels and put them on at the tree. Camping is no longer allowed. A permit is required; contact the Bridger-Teton National Forest Office at (307) 739-5500. Aim for a fall or summer event so the roads aren’t snowed out. 5. Albany County Courthouse (Laramie) – If the wilderness isn’t your style, consider getting married at the Albany County Courthouse in Laramie and taking photos in front of the picturesque building. What to know: You will need to make your own arrangements for an officiant. If you would like to get married in the courthouse, there are several judges who perform marriage ceremonies, or you may bring your own ordained minister; contact information can be found HERE. As with any wedding in Wyoming, a marriage license is required prior to the ceremony. Ceremony fees vary by officiant. Same-sex marriages are allowed under Wyoming law. You don’t have to cancel your wedding if you were planning to get married this year. We believe the only ingredients required for a wedding are two people who want to spend their lives together. Contact us at mybigdayevents@outlook.com for help planning your elopement or micro-wedding!  Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us As event planners, we serve the entire Front Range; Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken  We wanted to express our sincere gratitude to each and every person who was part of our 6 week pop-up fundraiser, "The Loveland Drive In". We have received countless compliments from the public and amazing PR around this event. This was a BIG DEAL for Northern Colorado, and we were proud to have served our community. Some rough estimates worth sharing: In 6 weeks, we were able to....
Thank you for supporting the Thompson Education Foundation and the small businesses who put this fundraiser on. And thank you for being part of our strong community!  Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us As event planners, we serve the entire Front Range; Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken  The past two years, My Big Day has had the opportunity to work alongside the board and administrative team at The Family Center/La Familia. From our perspective, it has been an exciting, challenging, and fruitful partnership. The Family Center-La Familia hired our team of event planners to help them with their annual Fiesta fundraiser and party last fall. They were our first non-profit client, and the foundation on which we have built our new fundraising and non-profit support arm of our event business. Through our work with The Family Center-La Famila, we have also been able to grow the marketing side of My Big Day. We offer social media and overall marketing support for the non-profit, and have been able to use this experience to expand our business with other non-profits and organizations. We are extremely grateful that Deirdre Sullivan, the Executive Director of The Family Center-La Familia, took some time to offer feedback on our partnership, the work we’ve done together, and our goals for the future! What was it like for The Family Center-La Familia before you hired My Big Day to help plan fundraising events and provide marketing services for the organization? We were relying on volunteers and an overstretched Executive Director to do event planning, marketing, and donor development. After attempts to hire full time staff, proving costly and also lacking specific skills for these duties, bringing on content experts of MBD was the best decision we could have made! Events and marketing were unorganized, lacked consistency, took a back seat to all of the other priorities of the organization and ultimately wound up costing the organization (loss of donors, missed opportunities, etc.) What problem(s) were you trying to solve with our services? We desperately needed content experts for event planning, marketing and donor messaging support. In addition, because this work is sporadic based on times of year, month, etc. the ability to have a contracted firm do this, rather than a full time staff member, was a win-win! What was the obstacle that almost prevented you from purchasing our services? Funding for the nonprofit sector is ALWAYS the issue but MBD made its portfolio of services attainable for our budget and the return on this investment has paid off beyond what we imagined. What features sold you on buying this service/entering this partnership with My Big Day? Content expertise of team; efficiency of services; affordability; skills that NP sector don’t have; ability to have specific, task oriented services and not be paying for a marketing staff member to sit in unnecessary staff meetings, etc. MBD’s experience elevated the quality of our events and marketing significantly. What made you happiest about working with our company? Success with fundraising; independence in hitting the ground running with little to NO guidance, taking a huge burden off ED and board’s plate, increasing the professionalism of the organization through marketing and communications. What have you been able to achieve since using our services? Increased donor support and engagement, consistent messaging, increased social media presence, increased board engagement, incredibly successful and professional fundraising events What has exceeded your expectations since working with us? All of the above but mostly, the independence and leadership you’ve shown. I have never worked with a contractor who is so confident, able, and had the expertise to literally take the work off my plate and run with it...and succeed. What is the main reason you would recommend our services to another business or non-profit group? You (My Big Day) have expertise we lack in the sector and is hard to find in current Non-profit talent. You somehow straddle the perfect line in understanding the limitations, issues, etc. of nonprofits, how to communicate our message effectively, and you bring a professional skill set extremely needed in the nonprofit sector. You work efficiently, make the absolute best of our limited resources and need zero handholding of overstretched EDs/boards.   Contact My Big Day
Marketing & Events Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us As event planners, we serve the entire Front Range; Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken |
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My Big Day Company LLC 2021 www.MyBigDayCompany.com
970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 EMAIL US
We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken
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