My Big Day Events Blog: Weddings, Events, Deals, Ideas, Planning, Colorado in the Know!

Top Festive Shops & Small Businesses in NoCo

12/14/2020

We are all about shopping local - every holiday season, but especially this year. We love highlighting our favorite local gems in our social media posts and on our website - small business love is a real thing!

We are excited to promote some of our favorite local establishments that have gone above and beyond when it comes to festive decor and holiday spirit!

Cozy Cottage - Fort Collins, Council Tree Their tag line says, “A Place to Call Home”, and we couldn’t agree more! This little shop has a ton of beautiful home decor, and they are decked out for the holiday season! They even offer shopping online, along with curated gift boxes at varying prices. You’ll want to make sure to stop by as you are finishing up your holiday shopping! https://www.shopcozycottage.com/

The Cupboard - Fort Collins No small business/store list would be complete without Old Town favorite, The Cupboard! They have been a staple of downtown Fort Collins for years! They are decorated for the holidays with a fun, classic, and eclectic flair! If you want a store that offers home inspiration, The Cupboard is it! https://thecupboard.net

Golden Poppy Apothecary - Fort Collins This North College shop is open for in-person shopping M-Saturday, 11am-6pm and on Sundays 11am-5pm. You can also find awesome stocking stuffers and gifts in their online shop. In times of old, apothecaries were where all people went for their medicines - many times herbs, powders, extracts, and syrups. Today our modern pharmacies fill that role, but there are still many ailments that can be treated with herbs and herbal products. Check out their sweet shop! https://www.goldenpoppyherbs.com/

The Perennial Gardener - Fort Collins Another staple of downtown Fort Collins, The Perennial Gardener is one big, beautiful, holiday display! They are full of trees, decorations, twinkly lights, and all things sparkly! They have an enormous inventory of awesome holiday gift ideas - you won’t want to miss out! https://www.facebook.com/ThePerennialGardener/

25 Days of Christmas Downtown - Loveland We couldn’t pick just one downtown Loveland shop - so we are sharing the city’s awesome promotion - “25 Days of Christmas Downtown” The city is giving away $100 gift cards at each business highlighted in this promotion, plus weekly prize baskets. Shop at any of the participating shops up to Christmas and be entered to win! There are promotions going on at places such as Betta Gumbo, B Sweet Cupcakes, Canyon Collectables, Crow Hop Brewing, and more!

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

Shop Small This 2020 Holiday

11/26/2020

The My Big Day Team loves to shop small and support our fellow, local small businesses in the community. In our last team meeting we discussed our favorite small businesses we personally enjoy supporting and wanted to share them with YOU! Now, more than ever, small businesses (and non-profits) need you support. Please SHOP SMALL this holiday. Here are some idea starters!

Fort Collins

Colorado Candy Company
Sunday Supply Company
Golden Poppy Apothecary
Savory Spice Shop
Curiosities
Old Firehouse Bookstore
Kansas City Kitty
Maker Folk Art
The Cupboard
Kilwins
Clothes Pony Dandelion Toys
CoCo Art Studio
CCs Flower Truck
Wolverine Farm

Loveland

Turquoise & Tangerine Boutique
Cloz to Home
Chics Supporting Chics
PILAR Boutique
Vintage Willows
Eclectic Artisan House
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Adobe Designs

Greeley

Brooklyn Finds
Clush Botique
Charlie & Co
Warm Hugs Mixes & Gifts

Timnath

Fine & Funky Boutique
Timnath Beerwerks
Colorado Feed & Grain

Alternative Halloween 2020

11/1/2020

The MBD team has been extremely fortunate to have some amazing partners who have trusted us with their valued community events. Knowing that we are invested in our community and we still wanted to bring fun to local families, My Big Day worked with Thompson Education Foundation and The Centerra Marketplace to put on some amazing Halloween experiences!

Our socially safe Trick-or-Treat event hosted at The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland was a huge success! Over 30 vendor booths, over 40 volunteers, and over 3,000 guests came through on Saturday, October 31st. This event was FREE to the public.

The Halloween Hullabaloo hosted by McWhinney at the Centerra Marketplace provided 7 drive-in movies for FREE for families to enjoy! What a fantastic way to celebrate the holiday, dress up, and enjoy some old fashioned fun!

Our good friend, Jen West Photography, captured some photos of the fun over the Halloween weekend.
Thank you for supporting our small business while we support others. We love what we do!

Let's Talk About VALUES

10/19/2020

Defining company values is an important part of any company’s business or branding strategy. Company values are often integrated into a company’s mission statement, a formal summary of the aims and values of a company or organization. Visible mission statements benefit a business in multiple ways: They give companies a solid foundation that guides future business activities, and they resonate with customers who share the company’s values. My Big Day has always valued community, creativity, and making memories for our clients.

In recent years, My Big Day has expanded our services to include full-service marketing options and year-long event management contracts for other companies and nonprofits. Our company is now in the process of expanding and refining our mission statement with input from all members of our team. We’d like to share with our readers the process of creating a mission statement and the importance of values, as well as some specifics from our journey through this process.

Defining your company’s core values is one of the most effective first steps in developing a mission statement. As an employer, you can ask yourself why your business exists and what you believe it provides to others. It’s important to also reach out to employees for input. Ask employees what they like about working for your company, what they think is most important about the company, and what difference it makes in your community. Some examples of the statements our company received from employees are:

“My Big Day is contributing to the positive environment we have created for ourselves as employees, and in turn for all of our clients,” and, “I think there is a mentality [in the company] that melds professionalism with play in a unique way that allows all of the work we do for fun.”

Look for commonly repeated words or synonyms, as these are things your employees associate with your company, and your clients likely do, too. Some keywords from My Big Day’s employee feedback were “empowered,” “supported,” “creative,” “collaborative,” “teamwork,” and “community.”

These components (keywords and statements) become your company values, and accompany your company’s vision (a statement that describes your company’s aspirations and explains how customers can benefit from using your company) to create your company’s mission statement. Values are essential to the mission statement, because they are often the most meaningful component to customers. A vision statement tells your company’s audience what the company expects to achieve; values tell your audience how you plan to achieve it.

For a company with high employee engagement and morale, values should line up naturally. My Big Day collected keywords and employee statements with a series of emailed questions from our company coach, Katie Beaubian, who sums up the importance of company values:
“Core values of a business are the values that are incorporated into everything we do – from how we show up to events, to what clients we work with to how we interact with each other as a team.”

My Big Day is proud of our company values and the way they translate into not just the professional execution of our work, but into community outreach and employee and client satisfaction.

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

Supporting Small Businesses: An Interview with Colorado Candy Company

7/14/2020

My Big Day is a small business, and we know first hand how challenging it is right now to be a small business owner. As such, we are interviewing other small businesses so that we can help cross-promote them among our followers and offer support in this uncertain time.

Today we are featuring John Buoniconti, the owner of Colorado Candy Company.

How long have you been in business?
This is our fifth year in business.

What inspired you to get into the candy-making business and how and why did you start The Colorado Candy Company?
When I first moved to Fort Collins back in 1996, I applied to an ad in the newspaper that simply said. Do you like candy. Seasonal positions available. So I went to the address in the add and six years into working there I found myself trying to buy the business. The purchase didn’t work out and so I went and moved on. No matter what job I had, anytime someone asked me what my dream job was, the answer was easy, making candy.

Then, in 2015 my wife and I bought and sold a business and decided to use the proceeds of the sale to start Colorado Candy Company. We came up with all original formulas for our products and started making candy batches in our home kitchen. I still remember making our first ribbon candy sitting on a kids stool in front of the oven to keep the candy warm. Once I knew the formulas were solid and we acquired some vintage candy making equipment, I knew I was going to need some help to get this business going.

So I brought on two business partners, both long time friends of over 20 years. I actually met Brian at the original candy shop and he currently has 17 years of candy making experience. My second business partner Jade not only heads our packaging department but he is also a homegrown artist, born and raised in Fort Collins, Co. He actually made our two marble tables out of slabs from Marble, CO. He also has a piece of carved marble in the Benson Sculpture Park in Loveland, CO.

How has the recent COVID-pandemic impacted your business? Are other social, economic, environmental impacts that affect your business?
Like many other companies, our business model has been turned upside down. We were mainly a wholesaler and this time of year most Of our business revolved around tourism and events like weddings and fairs. None of which are happening any longer. Now 80% of our business is from our online store but joining the online space at the same time as some many other businesses has proven very challenging.

How do you currently market your business?
We market CCC online thru both social media and Google and with small print articles. We also use digital billboard marketing as well as product sponsorships.

Where can we - your consumers - find your products? Do you have an online shop, onsite store, or do you partner with other businesses to carry your products?
We have both an online store as well as many brick and mortar retail customers alongside the front range and in surrounding states. You can find both on our website www.coloradocandycompany.com.

Is there anything else you would like our followers and potential customers to know about The Colorado Candy Company or yourself?
For the Love of Candy is not just our tag line but it is why we started this small family business. It is why we make small artisan batches with great ingredients. Colorado Candy Company is one of just a few candy shops left in this country that still makes thin hand spun ribbon candy.

Join us in supporting Colorado Candy Company! https://www.coloradocandycompany.com/

Insider tip.... Did you know you can purchase their candy, and food from other small businesses AND have it delivered through NoCo Virtual Farmer's Market? Check it out!
https://nocovirtualfarmersmarket.com/shop-category/food/

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

Event Consent during COVID-19 Pandemic

7/12/2020

Like every small business, we are working on being as creative as possible to still keep ourselves busy working and supporting other businesses and Big dreams our clients have... but we need to be as safe as possible for ourselves, our families, and our clients. As such, the following policy will be posted at every event My Big Day is associate with - and must be signed by all participants.

Event Consent during COVID-19 Pandemic

Due to the global pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 and for the safety and protection of the health of our staff, clients and event attendees, we are implementing safety measures in compliance with the safety precautions published by the CDC and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

I confirm that I have NOT tested positive for Coronavirus in the last 14 days.
I confirm that I am NOT waiting for the results of a laboratory test for Coronavirus.
I verify that I have not been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus or been asked to self-isolate by The Colorado Department of Health or any other government agency.
I confirm that I do not currently have any of the following symptoms of COVID-19 identified by the CDC:

Fever of 100 degrees or higher, chills or body aches, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, flu-like symptoms, bloody or green diarrhea (we are just making sure you are reading this), runny nose, or loss of smell or taste.

I confirm that I am not in the high risk category for increased illness or death from COVID-19, including: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, lung disease including moderate to severe asthma, being immune-compromised, having active malignancy.

I understand the I must wash and sanitize my hands regularly, and I must wear a mask that covers my nose and mouth when in a public place, and when in 6ft of a stranger.

I understand that for the health and safety for myself and others, I will have my temperature checked prior to participating.

I understand that the My Big Day team and all participating vendors will do everything possible to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and I will not hold them responsible should I contract COVID-19.

By signing below, I agree to the above statements and release My Big Day, it’s staff and participating vendors and businesses from any liability for the unintentional exposure of the Coronavirus.

An Open Letter to NON Business Owners

3/20/2020

As a small business owner, professional event planner, and woman who takes fun seriously, I wanted to address the handful of concerned emails we have received from those who don't own small businesses, or work in the event industry.

This is me. I'm a mom of 3 small children under 4. I have a mortgage, a minivan payment, and 8 people who rely on me paying them through my small business.

I have COUNTLESS vendors I work with and other small business owners who count on our events and our clients to pay them for their services.

In just the past WEEK I have had to:

Cancel an event for over 2,000 people who were looking forward to that event, cancel 30+ vendors who were relying on the business traffic, cancel services from 10+ service providers, EMS, police, rental companies, etc who were going to make money off of the event....
Postpone a large fundraiser for 300+ guests, cancel the marketing money we were going to spend in print and radio, cancel all of the social media posts we had scheduled for the event, contact all the vendors we had contracted for the event, hold countless meetings about messaging, and offer support to the non-profit who is missing out on at least $50,000 by not holding this fundraiser.
Cancel a fundraiser for another non-profit who was counting on a minimum of $30k that they raise during their annual event. Held countless meetings on messaging, options and ways to keep their organization a float.
Assist all of our Marketing clients with messaging regarding the Coronavirus and help them make hard decisions that affect HUNDREDS of lives and family incomes.
Make difficult decisions around our own signature event, the NoCo Easter Keg Hunt. See below.

For those asking about The Easter Keg Hunt....

We already purchased all of the supplies for this event.
We worked with 13 businesses as stops for this event and created the clues.
Then....We altered the event to have more outdoor clues and spent hours doing so.
We sent out a survey to get feedback. Team captains voted to keep the event on as planned with adjustments. The government forced us to change that.
We created clues and new stops to make the event more 'small team' friendly. The government changed that too.
The majority of team captains voted to MOVE the event. So we did.
We were forced to move it out to a date that will work for our starting and ending point venues/partners. We had to get confirmation from them first.
At this point, June 13th is only a 'holding spot' as we don't know if we will still be under strict quarantine rules.

We cannot predict what the future will hold. Just like all other small businesses who work in events, we have PLANNED the event, we have DONE the work, and now the day is on hold. We offered a refund option to team captains who were uncertain about moving forward. The timing on this has passed. We do not offer refunds - same as every other ticketed event we plan and other businesses plan.

This is not the world we lived in a month ago... Understand that we are all doing the best we can to keep our heads above water and focus on the positive. We are trying to keep this event on because we all need some FUN in our lives.

The weight of the world is on my shoulders because I am fully aware that what I do impacts others. My small business is responsible for affecting thousands of peoples lives. I take that very seriously.

What YOU do impacts others too.
Let's not lose focus on what is truly important.

Let kindness rule your heart. If you cannot have empathy for my small business and the other businesses and people we serve, then we kindly ask that you not participate in the fun we offer.

-Christine Forster, President
My Big Day Events

Forward>>

Top Festive Shops & Small Businesses in NoCo

Shop Small This 2020 Holiday

Alternative Halloween 2020

Let's Talk About VALUES

Supporting Small Businesses: An Interview with Colorado Candy Company

Event Consent during COVID-19 Pandemic

Event Consent during COVID-19 Pandemic

An Open Letter to NON Business Owners

About MBD

Want More?

Search Categories

Monthly Archives

Where We Are & Where We've Been:

Top Festive Shops & Small Businesses in NoCo

Shop Small This 2020 Holiday

Alternative Halloween 2020

Let's Talk About VALUES

Supporting Small Businesses: An Interview with Colorado Candy Company

Event Consent during COVID-19 Pandemic

Event Consent during COVID-19 Pandemic​

An Open Letter to NON Business Owners

About MBD

Want More?

Search Categories

Monthly Archives

Where We Are & Where We've Been:

Event Consent during COVID-19 Pandemic