NOT A Little Backyard Party

Well…I survived what was NOT a little backyard party.   I survived the countless number of sleepless nights, the staff, the press, the police, the heat, I don’t even know what else, but all the rest of the stuff that goes into planning out a very important event including the Secret Service.  Yes.  I survived the Secret Service.  A couple of weeks ago, there was a teeny tiny little fundraiser for 450 pals to raise money for the DNC.  And President Obama was there in all his Presidential glory.  And with the Presidential glory comes all his people.  And his stuff.  And the special rules which are all quite understandable and really were very reasonable all things considered.   Interestingly enough, the Secret Service agents were by far the most pleasant gentlemen I have ever worked with.  They laid down the rules, no doubt.  But very politely.  And I do have to give a shout out to the Communications team as well.  Really.  I can’t say enough about how lovely the team was that entered the home that week.  You’re not going to get any juicy security details in any way here folks, but I will do a little de-briefing.  I keep telling myself that it was just a regular old Hollywood party.  Except that the leader of the free world was the guest of honor sooo…maybe not.

The beginning: The first thing I did months ago when we got the date confirmed was call my friend Mindy Weiss and say “How would you like to do a little thing with me…and oh ya guess who will be there.”  Because we go way back…well however long ago that was when I worked for her…that’s way back.  And because I knew my head would not have the brain capacity that is involved in wrangling tents and chairs and white china like it usually would – because I was going back to work on Scandal three weeks before the event date.  I knew her team would have my back with that stuff while I met with and planned all of the details with the DNC folks and the SS.  Plus, I just wanted to share the day with her and the girls.  So I called her, and I think there might have been a little screaming on both ends of the phone like school girls finding out boys are asking them to the prom.  And then we pulled it together and everybody got to work.

It all started with the landscaper I’d say – about a month out.  We did a walk through and that’s when I had the vision – we needed to transform all of the gardens and green spaces into a colorful well tamed wonderland – but make it look as if it had been there forever.  People said to me…Don’t worry about the garden, no one will be looking at that.  In a way that was true.  But it’s not about anyone recognizing the work done – it’s about the fact that every inch of that space could be the backdrop of someone’s amazing moment with the President.  A moment they won’t forget.  So Wonderland people.  WONDERLAND. I needed blooming, colorful, healthy looking plants in the entire backyard and spectacular roses in the rose garden where the hostess would meet and greet the President upon his arrival. It had to be flawless.

The landscaping began and over the next month we met with caterers, tent and furniture rental companies as well as the valet company.  People needed to come measure this and that and talk through the logistics and timing of the entire afternoon and plan out the space and what was needed.  We knew we had a concert with a musical act that needed a stage and dressing room space but didn’t have details of who it would be.  We knew we had a dinner but the numbers kept growing as supporters kept buying tickets.  We knew we had a cocktail reception but now with the numbers almost triple what was expected could we contain the budget?  We had to provide bathrooms outside the house for people but were potentially going to have to give up their space for Secret Service needs.  And with the weather headed towards the high 80’s we were now discussing shaded seating for 450 people who would be sitting outside for almost 2 hours. There were many, many things to hash out that had nothing to do with the President at all really.  Like I said, regular party.

Well…it was a regular party…up until about 1 week out.  Once we had hashed out all of that other stuff it was time to turn to the other issue – how we could best support our guest, his unique security needs and his staff. Because POTUS travels with STAFF people. Not just a couple people in tow…I think the entire West Wing was with him. (OK, no. maybe not, but it felt like it). Make no mistake, that staff and the super crazy, logistical genius, planning partners from Washington DC showed up and hit the ground running. I began meetings with the Communications Staff when they arrived. When I tell you they scrutinize every bit of the location to make sure their needs are met…well…they are understandably thorough. Their work was impressive. We discovered that we needed a secluded space and food for the press pool that travels with – remember…STAFF. We walked the property again and again going over the plans for the guests, discussing who would have access to what spaces, going over everyone’s routes from room to room and space to space while on the property.  Some changes were needed, but I was proud of the fact that many things we presented were planned well enough remain as planned. High five to my caterers, rental companies, sound companies and more as we weathered the daily meetings on their every move. I went into load-in feeling pretty ok about everything. This is where I knew Mindy’s crew as well as our rental companies would really have my back.

2 days out:  We began load in of the rentals.  Setup of the dinner tent and stage began on Monday.  By the end of the day we were in great shape. The daily conversations about how both teams goals had to ultimately be secure and logistically relevant for the guest of honor continued.  My friends at Classic Party Rentals El Segundo and Revelry Event Designs held it down and worked it out – tirelessly adding, changing, adapting, relocating things as needed.  We needed to focus on accommodating the SS needs while still setting the stage for a great party.

Oh…the stage. No pun intended, but that stage almost threw everyone into comas.  No joke.  The performer needed a massive stage. Which is awesome (and let me tell you her show was AWE-SOME)…but…a 30ft wide stage – in a backyard? With that stage came the first ray of doubt. I got there at about 1:30 in the afternoon and rounded the corner into the yard and stopped in my tracks. Holy mother…

I stood there staring at that massive stage and all I could think was where do 450 chairs go when half the yard has been sucked into a giant black and silver vortex of metal and plywood? How would we fit 450 people into this space? Had we made a huge mistake saying yes to that stage? Should we have stood firmer on the guest numbers and said no to that extra hundred fifty people? It’s every event planner’s stomach ache. Not having enough space. But if I’m totally honest…standing there staring at that massive stage was somehow a little magical as well. I mean, because guests aside, how many times do you get to do THAT in a backyard?!? But the magic only lasts a split second and then it’s back to being horrifying. But one thing anyone who has worked with me knows – I do not give up energy to things I have little to no control over. I cannot at this point change the guest count, nor can I take the stage down. So, after 10 mins of staring with my mouth open, I shook it off and calmly exclaimed – It is what it is. A phrase I’ve annoyed less calm people with for the last 20 years. I wandered off into the gardens to clear my head.

Oh the gardens were coming along brilliantly.  Many parts were absolutely beyond gorgeous. The rose garden area was still not what I was hoping it would be – but we had plenty of time left. I sent a quick email to the landscaper and she responded that she was on it. She had hunted down some additional roses and they would be planted the next day. This is when you remember – you’re only as good as the people you have executing your plans. When your vendors can respond with “No problem.” or “I’m on it.” or “We’ll take care of it.” you know things will work themselves out. So…with that in the back of my head, I sent a couple emails to our team about it all and it was time to go home and pretend that the chair fairy would show up tonight and solve all our stage problems.

1 day out: The next day came and guess what? The roses were in and spectacular…and so were those chairs. Packed in, but every last one of those chairs was in! Solved. The rest of the rentals had been brought in and we had cocktail tables and bars for drinks and a room set up for photos.  In addition to the party space, we worked on all of the things the Secret Service, the White House Staff and the Press Pool needed.  And the band!  We finally had word who it would be. The fantastic Miss Janelle Monae was arriving shortly for her soundcheck. We needed to send someone out to get all of the things they needed for their dressing room spaces.  Again, I was thanking my lucky stars for Mindy Weiss’ gang and their ability to nail that down. The excitement of Ms. Monae and her crew arriving finished out the day.

Game Day:  Everything is a go. The streets are beginning to be shut down, security is heightened, staffers are everywhere and the caterers, florists and rental companies are scurrying here and there to get everything just right before guests arrive.  We usually start running around 8am or so for a late afternoon start time. And we never seem to stop moving until things are well underway. Due to some security needs, we were delayed on setup but that can’t stop us. Mark’s Garden dropped their fantastic flowers on tables literally just as guests arrived. The delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it had gotten so hot outside it was better to not have the flowers sitting in the scorching sun that long. For me, the flowers are the final touch and are always the piece that tops the cake. I LOVE a gorgeous Mark’s Garden floral arrangement – whether it’s simple or whether it’s one of their more complicated creations. I just love fresh flowers period. Mindy and I discussed colors and then I left the choice of style to her great taste. She chose a simple and stately style and we went with yellow, ivories and greens. It’s a fundraiser… so you can’t go too far. Very pretty and lush but not over the top. Perfect. Which brings up a major planning point that makes this NOT your regular old party. Because it’s a FUNDRAISER, your budget it really tight. There’s also a little line that you have to be careful of – not making guests feel that compared to their price of admission (their donation to the DNC) that way too much was spent on the party. It has to balance out in their heads.

OK so let’s cut a minute. You know, like a reality show where they suddenly cut to the confessional shot to talk. Let’s talk. Everything is placed. Guests are arriving, The Secret Service is doing their thing, the band is upstairs getting ready, drinks are flowing…and it’s probably 85 degrees. 85. And this whole thing is outside. For the next 4 hours. Eighty. Five. It’s hard to be fabulous looking in 85 degree heat for more than…oh…15 minutes.  So, what do you wear to chat it up with the man when it’s 85? I had a couple of dresses and their matching shoes at the ready…and even planned to do a wardrobe change just before dinner just in case I was all super wilted after being outside for 3hrs in that heat.  In the end, I slipped on a very simple, easy to wear, sleeveless but still fabulous, party dress and some gold flats and let it be.  I’m not telling you any of this so I can show you what I wore.  I’m telling you so I can show you what I loved about what I wore.

I’m obsessed with the graphic lines of this fabric and the vintage flair, simple shape and almost wearable art of this dress.  In the end, I loved wearing this dress so much that I was comfortable and didn’t care how hot I got – I wore it the entire time.  I considered changing just before dinner, but when I put on one of the other dresses, I just didn’t feel right.  Seriously.  I put this dress back on and all was right in the universe again.  This dress and those flowers gave me life that day.  Funny what inspires us.

In the end, everything went just fine. Everyone was happy and the hostess and co-hosts raised oodles of money –  more than any of these events has lately. So, that was kinda the point of the whole thing. Not any of this other stuff.

Regular. Old. Party.

Well, kinda.  I made some new friends at that regular old party. Like this guy.

Inspirational day.