Business Grand Opening Overview

A grand opening is a very exciting time! You started with your business idea, which then lead to research, organization, and preparation.  You are ready to introduce the public to your business, and your idea will become a reality with your grand opening! 

Start with your budget, it will help to decide what you may include in this event.   Remember that a portion of your budget will go towards advertising.  Once you have finalized a budget and did your advertising, you may begin planning your event.

Asking yourself what is the purpose of your business or who do you desire your target market/customers to be may be great questions to ask in defining a strategy for your grand opening and what kind of event you would need it to be.  You can make the customer's first visit to your visit memorable.   Remember your first impression is the most lasting and can be the beginning of a great relationship between you and your perspective customers.

Here are some ideas for a grand opening for different retail establishments:

1.  For a store selling baby products -  Have a "baby jam" grand opening.  Have a bar serving mocktails in ode to moms to be who cannot drink alcohol and serve hors d'oeuvres.  Have isle tours for your customers letting them know all things baby that you offer.  Have baby shopping spree give away, or product give aways.  It is very important for your employees to know the products of your store and the services that your business will provide.  It is also good to know the type of customers that will come in to your establishment.  Some of them may be, the inexperienced new mother looking for the very best for her new baby, the person coming to buy from the baby shower registry who wants to thrill the new mom to be, or the grandparents of the baby who "knows what is best for the baby".

2. Restaurant grand opening of a grille or sports bar type restaurant: Have a DJ and a party atmosphere.  Serve samplers of your various menu items. Have a contest and gift card give aways.  At this event you will be able to get an idea as to who your customers will be.  It may take awhile to see a  consistent crowd coming in, but the grand opening will definitely let your potential customers know that you are there, to taste your good eats, and to experience your great staff, and service.  Remember that your service should be the very best.  Good service goes a long way.  Employees should know the menu well, and the services your restaurant offers.  You may offer a part of the proceeds for this grand opening go to a charity of your choice.

3. Accounting Firm:  Open your doors offering complimentary service, serving cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.  Meet your potential clients and have them get to know you.  Offer to have potential clients get a free review of their financial statements, or free tax services to the first two clients.

Forms of attention getting advertising may also be helpful such as large balloons or banners that give information regarding your event.

Here is a video of a grand opening for a cleaner business that wanted to attract more customers.

More to come on detailed grand opening steps and grand opening ideas for other business types.

Please contact us for ideas on your grand opening

Please see our service packages.

Please see our blog on fund raising

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Creating Your Wedding Budget

When planning your wedding, do not only focus on creating a budget primarily for your wedding itself.  Remember there are expenses for needs that come before or  immediately following the wedding.  E.g., if you and your fiance, do not already have a place together, you will need to save up money to rent or purchase some place that you may live as a couple following your wedding.  We are not sure that you  may want to move back in with mom.  It may also be a good idea to figure the cost of the rings in creating your budget as well as your engagement celebration, rehearsal dinner celebration, or post wedding brunch.  While it is a rule for the bride's family to pay for certain items and the groom's family for others, please take everything into consideration so that it is clear how everything will be funded.  Also, please have funds set aside for downpayments for your venue and various vendors.

Find what item in planning your wedding is the most important to you.  Even though you do not want to put all your money into one item, you will know what the most important item is to you and that you will not compromise on.  For e.g., for some it may be the venue, some the number of guests, and others may be the food.  Once you find that item and have made a final decision regarding this, whether booking the venue, or finalizing your guest list count, you may find that you are quite satisfied with all the decisons that follow.

Please contact us to plan your wedding budget with you.

The Bradley Estate - A Hidden Jewel

Recently we visited The Bradley Estate, located in Canton, Ma.  This exquisite Georgian mansion is located 25 minutes South of Boston just off of I-93, and is surrounded by 90 acres of land made up of rolling hills, farms of various foods, plants and herbs, trails, beautiful lush lawns and gardens, and animals including llamas, goats, and chicken.   All of this is wrapped up in splendor and beauty....and we have not yet mentioned inside of the mansion.

Inside the mansion are rooms with beautiful hardwood floors, large windows, and beautifully colored walls.  You may have various functions in the 5 rooms on the first floor including the gorgeous screened Loggia, which can be enclosed and heated in the Winter for a wedding or event with a majestic snow blanket view.  There is also a luxurious bridal room located on the second floor.  One may also have their event outside in the garden that the bridal room overlooks and/or on the lush lawn on the opposite side of the garden.   Please click here to view the floor plan for this venue.  You may also have the llamas and goats be your guests.  If they are available for your wedding or event day, they will be in a pen outside the mansion and are visible from your event.  

 The Bradley estate holds one event per day, so you will have the mansion and all event related grounds solely for your event.  The inside of the house accommodates up to 100 people and the outside tent up to 150.  This venue has a list of qualified caterers and vendors for you to choose from as well as staff on site for the day of your event. The staff whom we met were quite knowledgeable, professional, and friendly.

We did not get a chance to take pictures of the inside of the venue, but here are some of the outside taken in July of this year, and one supplied by the venue itself.  

 Links to a gallery of pictures on the Bradley Estate Website, as well as links to various weddings held at this venue.  All pictures provided by venue

1. The Bradley Estate picture gallery

2.  Liz and Allen's Wedding

3. Michelle and Paul's Wedding

4. Jo and Evan's Wedding  Once you click on the link for Jo and Evan's wedding, please click on "Couples In Love" and then "Jo and Evan"

 We love this venue because of the feeling of being well taken care of, Its beauty with not alot of need for decoration, and the flexibility of having the venue dedicated to your event.  It is also quite close to the highway, but well hidden as if it was not. We hope you will love it too.

Please contact us for more information on this venue.

Please take a look at our blogs on other topics such as Fundraising, Wedding Insurance, Writing Your Wedding Vows, and The Best Taste of Randolph 2011 

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Rosecliff, a Newport, RI Mansion, Gorgeous for your event

Newport Mansions!

We took a tour of the Newport, RI Mansions this Summer.  They are simply gorgeous and are an hour and a half from Boston.  Newport, RI is a beautiful area to stay overnight and explore all the mansions as well as other attractions. The two that we visited were The Breakers and Rosecliff.  These mansions were owned by some of the most prestigious families in the U.S.  The Breakers was built and owned by Corneluis Vanderbilt II, great grandfather of t.v. correspondent, Anderson Cooper.   Rosecliff was built and owned by Theresa Fair Oelrichs.  

Rosecliff and The Breakers

The only mansion open for weddings is Rosecliff, while other mansions such as The Elms and Marblehouse as well as Rosecliff are opened to Corporate and other events.  The mansions sit on top of a cliff with overlooks the ocean and its breaking waves.  They have beautiful land space, gardens, and fountains surrounding them.  We want to share with you some pictures of the outside of these mansions. While events are not done at The Breakers, we included pictures of it to show the beauty of the both mansions (or at least thier exterior).   Photo taking is not allowed inside, unless there is an event in order to preserve the items on display. But believe us when we say, it is something straight out of the movies, (Part of The Great Gatsby was filmed at Rosecliff). Please look at the architecture of the outside of the mansions that we will show you, and imagine how magestic the insides are.  Walls built with expensive wood, gold and other materials, furnished with the finest furniture, floors of great marble, and glorious chandeliers and archways.  

Gorgeous Event Space

Rosecliff events are held in The Gold Ballroom where the great magician Houdini was entertained as well as countless other celebrities and people,  The Salon, The Dining room, and in the White Garden, the beautiful Terrace, fountain, and on the lawn.  The beautiful heart shaped staircase are beautiful for pictures.  Having your event at one of these mansions would be a royal affair.  This kind of setting does not need a great deal of decor as the mansion itself is simply gorgeous.  

The Preservation Society of Newport County owns and oversees the mansions and do request that one be a member of the society to be able to have an event at the mansion.  Membership fee begins at $50/adult.   

 Please click the picture below for individual pictures of the mansions.

Please contact us for more details and information about planning your event at the mansions.  Also consult us for tips on planning, decorating, vendors, or any questions you may have regarding using these mansions as a venue for your event.

See our blog on bridal bouquets and beautiful centerpeices.  You may gain some ideas for bridal bouquets for your wedding or decor for any event.

Please feel free to comment and tell us, what you look for in a venue.

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Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston Ma

What do you look for in a venue?  For a wedding you may look for somewhere elegant, beautiful, tasty meals, and great service.  For a corporate event you may look for somewhere with a great conference or board room, equipment, and technology, lounge or cocktail area and location.  These are just two general examples of event types and basic needs, but no matter what your event type is, we feel that it is important to look for great quality in the venue that you choose.

One beautiful venue we have come across this Summer is  Tower Hill Botanic Garden located in Boylston, Ma.  It is a living museum located an hour and a half away from Boston, minutes away from Worcester and the route 495 business corridor.  It has an array of gardens, trails, and galleries for you and your family, as well as  beautiful rooms and grounds for your wedding, meeting, or celebratory event. One must be a member to have a wedding here, and to join starts at $55 per adult.    

 Here is a slide show of some pictures we took at Tower Hill at a floral event.  We apologize as some of the pictures were not as clear as we would like.  The first pictures will be of The E. Stanley and Alice M. Wright Entry Garden and Thomas Smith - W. Robert Hill Entry Court including the gorgeous Pavilion located across from the main building of the Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  It is simply beautiful.  You will also see pictures of the room which we were in for the floral event, The Orangerie,  which seats 152 for dinner with a dance floor, and the Winter Garden directly outside, which is a common area for the Tower Hill guests.

You may click the picture below for individual pictures of Tower Hill

There are several other beautiful areas we did not get to capture among them beings  The Secret Garden, one of the areas where wedding ceremonies are held as well as The Systematic Garden.   Wedding Receptions or Corporate events may be held in The Great Hall, The Orangerie, with use of The Fern Gallery.  At The Tower Hill Botanic Garden, the beauty of the gardens and other natual scenes adds a delightful decoration and ambiance to your event.

You may contact us for more details regarding this venue, or for consultation or other needs for your event.

 Please feel free to comment and tell us, what you look for in a venue.

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