Cathy Riva: Expert Party Planner, "The Party Girl"
Cathy Riva, Host and expert party planner, star of The Party Girl on Discovery Home and Event Planner extraordinaire at Rivaevents.com.
Cathy Riva toasts YOU!
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My Philosophy on Successful Events Events are the most wonderful things to plan, as usually they are all about celebrating happiness. When I begin to plan an event- big or small- I like to do a few key things to make sure everyone has the ultimate joy.
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"People want to connect," says Cathy Riva, and she's a natural born conduit! This savvy event planner travels from New York, Los Angeles to Miami setting up hip celebrations for the rich and famous. She also shows you how to create your own signature parties regardless of budget on Discovery Home. We're grateful to Cathy for taking time out of her busy schedule to share with The Shower Diva some of her secrets for party success!
The party isn't about how much you spend. It isn't about the money. It's about people and our connections, histories, and how we share our stories.
Bridal showers, baby showers or any kind of party at all are centered around "honoring someone with love." The connections between us are celebrated at parties by the way we give attention to the personal touches that go into staging the event. It's the focus on detail, the addition of the smallest but most meaningful details that hold meaning for the guest of honor.
Cathy gives her clients the gift of time. Time is precious. Time gives and time takes away. Time passes. We mark time through our celebrations. They are our rites of passage. Our celebrations link us together by giving our personal history meaning. When Cathy talks about the gift of time, she is talking about how important it is to show respect and devote attention to learning every nuance, thought, fantasy and biographical detail possible about your prospective guest of honor. Every detail Cathy learns about her guests of honor are then incorporated into her signature parties. Every event Cathy plans has to be a faithful reflection of who the honored guest is. Nothing short of a personalized authenticity will do.
Cathy told us that in matters of bridal and baby showers, the first thing to remember is what she said at the outset -- give the Bride-to-Be or the Mom-to-Be "the gift of time." Sit down with her. Confer with her, let her dream, fantasize and reminisce. Take notes, listen with rapt attention and if your guest of honor is up to it, get her to write down or record on tape her wishes, hopes and dreams for the shower she'd love to have. Let her be who she is. The more you listen, the more you'll learn about how to create a shower that transcends the moment and becomes a memory that will last her for a lifetime.
For example, Cathy described a couple of baby showers and talked about what made them transcendent.
The first one she spoke of was planned as a co-ed shower and was held at a friend's home. Cathy was thrilled that this shower was a bit different. It wasn't focused solely on the Mom-to-Be but included Dad-to-Be as well. Couples and friends who arrived at the party were delighted to be given that special "gift of time" – time to commune, relax, and catch up on their busy lives. The Dad-to-Be was able to deepen his bond with his wife and Baby-on-the-Way. He got advice and support from other dads who had already made the transition to parenthood.
The special elements that made this shower so memorable was a combination of great music (never underestimate the power of sound!), a staff that served hors d'ouevres (freeing up the host to join the fun!) and a project that brought the whole group together – making the baby's first quilt! Guests were given swatches of fabric to add to the quilt. That means every guest had a hand in creating a legacy for Baby-to-Come. In that way, the quilt became another gift of time – one that will transcend years as it gets passed from generation to generation.
Another loving shower Cathy recounted was one she planned for a Los Angeles-based Mom-to-Be. Because it was small (about 18 people), it was delightful to work at making it intimate and very feminine.
Memorable elements of this shower flow like a montage -- the fragrance of roses was the backdrop of the whole party -- everyone was enveloped in their beauty. . .hearing Cathy speak of it is evocative and we are reminded that scent is the most powerful of the human senses. Never underestimate the power of smell to work magic at a shower. Fragrances are your "aromatherapy" offering to your guests and is another way to make celebrations transcendent.
Cathy suggested innovative ways to incorporate scent, especially if you're on a budget. Try using natural elements that help the environment as well as your pocketbook. You can add very unique decorator touches to your shower atmosphere by combining the use of cinnamon sticks, a few roses, dabs of essential oils on fabric, vanilla candles, or inexpensive non-toxic incense.
Another way to use scent as a shower enhancer is to combine it with a taste event. The memorable shower Cathy spoke of above was galvanized by inviting guests to "Make Your Own S'Mores." Creating a group event that involves food preparation is a terrific way of getting people to focus on a common task and helping your shy guests feel part of the group!
One of Cathy's favorite party planning tasks ever was that of creating a mystery party theme for an 8 year old boy who reveled in crime solving a la CSI -TV! All of the kids were first deputized as crime scene detectives who had to be trained in deciphering secret messages written in invisible ink and how to climb under laser beams so they could dig out clues. After their training, these new "detectives" were let loose to solve the crime!
The three events Cathy shared with us above are perfect examples of how you yourself can plan a fabulous party if you keep a few simple rules in mind:
- Pick a theme;
- Use your imagination on how to stage that theme;
- Focus on details because they make any party unique;
- Let your theme help you stick to your budget;
- Have fun with your ideas; and
- Have activities at the ready such as games and food preparation projects for all your guests to enjoy.
Use the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch in your shower planning. When you do that, you create a whole world!
Tips For Office Parties and Showers
Conference rooms at work present special challenges but nothing our Party Girl Cathy Riva can't handle! Cathy, an expert on turning any venue from drab to fab has a few creative, inexpensive workarounds that will make your party planning a breeze.
Since your decorating options are fairly limited at the office, concentrate on changing the look of the conference room table. It's likely to be massive – the largest object in the room – so it's destined to be everyone's center of attention.
Go For These Easy Fixes:
- Wrap the table in a fabric that goes well with your shower theme or wrap it in theme wrapping paper. Check out your local fabric stores, hobby and crafts stores and stationery stores for fabrics and/or festive wrapping paper.
- Don't spend your money on a centerpiece. Let the gifts serve that function. Cathy is a great fan of diaper cakes as a centerpiece for baby showers, by the way. Every experienced mother also knows that you can't ever get too many diaper gifts at a shower. They are worth their weight in gold!
- Disguise a large table by breaking it up into sections. Have beverages displayed attractively on one part, food on another and gifts in the middle as the center of focus.
- You can do a lot to soften a conference room by changing the lighting. Instead of the overhead lighting, use a combination of candles and Par Can lighting. Par Can lighting is like stage or set lighting. It comes with changeable color filters, too! Fortunately Par Can lighting is very inexpensive and can readily be found at stores such as Home Depot. Check out ActiveMusician.com for photos of what Par Can lights actually look like. That way you'll know what you're shopping for.
When it gets down to throwing a great party, we go back to where we started – by remembering what Cathy so generously taught us – that the objective behind splendid party planning is to a) make the guest of honor feel like the center of the universe; and b) make sure everyone around the guest has a ripping good time! You can't beat that for a winning formula!
Bonus!
We culled some very cool quotes and quips from our interview with Cathy and they're all so fabulous, how could we possibly leave them out? So here you go!
Cathy's Potpourri
"At the end of the day people make the party. All good parties have good music, great food, and fun beverages. (Include nonalcoholic fun beverages too.)"
"If you're on a budget, your splurges should be on the food and drink, not the decorations. Your menu is most important. If you're counting pennies, go with a two-color theme. Go with a tablecloth in one color and a mix of balloons in the two other colors. You don't need a lot."
"People want to connect" – Human connection and sharing our life stories is built into us. A good party provides an open door to this kind of sharing. Your job as a party planner is one of "Providing a conduit to allow that [kind of sharing] to happen naturally."
Cathy strongly recommends the use of what she calls "conversation sparkers." To facilitate this, she has a golden formula:
- Have a food sharing item or food project as part of the party. It could be something like "make your own S'Mores, "create your own sundae," or "build your own hero sanny." If not that, how about a fun taste test such as "which chocolate do you like best?"
- Create and serve interesting signature beverages such as unique punches, cocktails, a famous label wine or a faux champagne (non-alcoholic). Serve them with panache from pretty glasses. Use colorful garnishes.
- Play fun, upscale party games.
- Think about the guests' needs in advance. Every little detail, every special touch goes a long way.
For example, Cathy knew she herself wanted a destination wedding but had in-laws living in New York and family living in California. Her wedding was set to be held in Jamaica. What do you do for people who have traveled a long way to be with you? Gift them!
Cathy made elegant, tailor-made gift bags for all her wedding guests that included items they may have forgotten such as sunscreen, flip flops, aspirin for rum drinks, and so forth.
A thoughtful gift idea like this, a choice Cathy incorporated into her own wedding, is a signature touch that makes a statement about who we are. Cathy recreates this kind of graciousness by working it into wedding events she plans for her clients. Cathy says that your party is bound to be a huge success when you, as hostess, place a guest's needs at the top of the list.
Everyone knows that a happy Bride-to-Be (or Mom-to-Be) makes for happy guests and vice versa. When you remember to provide thoughtful favors, gifts to your guests as well as ways for everyone to connect, you have set the stage for fulfillment!
So how can a shower planner on a tight budget give A-1 star treatment to her party guests?
Follow Cathy's advice! If it's one thing Cathy stressed above all others it's that party planning is all about love and creativity. It's not about the money. She made it resoundingly clear that if you have more money basically all you're really doing is springing for upgrades on food, decor and location, but no matter how you slice it, you've already got all those same elements in play anyway.
To accentuate her point, Cathy shared with us how, with on a tight budget, she threw a hip party and made it work! Her challenge? Decorate a glamorous table and feed 20 hungry guests all on $200 for a Today show feature.
Here was her game plan:
- Theme: She decided to host a chocolate party.
- Decor: She created paper flowers and two large festive paper globes to add pizzazz to the table decor.
- She served bite-sized food to avoid expenditures on dishes and flatware. All she needed was napkins.
- Cathy served a variety of bite-sized chocolate items such as cookies, brownies, candies, etc.
- Cathy made the tablecloths herself (check your local fabric stores for discounts on fabric and give-away large fabric swaths that can't be sold).
- Shopped the Dollar Store for interesting and fun low-cost decorative items.
- Limited herself to two colors in her design scheme.
I know, I know! This woman is a genius! Check out the real Cathy in motion on this You Tube video of the Today show party challenge, "Chocolate Tasting Party".
The Shower Diva gives a warm thanks and a big hug to the dazzling Cathy Riva. She gave us her 'gift of time' by so generously granting us this interview.
With her Southern charm and warm personality, it comes as no surprise that Cathy Riva has been organizing some pretty darn fabulous events over the last ten years.
Through her Manhattan-based events company, Riva Events, Cathy creates sophisticated events for socialites, celebrities and cutting-edge corporations. She is also the host of Discovery Home's "The Party Girl", which takes viewers on a behind the scenes tour on how to create an unforgettable celebration in their own home.
Whether organizing a star-studded soiree for Riva Events or organizing a meaningful Chinese Lunar New Year's party for "The Party Girl", Cathy throws herself into each event with passion and creativity that's undeniable.
Hailing from Mobile, Alabama, Cathy had originally set her sights set on a career in journalism, studying Communications at the University of Alabama. Upon graduation, Cathy launched her career with the Fox affiliate WPMI as a Mobile-based reporter.
After a year with WPMI, Cathy headed to the Big Apple for a one-year internship with NBC in 1994. After falling in love with New York, Cathy decided to make NYC home and scored a production coordinator post at MTV. It was here that she began her event-planning career working on launch parties for shows such as Tom Green and the MTV Beach House. She quickly moved onto ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire organizing their 2001 Emmy party.
With a full-time career in events in mind, Cathy went to work for W Magazine's marketing department with highlights including the celebrated "Kate Moss" after-party and the 2003 W, Cartier and MAC Golden Globe Awards event.
Cathy also spent a time freelancing where she worked for key players in the party planner circuit including New York's David Monn, who she cites as her mentor. Of David she says: "He is the most incredible event planner in the world. His ideas are always inspiring and he designs everything himself, from the flower arrangements to the tent structure."
Ask Cathy why events and she'll tell you "life should be a celebration and for me, organizing events gives me instant gratification of bringing people happiness". "I truly enjoy getting to know my clients and shining the spotlight on the guest of honor for [their] special occasion".
As an event planning expert, Cathy has recently been a guest speaker for the Learning Annex's "How To Get Into Event Planning" seminar. Her tips and recommendations have also been featured in several publications.
Cathy lives in Manhattan with her husband Marc, a film director. When she's not planning events, Cathy enjoys sailing, traveling, hanging out with friends and pursuing happiness!
Diva Recommendation: Check out "The Party Girl," on the Discovery Home channel. See Cathy on TV every weekend. Her series is excellent. She visits a new party-giver every week and helps them realize their vision for a dream celebration. Check your local listings.
Visit Cathy's blog, http://www.cathyriva.blogspot.com/, for tips and tricks, slide shows, and news of her personal appearances. You never know when she might be visiting your hometown!
Interested in more guest contributors stories? Check out our January 2008 featured guest!
