So many people have asked for the details so I thought it'd be fun to tell you (and show you!) what's its really like to do these kinds of events. I guess first I should tell you why I was asked to do it. Turns out, my former PR company (uber talented Sam Martin of Media Maison) is now representing some of Grace and Bob’s businesses. The event was hosted by Grace Hightower & Coffees of Rwanda. Her company supports the farmers of Rwanda by buying their coffee, allowing them to create sustainable businesses. The event was also sponsored by Robert De Niro's new VDKA 6100 (also a client of Media Maison).
Of course, Sam needed someone she could trust to make the event fabulous so she called US!
And here's the how...
On Sunday, April 13th I flew from PDX to JFK with 7 overweight pieces of luggage ($$$) that included allllll of the glassware I was planning on using as well as hundreds of mercury glass votives. My daughter and I literally spent 3 hours packing - and re-packing - it all. When my daughter finally dropped me off at the airport, I had forgotten the luggage containing my clothes! One quick trip back home and then I boarded a red eye.
I arrived at JFK at 5am on Monday and (thankfully!) my hotel allowed me an early check in. Several of the bell hop staff remembered ME (“the flower girl is back”) from previous trips including when I was on the TODAY Show. When I began opening my luggage it contained mostly BROKEN glassware. All. Over. The. Floor. (Deep breath. Don't panic.)
But, wait. Where are my flowers? They were scheduled to arrive via Fedex before 10am but haven't. By noon I have my flowers and I start creating each piece. We used over 200 stems of gorgeous white phalenopsis orchids and other white blooms including sweet peas, tulips, and white hydrangea. Perfection.
It was a smaller event who's guest of honor included the First Lady of Rwanda and just for fun, here's a peek at who else was on the guest list which included Glenn Close, Ron Howard, Dennis Leary, Tony Bennett, Morgan Freeman, Martha Stewart, Kim Catrrall, Paul Shaffer, and the First Lady of Rwanda... (and don't even ask if I talked to Martha - for once, I was beyond speechless!) . I did get to talk with many guests including THE masseuse to the stars, a professional “nose” (perfumer who was busy assessing scents in the room), an actor turned therapist turned screenwriter and many writers and editors for People magazine, Vogue and the Wall Street Journal.