Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

As we say goodbye to 2012, switch off our laptops and iPhones and close down our kitchen to take a long awaited (and needed) break on the beach, we would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to over 100 clients (many of whom are repeat clients and loyal followers) we have themed, styled, managed and catered for in the past 12 months. Without your continued loyal support The Inspired Occasion would not have had such a successful and busy year.

2012 has been a very exciting year for us, what started off as a home based, part time venture has grown into a fully-fledged thriving business.  This is in part due to a change in management, funding, direction, premises and branding all of which have led to exciting new opportunities and clients that have embraced the services we offer with open arms. 

During the year we have had the opportunity to work with some amazing companies and venues, it’s been great working with these guys and we look forward to continuing our association throughout 2013.

Little Big Company

Love JK

Westfield

Timeout Magazine
Lily Chic
Jo Studio

Brighton International

Lakeside Reception Centre

Smart Artz

Circus Spot

Parkview Equestrian Centre

OST Diner Richmond

Dolls Wardrobe

The success we have had this year wouldn’t have been possible without the support our suppliers and two special businesses Little Big Company and Love JK, thank you ladies for your continued support and friendship and very best wishes to you and your families for 2013.

One of our best “Feel Good” moments for 2012 was our ability to give something back to the community that has supported us, and many other families across Victoria throughout the year - Ronald McDonald House Parkville.  The Inspired Occasion along with Little Big Company and over 40 other very giving contributors banded together to create a fun filled day for 100 children and their Parents on 20 October. Information on this event, a list of contributors and images can be found here.

Other websites, Facebook Pages, blogs and media have also played an important part in our success this year, in particular we would like to thank the following for featuring and supporting our work.

Little Big Company 

Catch My Party

Little one Baby Magazine

Nine MSN

Amy Atlas

Les Enfants

Lily Chic

Marabous - Australia's Leading Source for Stylish Events

Bellenza

TomKat Studio

Hostess with the Mostess

Westfield
Timeout Magazine
Geelong Advertiser

On a more personal note we would like to send a very warm and special thank you to the people behind the scenes “The Inspired Occasion family”.  These people help make it all happen, they give us their time, advice, assistance and support.

Hazel our Blog Editor

Ellie our helping hand

Sheridan our supportive Timeout Magazine companion

Louisa from Little Big Company

Jen from Love JK

Beth our 2013 Intern

2012 has seen us surround ourselves with a fantastic group of trusted people, companies and clients.

Finally huge hugs and kisses to our husbands Kevin and Troy, our partners in crime who have encouraged us to fulfil our dreams and take The Inspired Occasion to the next level. Often the forgotten members of the team who you will always find helping, construct, administer and support us.

So what’s in store for 2013?

We will continue to grow the business model and brand and in early 2013 we will have a very exciting announcement to make, it’s killing us having to keep it a secret but until things are finalised and signed off the secret will have to remain within The Inspired Occasion Family.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

A Christmas message Our family to Yours "here"

Love

The Inspired Occasion

Xmas Luncheon

The Big Give - A Big Thanks

As many of you would be aware, this year we decided to do something a bit different for our Christmas Day's and volunteer our services to help run The Big Give.

As a quick recap, The Big Give is an annual event run on Christmas Day, with the aim of providing a festive meal to around 350 homeless and disadvantaged people in inner city Melbourne. You can read more about it by following these posts.

A formal thank you to all those involved will be issued in mid-Feb after the committee has finished their de-brief. Until then, I wanted to provide you with a quick update on how it all went.

Firstly, most unlike me, I didn't take photos on the day! Anyone who knows me will know how unlike me that is. Well, technically, I did take one, snapped very quickly on my iPhone during a break in the set up, but it really doesn't count!!

While it's not my normal, detailed and focussed shot, it actually captures the day from my perspective pretty well! It was busy, hot, chaotic, busy and exhausting. It was also fun, exciting, loud, festive and strangely fulfilling. 

From this shot you can see that we had lots of volunteers, from very early in the morning. Even though I had left my own family very early in the morning, after rushing through the presents with my daughter; it was fabulous to arrive to a venue full of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers, ready to hang stars, set tables, move chairs, sort presents... the list goes on!

We had over 350 people through the doors for lunch. We were able to feed every one of them a two course meal and give them all a gift. We sang carols, we did trivia, we played games. We smiled and we laughed. We watched the children receive a gift from our fabulous Santa and then watch their little eyes widen with excitement as they realised they got to keep it and take it home. 

So, thanks to EVERYONE who helped us make all this happen. Whether it was crafting paper stars, decorating divine cupcakes, donating Christmas trees, presents and countless other goods (and cash!) from generous personal and corporate sponsorships; or just providing us with a glass of champers at the end of the day; we thank you, the committee thanks you and most importantly, the guests thank you. 

Cheers,

The Big Give - Some early Thanks

Well, the count down is really on now! I am sure I have said that (or something similar!!) before in other posts relating to The Big Give (here, here and possibly here), but now that the calendar has flicked over, and the little app at the bottom of my screen says DEC 2, we are starting to feel the excitement building!

We had a workshop today with our fabulous committee and are really pleased to be able to pass on some thank you's to the companies, individuals and families who have put up their hands to help out. So without further ado - some BIG thank you's.......

We have been able to secure a venue (thanks City of Yarra); we have chicken to roast (thanks Baiada Poultry); fresh fruit & veg (thanks Bungle Trading); yummy cupcakes (thanks Sweet Statements) and an amazing MC to host us (thanks BPCA). 

We will have presents for all of the kids attending (thanks St Bede's Primary School), a real Christmas tree (thanks Sage Building Services) and almost 100 volunteers to serve our 300+ guests on the day (thank you x 100!). We have even put a call in to Santa, who will be making a very special appearance this year!

Our partner organisations have also been very generous with their donations and we can now finalize the remaining items required for our Christmas table - ham, beef, plum pudding and custard, and of course, bon bons (big thank you to Our HR Company, Gour family, 4ward Consulting, CBA, Growhard Australia and St Vinnies Parkville). 

We also have some fabulous ladies working hard to create some wonderful decorations for the venue, which will add a wonderfully festive feel to the day.

So, as you can tell, it's all coming together!

We do have a final request... we really need your help to provide each of our adult guests with a gift. 

This year, we have decided to give each adult guest attending a $30 Safeway or Coles voucher - so that they can make their own choice about selection of grocery items. Hampers and gift packs are certainly lovely, but what our guests really value is the ability to choose items that they need from the supermarket.

When you next head to the supermarket to do your weekly grocery shopping, we would like to ask you to consider adding a $30 supermarket gift voucher to your list. If you are able to do this, please post your voucher to:

The Big Give 
St Mary's House of Welcome 165 - 169 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

We are also still accepting tax deductible cash donations via PayPal here if you would prefer this. Either way - we would love your support, in any way that you can.

Thank you all again for your kindness, generosity, support and kind wishes. We will give you all another update next week (after our volunteer information session, which we are really looking forward to). 

Cheers,

Renee and Alex