It's a Tiniciti Thanksgiving Feast!

Last week I had the great honor of planning a Thanksgiving Feast event for the parents and staff of Tiniciti preschool! This was the first professional event I plan and it was the best learning experience I could have asked for. I had a great time creating a theme around Thanksgiving and the children, sourcing props, finding vendors and designing graphics that tied it all together! Here are a few snippets of the event shot by Nicky Negrin Portraits.

THEME & GRAPHICS

Although Thanksgiving is usually a formal event, this was a little different because it was a luncheon and it’s for kids! We expected about 50 children between the ages of 3 months to 4 years old and I knew the focus had to be set on keeping them entertained. Throughout all the designs—from the invitation to the banner—the turkey had personality. The idea was to remind guests with every flyer, e-blast, etc. to catch that turkey! He poked out of every graphic and at the end of the event, the actual turkey showed up and was “caught!” The preschool uses polka dots in their branding so I included them in Fall colors, as well as branded children graphics where I added a Thanksgiving touch.

DÉCOR

Using all the designs described above, I also wanted to add a fun, kid-friendly tone in the signage. The tables included centerpieces with funny jokes and rhymes on them, photo-confetti I made from the kids’ Facebook photos, and props for a themed Thanksgiving sit-down feast! There was also a Photo Opp area with a teepee and a basket of props, and the buffet table had cornucopias and pumpkin décor with a branded backdrop banner to tie it all together.

LOCATION & CATERING

I accidentally came across this restaurant/event space when searching for another event and I fell in love with it! Salt Waterfront Restaurant is a little hidden gem located at the UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and overlooks beautiful Biscayne Bay. The owner was extremely accommodating with my requests to give the traditional lunch menu a Thanksgiving twist! He put together a delicious menu that included turkey, cranberry & stuffing sandwiches, baked ham & cheese sandwiches, corn bread, mashed potato salad, and more!

ENTERTAINMENT

I have to have at least one crafting station at every party! The kids got to build their own character balloon for a Thanksgiving Day Parade! They chose a balloon and attached pieces from labeled buckets to create a Turkey, Pilgrim and Native American (or a jumbled combination of the three)! At the end of the event the giant Turkey character surprised the kids and led the parade through the restaurant. We also brought in a Pilgrim for face painting, balloon making, playing games and putting on a magic show!

I couldn’t do any of this without the help of my husband, sister, sisters in law, and best friends—it was a family affair! It was all worth it to see the kids, parents and school staff have a great time.