be our guest: essential scents for a welcoming atmosphere

Providing a peaceful atmosphere for visitors is a great goal to have. The sharp, aromatic scent of lavender is associated with cleanliness and relaxation. Add sachets of fresh lavender to your bed linens or spritz bottles of calming lavender water to help guests dispel the busyness of the day and promote a restful night’s sleep.

As some essential oil producers are problematic in their sourcing and supply chain, we look for and buy from local farm sources wherever possible.

Handmade sachets.

We keep a sealed bin under each guest bed with linens for that room packed with naturally derived refreshers like bay leaves or lavender. While initially expensive, bay garland can be dried and used for years as a softly scented reminder of gatherings that keeps the smell of stored linens fresh.

Full size, like our hearts when we welcome guests!

Bay leaves repurposed from last year’s bay garland at the holidays.

Allergy check with potential guests is always recommended. Here at Cordelia, our guest list is necessarily limited: like it or not, and though we SUPER clean, especially before our guests arrive, dog and cat hair are part of the “experience”!

be our guest!

What is it we are delighted by when having guests? Is it endemic in humanness to offer hospitality? We always feel like we have won top honors if our guests report a comfortable stay. The ideal, of course, is to maintain a dedicated room or suite set up in perfect welcoming stasis replete with all the accoutrements of a luxe hotel and/or spa. An "away" space offering privacy as well as a cozy retreat.

Having that much space for visitors only is super privileged. Most of us must quickly convert a regular room into guest quarters, tossing kids toys, craft supplies, Zoom room accessories will-ay nill-ay into blanket chests, closet floors, and any other available storage space so as to leave room for the thoughtful touches that make our special callers feel at home. Here are some suggestions to keep on hand as a considerate host.

Hot water, tea selection including decaf, Keurig with coffee pods, sugar, shelf-stable half & half, cups, spoons, magazines, puzzle books, current magazines.

Tissues, scented candle with matches, fruit bowl, snacks, soap, lotion, shampoo, spare toothbrush in package, HBO, Netflix, reading chair with multiple charging locations for both guests.

Plumpy covers and fluffy towels!

Things you don’t see but are good to have:

working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors - with extra batteries

step ladder in closet

band-aids in drawer

mini sewing kit, safety pins

working flashlight

emergency phone charger

extra USB cord

card with house WiFi password

working hair dryer

clear nail polish

nail polish remover

new emery boards

shoe polish cloth

Keep clean linens (sheets, blankets, hypoallergenic pillow covers, pillow cases, fluffy towels sets) in sealed bins for each bed to be converted to guest accommodations under that bed. Store linens etc with crisply scented lavender in sachets or soaps to keep stored items fresh.

For more ideas and advice, check out our Be Our Guest board on Pinterest.

first aid kit list & worker bee care basket

Day of Event First Aid Kit

• Clearly marked kit or tub

• First Aid manual

• Water bottle

• Masks

• Hand Sanitizer

• Non latex gloves

• Ziplock bags

• Trash bags (barf bags)

• Gatorade or Pedialyte

• Bleach Spray

• Alcohol

• Magnifying glass

• Tweezers

• Matches

• Thermometer

• Benadryl

• OTC Pain killers

• White towels sealed in plastic ziplock bags

• Pepto Bismal

• Diarrhea med

• Tums or Rolaids

• Azo/Uristat

• Arnica gel

• Aloe gel

• Sunblock

• Antiseptic spray

• Antiseptic cream

• Cortisone cream

• Cotton pads in a sealed ziplock bag

• Cotton swabs in a sealed ziplock bag

• Tissues

• Scissors

• Tape for bandages

• Bandage roll

• Ace bandage

• Cups

Commercially available first aid kit.

Home-gathered kit.

Event Worker Bee Care Basket— set up in a central location

Take care of your helpers, people!

• Hand sanitizer

• Hand wipes

• Toilet paper

• Coolers with water, bottled drinks, ice

• Thermos of Coffee

• Cups

• Non-peanut protein snacks or trail mix, individually packaged

• Fruit

• Towels

• Masks

Worker bee care basket

event planning

It’s happened. Somebody somewhere is having a thing: a marriage, a party, a (word needed). And they need you! An EVENT has hit you in the forehead like a big ol’ wet fish. Now what?

Vision — Organization — Plan — Prep

Who, What, Where, and How
Events are one of the few places where you start, not at the beginning, but at the ending.

Envision the ending as a beautiful setting overflowing with gorgeous flowers where contented guests converse, glasses softly clink while enjoying delectable food to a backdrop of wonderful music…

Stop. Just Stop.

Roll that glowing Hollywood footage right back. (Maybe even hop over to our Nope board before you get too carried away.)

We are here to tell you that ending is HAPPINESS. Happy clients, happy guests, and (likely exhausted) but well compensated purveyors of events. This might include all the golden hour bits described above— or it might look completely different. The time period from 6-11pm on that invitation? Oh, it is prime. But the concept and process that lead to that celebration or dinner or ceremony are actually more important. We are here to tell you, as event people, our jobs are to suss out what will really make our clients happy and to inject some well softened reality into all that gauzily lit, super stiff, Influenced, party plan.