Cowboy Christmas Party for a Local Non-Profit

This was indeed an exciting day to be hosting a non-profit holiday fundraiser with a fun theme: Cowboy Christmas. Surprisingly there was not much on Pinterest to pull from regarding “Cowboy Christmas”, but here is what we came up with!

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Highlights: Cowboy Christmas Party

As guests arrived, we welcomed them at our check in table where they could inquire about the evenings schedule of events. This was also a great opportunity to inform them about our fundraising opportunities: raffle, silent auction, wine ring toss, and bar proceeds. Once checked in, guests proceeded into the main venue space.

BLOC Venue is a fantastic event space with modern farmhouse vibes. Even without additional decoration the space is eye-catching, however we wanted to bring the Cowboy Christmas and Wild West Holiday vibes.

We had cedar garland trailing down beams, a lasso Christmas wreath suspended in the center of the room adjacent to the garland, a Christmas tree adorned with a cowboy hat “star”, a rustic ladder “tree” with lights and cowboy accessories, balloon arches, faux cowhide rugs, plaid flannel cloth napkins, mason jar water glasses, and much more!

One of the biggest hits with the guests were the beautiful photo-booth opportunities. First, a friend of the non-profit lent us a traditional photo-booth that automatically printed photo strips with a series of four photos on each strip.

Second, we set up a backdrop with a wood divider, neon signs, balloons, straw-bales, blankets, and lots of equestrian gear (saddle, bridle, bits, etc.). Balloons by Mindy donated the balloon decorations and we cannot thank her enough for her generosity!

After the welcome reception, guests enjoyed a delicious holiday feast provided by Silver Sage Catering. The buffet offered some of the best chicken I have ever had, massive slices of New York steak, mashed potatoes, carrots, seasonal winter salad, and rolls. Before dinner, there were a variety of appetizers that included charcuterie, corn salad, meatballs, and crostinis with crab dip.

We were able to have a full cash bar paired with a trio of entertaining bartenders. During classic line dancing songs, two of the bartenders would rush onto the dance floor to dance alongside the event guests. All proceeds from the bar purchases went back to support the non-profit.

Planning + Logistics: Cowboy Christmas Party

Sourcing Sponsors

Non-profits often have a fundraising goal at events such as these. All proceeds from ticket sales and bar sales went towards our fundraising goal, but the bulk of the fundraising funds came from our raffle, wine ring toss and silent art auction.

One might ask, “how do you gather items to raffle off when you do not have a budget?” That is where a year’s worth of work comes into play. Myself (Jenni), the president of the non-profit and other volunteers for the non-profit reached out to brands and local businesses all throughout the year to see if they would be interested in donating to our cause. Donations came in the form of monetary (table sponsors, dj sponsors, etc.) and physical items.

Raffle prizes ranged from premium branded ice chests and grills, to rounds of golf and self-care kits. There were also some specific prizes tailored towards this crowd that were a big hit and helped raise a good portion of the funds.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR EVENT SPONSORS & VOLUNTEERS!

Event Design Without A Budget

My husband Erik is the non-profits’s president and he has a major role in planning events for this group. Erik chose the venue, caterer and dj, but when it came to the overall “look” of the event, he handed that vision off to me.

We did not have a budget (not in the good way) for the design of this event. To make this event as beautiful and on-theme as possible, it took quite a bit of donations and volunteer work.

I volunteered my event management experience and stores of decor, along with some rental items. My mom and I sewed all the cloth napkins for this event since I couldn’t find the look I wanted at a reasonable price. There is a tutorial for DIY Plaid Cloth Napkins here on the blog!

Honest Q+A with the Events Team

Q:  For my events crew, what was your favorite part of this event?

A:  [Amanda] I think everyone had great time with the Photo Booth options. It was nice having the two, and the space was great! But I think overall I enjoyed every part of it! [Mindy] My favorite was the wine ring toss, but honestly seeing everyone was really nice. [Andrea] I loved how everyone got involved in the raffles and seemed excited. Also, the food was SO GOOD! [Julie] I think the best part was a perfect ratio of planned events and enough time to connect and mingle with people. A lot of people I only see at the Christmas party all year! [Cathy] The raffle! Almost everyone participated in the raffle and it was so fun to see who won what.

Q:  For my events crew, what would have made the event smoother from your perspective?

A:  [Amanda] I feel like we definitely needed signs at the entry for people waiting in line to decide on what raffle tickets they wanted to buy. It would have saved us time if they could be looking the difference purchase options while waiting to check in. [Mindy] It might have encouraged more raffle ticket sales if people saw a “value” next to the raffle items offered. Also it could be fun to have a “losers prize” where all the remaining tickets are pulled together for a final draw. [Andrea] Smoother, hard to say. I wish I could have mingled more with people, like maybe round tables would help that. But overall it was so beautiful! [Julie] I would say the only thing that may have enhanced the night would have been more helpers! Just a couple of moments where there were long lines at entry or the bar, but it wasn’t often. And the raffle could have used another helper to make it move along faster. [Cathy] If the raffle was quicker paced that would be have helpful. It took up so much time!

Q:  For my bartenders, what was your favorite part of this event?

A:  [Lauren] Getting out to line dance with the guests was so fun! Of course mixing drinks was fun (and sometimes stressful) but I definitely enjoyed the theme and being able to dance. We (Anastasia and I) are moms and we don’t get out on the town often so this was a real treat.

Q:  For my bartenders, what would have made the event smoother from your perspective?

A:  [Lauren] Signage at the bar that helped explain our offerings. We had each of the beer and wine options on display, however the guests didn’t know what cocktails we could make for them without us explaining everything we had behind the bar. I think more people would have ordered a margarita, for example, had we had a menu for them to browse.

Quick Facts

• planning & design | jenni @ an exciting day events
• venue | bloc venue in roseville, ca
• catering | silver sage catering
• bartenders | volunteers from squad club (anastasia, lauren + john)
• dj | dj malcolm entertainment
• balloon designs | balloons by mindy
• photobooth | friend of squad club
• events crew | volunteers from squad club (erik/jenni, amanda/zach, andrea/mike, julie/allen, mindy/alex, cathy/matt)
• boots | lucchese & ariat
• rentals | celebrations event rentals
• signage + paperie | jenni @ an exciting day events
• time of year | winter holiday season
• budget range | $
• colors | traditional christmas
• style | cowboy, country, rustic, holiday

I am looking for planners ready to share their special events story. Please nominate someone in the comment section below, or email me at jenni@anexcitingday.com, to be featured in my next REAL EVENTS post!

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