How to Have a Fantastic New Years Eve!

Dawn Strain, President of DJS Events was on Valerie Smaldone's "Valerie's New York" Radio Show AGAIN this past week, talking about how to have a successful and fantastic New Years!  Click to listen here!

                 

Top 3 Tips For Having a Fabulous New Years:

1.) Keep it Simple: Like we said about Christmas parties, keeping it simple will make your life easier and give you more time to enjoy the party. In fact, we suggest going out for New Year's rather than having your own party. Why? Many businesses have incredible deals for New Years, with all inclusive drinks, food and overnight stays. 

2.) Make it Themed: But what if you really, truly, WANT to have a party? Having a theme keeps a focal point for organizing decor, invites, food and attire. 

3.) Have It Out: Unless you have an enormous house or apartment where everyone will crash after the party, it's best to plan your party at a local restaurant or bar inside of a hotel. DJS Events is doing a gorgeous, fun, accessible weekend away party at the Indigo Hotel. Check it out here!

Oheka Bridal Show

We all know Oheka Castle is one of the hottest places to get married on Long Island. At their bridal show this year, we dazzled everyone with our beautiful display and original design.


Black and white is a staple for DJS. While we can basically turn any event into a gorgeous, unique and special experience using color, our own personal favorites to work with are black and white. This year, we splashed in some yellow and cheered it up with fresh flowers and toned down complex patterns with solids. AT DJS Events, your wedding is the most important day in OUR lives. We dedicate every moment to strategy, organizing, creative  and design so that you can have the most incredible experience of your life.
Details are important, and so is the big picture. Our ability to see both simultaneously is what has made us the most sought after event company in our area. To see more of our events, go here.

We love lights. Lighting can turn a barn into a castle...and since we were already in a castle that we've held plenty of events in, we had already identified some of the "hot spots" where lighting looks especially good. We lit up the statues so that they glowed beautifully and shown the candle holder lights up towards the ceiling. The floor lights flooded the room so well that light bounced off of just the right places.

 

The bride and groom pedestal.

Taking our beloved chess set, we placed it for effect between tables for a fun, Alice in Wonderland kind of feel.

Our glass canopy was draped with beautiful fabrics that made for a comfy yet elegant feel. We wanted to show how a color scheme could look with many different styles, from different colored chairs and table cloths to various floral arrangements and centerpieces.



Rose petals adorned the base of our canopy, which of course was meant to provoke a feeling of luxury and elegance. We had a whole room to play with and wanted to address as many concepts as possible, while keeping the whole look complimentary to itself.
Want a professional planner to help design your wedding? Check us out at http://www.djsevents.com/  or contact us for a consultation. Your wedding day is the most important of your life and we would love to make it incredible!

Dawn Strain in Newsday!

Our ambitious, lovely, talented and incredible Founder and President of DJS Events has an article in Newsday! 

For your reading pleasure:

Executive Suite: Dawn Strain, Bethpage

June 27, 2011 9:37 AM By PATRICIA KITCHEN patricia.kitchen@newsday.com

Photo credit: Steve Pfost | Dawn J. Strain, head of DJS Events, says her biggest perk is bringing Piper, her Chihuahua, to work and other functions. (June 24, 2011)

Other Columnists

Dawn Strain says she has always been the one to design, decorate, and help plan events. While working in the corporate world -- which she says was not a great fit -- a contact said she was very talented at events and suggested "why don't you make it your business?" That led to the 2006 launch of DJS Events.

Strain had noticed a lack of networking groups and events on Long Island geared toward younger professionals. About 10 years ago she founded Long Island Elite, a nonprofit organization for the 40-and-under crowd. Besides networking, the 75 or so members also raise funds for area charities.

On Thursday at the Hauppauge Industrial Association's workforce conference, Strain, 37, will be speaking about young professionals and how employers can cultivate their leadership abilities.

Apart from the economy, what's your biggest headache?
"Finding staff who really get and understand that this is not a nine-to-five job; sometimes it's weekends, sometimes it's very late nights. Also people right out of college putting on their applications that they want to start at $40,000 a year." 

What was your biggest break?
"Planning a weekend conference in New York City for 300 to 400 people for Bethpage Federal Credit Union." That was just after starting her business, so it was, "jumping in running, for sure." 

Which events are the most demanding?
"Private events such as bar mitzvahs and weddings are always challenging when you're navigating through different family emotions. And charity events in this economy are challenging in getting levels of attendance and raising funds."

 Who's influenced you?
"People have told me that I remind them of Bethenny Frankel, [natural food chef, featured on Bravo's "Bethenny Ever After"]. So I recently started watching her show, and I feel that she is a no-nonsense person with a tremendous heart. Her willingness to take risks and speak her mind is very inspiring. I aspire to someday build an empire like she has recently started to create." 

With all these activities, how do you replenish yourself?
"When I get a little overwhelmed, I'll realize I need to take five days off and go away somewhere. Or, just taking a day off during the week and shutting off my BlackBerry, but that's so hard for me. . . . I also enjoy spending time with my girlfriends, even going out one night and laughing." 

What's your most fun workplace perk?
"I have three dogs and sometimes they come to work with me. I bring Piper, my Chihuahua, everywhere I go. 

If there were a fire alarm, what in your office would you grab first?
"The dog. I wouldn't even think twice about it."

CORPORATE SNAPSHOT
Name. Dawn Strain, president
Company. DJS Events, event planning firm, Bethpage
What they do. "We're detail designers. It is the details that make an event special, and we intertwine whatever we can about our client into the details of the event. "
Staff. Three full-time, 10 part-time in roles such as coordinating, day-of-event setup and breakdown
Revenue. $200,000 to $300,000, estimated for 2011

BELATED CONGRATS, NY!!!

WELL DONE, NEW YORK!!!

Ok...so we know we kind of missed the boat on this one, but we really just wanted to shout out our deepest congrats to our LGBT friends on NYC!!! We at DJS Events believe that Love is Love, no matter what. The DJS family has always been inclusive and accepting of all types of people: we believe that what counts most is what's inside your heart and your level of integrity.

We wanted to brush you up on this video, just in case you missed it.

In the event world (as with the entertainment world, art world and fashion world) there are so many talented, incredible people who wish they could marry the person they love. Our hearts have always gone out to them as some of them have been our dearest friends and colleagues. We can only hope that this equality will spread outward to the rest of the country, and that equal rights will be given to all. 

DJS WELCOMES AND ENCOURAGES  ANYONE INTERESTED IN CONSULTATION ABOUT WEDDINGS AND CEREMONIES TO CONTACT US.

Everyone that steps through our doors is treated with the utmost respect, warmth and professionalism. We would love to meet you!

Dawn Strain, founder of DJS Events, to be interviewed on 88.7 FM WRHU today!

Today, tune in Wednesday September 29^th at 6:00 PM E.S.T. Dawn Strain, Founder of DJS Events and The Long Island Elite will join a LIVE interview with Tim Kealy on “The Profit Express” on 88.7 FM WRHU and streaming live on the web at www.wrhu.org.

Along with Lisa Strahs-Lorenc from LI works, Dawn Strain will be speaking about The Believe Symposium- an event created for Long Island youth, professionals and community members. Listen to Dawn and Lisa as they share their passion to inspire young adults and business professionals to believe in the promise of making Long Island a better place to live, work and thrive!

Masquerade 2010

The 7^th annual Long Island Elite Masquerade was a great success!

The theme this year was Wonderland. We were so excited to put on this year’s event for the Long Island Elite, who raised money for Long Island Charities and had a blast while doing it!

Rather than the usual cocktail set up of various round tables, we created a mad tea party 8 tables long. Guests loved the tea party so much they chose to sit there for dinner as well, amidst the calculated clutter of flowers, cups and saucers, tea pots, antique books and clocks. We placed some of the clutter on spinning plates for added magic…

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

Besides being cozy, this sociable seating arrangement set up fantastic opportunities for guests to network. One of the most prevalent remarks of the night was how easy it was to make connections and exchange information.

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

Our challenge every year with this event is keep things fresh and exciting. After 6 years of putting on the same event, the challenge grows every year—it’s a good thing we love challenges at DJS, because there’s nothing better than topping yourself!

Some of the other elements of the evening:

We chose fresh, vibrant colors for our floral arrangements. When you are working with bright table tops you have to make sure that your arrangements can stand on their own and aren't drowned out by the surrounding colors.



We accented our special reserved tables with branches laced with orchids, moss and hanging votives. These elements grounded the tables and gave a glittering, whimsical detail.



Dawn Strain, President & founder of LIE looked gorgeous in a gown donated for the evening by Kleinfeld Bridal




Scrumptious dessert by Just a Sliver! We had character inspired cupcakes and ones that said "Eat Me"

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

Who Are You?
We transformed the patio into a hookah lounge, complete with Hookahs from Mystique.

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

Our croquet and life sized chess set was a big hit!

Photos by Dennisimo Photography



Who is LIE?

Founded in 2002, the Long Island Elite (LIE) is an organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of Long Island’s business professionals under the age of 40, the region’s emerging business leaders. To learn more about LIE, please visit their website at
http://www.longislandelite.com/home.asp

The performers provided by Chezzam created a magical evening with a crazy cast of characters that kept the spirit of the evening fun, quirky and charismatic.

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

The King, Queen and Member of the Year Gary Cucchi (Tweedle)

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

If you couldn't make it and would still like to donate to the Long Island Elite, please go here