A 'Crappy' Disease, but a Spectacular Celebration!

From the desk of: Karen Eaton

As many of us may know, Crohn’s & Colitis is a really, really ~crappy~ disease… and for those that don’t know much about Crohn’s & Colitis, it’s a disease that “inflames the lining of your GI tract and disrupts your body’s ability to digest food, absorb nutrition, and eliminate waste in a healthy manner” – hence the ‘crappy’ pun

AE Events has been helping produce this nonprofit organization’s annual event for many years now which they proudly call “The Fete.” If you don’t speak fluid French like I do, the word “Fete” in English means “celebration,” which I found at first quite interesting why this foundation would want to celebrate this terrible disease – but after speaking with numerous individuals from this institute and hearing their stories about how this disease affects them personally or someone they love in their life, I quickly learned how strong and empowering those individuals are – AND how lighthearted their humor is. There tends to be a stigma around this disease, but many with the condition own it with confidence and help others with this illness feel comfortable in their own skin. I love that.

Even though I’ve been at AE Events since August 2022 and have already participated in coordinating many events, this was my 1st I really helped produce from start to finish, and it truly was a magical one to come together, raise an incredible amount of money, and have an absolute blast celebrating! Every little detail put into this special day – from ensuring there were dietary restriction and ingredient labels on all passed hors d’oeuvres trays, to properly preparing and setting up bathroom signage, for… you know… important moments – was carefully thought out and immensely appreciated by those attending. We wanted to ensure this event was not only created for the foundation’s annual celebration and goals but made as a safe space for those guests in attendance affected by Crohn’s & Colitis 110% comfortable.

Our vendor “dream team,” as we love to call it at AE Events, really helped make this a night to remember. The most gorgeous linens we chose came from Nuage Designs and were a mix of lovely, deep purples accented with silky lilacs. One of the printed floral linens was a velvet material, which brought warmth into the room on their annual chilly, November event date.

Our centerpieces came from Central Square Florist, a local, sustainable floral company, and incorporated personal touches of photos of the young kids from the foundation’s Camp Oasis program, which was part of this year’s theme.

During cocktails, we had Entertainment Specialists join us for an epic 360 Photo Booth to capture all the smiles and fun from the evening!

Finally, a special shout out to our auctioneer, Harry Santa-Olalla, who truly CAPTIVATED our audience and had people donating to such a vital cause all while standing on chairs (don’t worry, waivers were signed!) and waving dinner napkins in the air how ‘Bostonians’ do at a Bruins game with their towels!

This “Fete” reminded me why us we love what we do as a full-service event planning company – not only did we produce a spectacular event for our client and the guests, but we helped make a difference with this nonprofit organization and all of those out there affected by this disease.