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    Celebrated Takes the Stress Out of Party Planning

    Parties are really fun…until you’re planning one. By the time the big soirée hits, many party planners are just ready for the darn thing to be over.

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    Celebrated is coming to the rescue. Pick a theme and with a few clicks, you’ve got a party in a box coming to your doorstep. Pinterest-worthy parties, from invitations to thank yous, planned in minutes.

    The idea came from personal experience. Celebrated Co-Founder Jessi Means was hit with a triple-threat of parties – a bridal shower, bachelorette party and 1-year-old’s birthday party – back to back to back. She’d pick a theme on Pinterest, then go to what seemed like 30 different stores to get all the necessary supplies. And then, of course, realize something was missing last-minute.

    “There has to be an easier way to do this and bring it together for people,” Means thought.

    Looking to make the party planning process easier, and the actual event more enjoyable, for moms, busy women, and even the last-minute party planner, Means and Co-Founder Lindsey Kauffman went full-steam ahead developing the idea for Celebrated.

    The business partners met working in merchandizing at L Brands and tapped into their corporate network for their crash course in business know-how. The pair pulled double duty, working full-time jobs during the day and planning for Celebrated at night, finally making the leap to pursue the party in a box full-time in December 2017.

    Celebrated Owners Jessi Means and Lindsey Kauffman

    Since their initial launch in March, Celebrated has been curating themed parties entertaining adults and kiddos. The company turns an hours-long stressor into a done-in-minutes process, breaking the planing down step by step.

    Customers start by selecting their invitations and decorations. Next up its coordinated tableware, then on to activities, and finally favors and thank yous. Throughout the process, shoppers can pick and choose the quantities that they need to fit their guest list.

    The party in a box ships out within five days (there’s two-day expedited for the last-minute crowd), but Kauffman and Means want to deliver more than just what fits in a box. Celebrated orders include a Party Planning Guide laying out to-dos from three to four weeks out to party time, “And we also offer a menu that matches the theme that has recipes and also a grocery list that ties to those recipes,” Means says.

    Celebrated sources the goods for their parties that range from Rosé All Day to Happy Camper from about 20 different vendors, and mixes in self-designed and handmade items. Kauffman and Means design many of the paper goods, invitations, thank you notes and banners, and get crafty with items like dreamcatchers or greenery rings.

    ‘Wow, you really have thought of everything’ is among the positive feedback Kauffman and Means have received throughout their first few months. They’ve used constructive suggestions like allowing customers to pick and choose their items and quantities to improve customer experience. But hearing things like ‘I’m not crafty and I feel like I put together something really elevated’ or ‘you saved me so much stress’ are just the sort of reason the pair launched Celebrated.

    One thing Kauffman and Means didn’t expect were the people that started calling asking them to plan the event for them. It’s allowed Celebrated to partner with other local businesses like the Campfire Experience, while getting more human interaction with their customers.

    As they continue to grow the events side, “It’s allowing us to be much more creative,” Kauffman says. “And some of them have led to themes for our boxes that we sell online.”

    For more information, visit shopcelebrated.com

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    Susan Post
    Susan Post
    Susan is the editor of The Metropreneur and associate editor of Columbus Underground, and also covers small business and entrepreneurial news and the food scene in Central Ohio.Susan holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from The Ohio State University. She sits on the board of the Central Ohio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and loves coffee, whiskey, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
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