In general I try to maintain somewhat of a professional writing style on here, but today I just have to say:

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! It’s over! We did it!

Whew, now that that’s out of the way: yes, it’s true – you have me back. Love Ball is officially over and done (for about three weeks until we start planning next year at least), so I’m back to being able to give attention to the blog. For some reason evening meetings just don’t jive with getting solid blog posts completed? Who would have thought?

The event went really well. It was our first year at a new venue which is always a little hectic, but there were relatively few problems considering how much could have gone wrong. My team of committee members and volunteers helped me so much throughout the preparation and the evening that I was completely available for troubleshooting, so there were no major crisis!  From setting up the the silent auction to preparing the decor, things really seemed to fall into place despite hurricane Sandy’s best intentions.

The first half of the event is always the most crazy as people check in and reservation issues arise, and then we have to run the dinner program. After the awards program is over however we finally get the chance to take a little breather and enjoy ourselves as the majority of things that could go wrong are behind us.  I finally got to see all the beautifully dressed people and dogs as we danced to the awesome band, Fresh Air.

While event planning can be extremely stressful, the outcome is usually so rewarding that it’s worth any pre-event headaches. My coworker and I easily agreed that the Sunday after The Love Ball is by far the best Sunday of the year because you can take a big sigh, pat yourself on the back, and SLEEP for as long as you want! The feeling of knowing that it went smoothly makes it all worth while, especially since it’s all to raise money for homeless animals.  Thanks for all your well wishes last week – they paid off!

I’ll get more pictures from the event photographer, but here are a few for now from my friend Ellie Slotkin.  It’s such a fun event – if you’re in the MD/DC area, join us next year!