Almost two decades and thousands of events later, Tasha Schoeman still does a jolly jive when she has to plan a special occasion. She chats about loving to create memorable experiences and offers a few fab tips on setting the ultimate, budget-friendly festive table.
It’s the adrenaline rush, making lists of lists and having a plan b, C and D that makes businesswoman and all-round event planner extraordinaire Tasha Schoeman tick – all the boxes – quite literally.
“Event planning is a wonderful, wild ride. It can take you to beautiful places you never thought you’d be. You get to meet people you wouldn’t ordinarily get to meet. Yes, it’s stressful and takes some juggling to create a close-to-perfect balance between work and life but you get to be part of people’s most memorable moments. I find making something from nothing so rewarding.”
Tasha originally studied theology part-time and admits she never for a moment thought planning weddings and events would become her bread and butter.
It started with a phone call from a flower farm. To be their shop assistant. Many flower-arranging masterpieces later and Tasha worked her way up to handling their marketing. Then finally stepped foot in the no-day-is-the-same world of event planning.
It was while assisting the popular local wedding venue Avianto with designing a floral stand for an expo – which ended up winning the best stand award – that they decided to team up and start Event Inspirations. Tasha fell hook, line and sinker in love with event planning and her studies became something of the past.
Today and some 3000 odd events later – she stopped counting after that – handles all aspects of an event from start to finish, including decor, lights, stationary, planning, coordination, production, and everything in between.
“Creating celebrations is not a job to me, it’s my passion … I simply love what I do! People often mistake an event planner’s work for simply playing around with flowers, or believe it must be fun making money from your ‘hobby’. Let me tell you, it is hard work and very deadline driven. Weekends … What weekends? Oh, and did I mention having serious organisation skills? But when the entire event comes together exactly as you envisioned it, and you see your client’s smiling face – it makes you want to do it all over again!”
What about when things go wrong? ”Yes, it happens. So I just breathe, analyse the situation, take action and stay calm. It sounds like simple advice but if you’re able to stay calm—even when the kitchen has been accidentally set ablaze by the caterer—then your client will feel calm and reassured, too.”
Tasha noted that since Covid, they’ve experienced a spike in events. Not only because people were in lockdown for so long and were yearning for some social interaction, but perhaps also realising that within the blink of an eye things can change. “That’s why I say any occasion should be a reason for a celebration – not just the occasion, but celebrating life itself!”
Birthdays are the celebration of another year and lessons learned. A baby born is a brand new life. Entrepreneurs should celebrate when their business has survived another year. Wedding anniversaries offer the chance for those in love to commemorate milestones in their marriage … We may be loosely interpreting here, but ‘let’s pop the bubbly more often ‘ is what we think she means.
When Tasha is not planning the next whimsical wedding or event, you’ll find her at her other business venture, Hoppy Hearts & Hartz-verloren situated on the picturesque Viljoen Street in Krugersdorp. What started as a small French gift shop, has now expanded to a venue for intimate events, a coffee shop and a boutique. Stocking gorg locally and imported clothes, jewellery and a variety of décor items.
While effortlessly forging the next great event and running Hoppy Hearts, Tasha manages to go all out for not only her clients, but also those closest to her. Whether it is an impromptu dinner or entertaining friends and family, spoiling people and making them feel special is what she’s all about.
Details: [email protected], follow @eventinspirations and @Hoppyhearts&hartz-verloren on Facebook.
Festive table inspiration:
Set the table
• In the room where you set the table, let that area and colours be your inspo. It gives background to the table and makes it looks fuller.
• Setting the table should be an expression of your personal style. My style is a combination of classic and modern. Nothing wrong with mixing the two. I like to put my classic glass vases and wine glasses together with a modern dining set and candle holders.
• Make your guests feel extra special with name cards and the menu – it shows that extra time and effort went into the planning.
• Tablecloths suit formal and casual meals, but the fabric will change the style completely — crushed linen creates a relaxed look while crisp cotton is more formal. Alfresco dining calls for a bare table with a table runner or placemats.
• Candles, always, even if you’re hosting during the day. It just gives a lovely glow and ambience.
• Use plants and flowers from your garden as centrepieces. Keep it simple. Make sure the stems are clean or keep some foliage if it’s part of your theme. Cut the stems at an angle so the flowers can drink more water to stay fresh for longer. Create a mix of complementary colours and varieties or choose one shade or variety. Remember bleached, white-washed, preserved, dried flowers and leaves – like Pampas – are now trending.
• Create a variety of heights on the table using flowers and candles, but be sure that guests can talk over your arrangements.
• Think outside the box when it comes to placemats – opt for natural materials such as rattan, raffia or bamboo. Or go for fabric, cotton or linen. Use in contrasting colours or the same shade but with a pattern that stands out from the background of the tablecloth.
• For the food table – stack the bowls of food in tiers – I’ve used big glassware, turned it upside down and placed the bowl of food on top. And pair your foods together. This makes the food table look fuller.
Cloth napkins are a simple way to elevate dining at home – indoors or outdoors – and whatever your tablescaping vibe. And no need to go OTT with the folding, a simple knot looks ultra-mod.
Orange and strawberry Pimm’s
Pimms, a gin-based liqueur can be enjoyed on the rocks or mixed in cocktails.
Serves 6
Ingredients: 6 orange, sliced; punnet of strawberries, sliced; 1kg crushed ice; 2 liters of apple juice; 250ml Pimm’s; 750ml ginger ale; mint mixed berries for garnish
Method: Place half of the ice in a large jug. Add the orange and strawberry slices and pour in the Pimms, followed by the apple juice and ginger ale. Stir with a swizzle stick to combine.
Divide the remaining ice among six gin glasses. glasses. Fill with the cocktail and garnish with mint leaves and mixed berries.
For starters – baby cabbage, apple, nuts and raisins salad
A light and fresh starter to kick off the main course. Super quick and easy to make and actually quite healthy by the way!
Ingredients: 250ml good quality mayonnaise; 125ml Greek yoghurt; juice of 2 lemons; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 red apples, thinly sliced; 3 heads of baby green cabbage, sliced; 200g raisins; 100g pecans nuts, roughly chopped; 100g raw Brazil nuts; petite herbs for garnish
Method: Put the cabbage, apple, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts and raisins into a medium-sized salad bowl and mix well.
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, yoghurt and lemon juice. Season the salad with salt and pepper. Top with petite herbs and serve with the creamy dressing.
Marinated feta, olive and tomato salad
Sweet, tangy and juicy tomatoes … Savoury olives and creamy feta – this vibrant salad has it all.
Ingredients: 1 handful of fresh basil; 80ml olive oil; 30ml balsamic vinegar; 6 feta wheels; 500g mixed olives; 1kg exotic mixed tomatoes, halved; salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method: Combine the olives, feta, tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss gently to coat the ingredients in the vinegar and oil. Leave to stand to allow the flavours to infuse, about ten minutes.
On a platter, add the fresh basil and top with the marinated feta, olives and tomatoes. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Juicy roast chicken
This is a super-reliable roast chicken recipe to give you juicy meat and crispy skin, every time. Plus, it is so easy to make!
Serves 8
Ingredients: 2 large chickens; 2 onions, coarsely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 4 lemons, sliced in half; 2 handfuls of fresh herbs – thyme, rosemary and oregano, chopped; 80ml wholegrain mustard; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 250ml white wine; 250ml chicken stock
Method: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spatchcock the chicken by cutting the backbone out of the chicken. Flatten each chicken with the palm of your hand on a wooden board. Put the onions, lemons and garlic in an ovenproof pan. Sprinkle the herbs on top. Place the chicken on top of the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the wine and stock. Cover the pan with tin foil and roast for ± an hour and a half, depending on the weight of the chicken. Remove the tin foil and roast for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and cover loosely with the tin foil.
Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before carving to allow the juices to settle.
Serve with the marinated feta, olive and tomato salad, oven roasted corn on the cob with parsley butter, sautéed green beans with garlic, a creamy potato salad and roasted sweet potatoes and red onions.
Waffle stack
These homemade waffles are perfectly golden, crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. They are also so simple to make with ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 teaspoons baking powder; 2 tablespoons white sugar; 2 eggs; 1 ½ cups warm milk; 1/3 cup butter, melted; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 100g good quality chocolate, finely chopped and melted (keep some chopped chocolate aside for garnish); vanilla ice cream for serving; 175g of fresh berries of your choice for garnish
Method: In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar – set aside. Preheat a waffle pan and spray it well with non-stick cooking spray. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Stack, drizzle with melted chocolate, add a scoop of ice cream and add some berries. Enjoy!
The do’s and don’ts when entertaining
• Invite people that gives joy and meaning to your life and that you feel relaxed with. • Plan the menu and decor according to the type of people you are inviting. You want them to feel comfortable and enjoy the evening. • Ensure you have non-alcoholic drink options. • Create a playlist that aligns with the ambience you want to achieve. • A party memento is optional but a nice touch. • Don’t make too much food – rather have a variety of dishes. And consider foods that can be made (or at least prepped) in advance. • Don’t make the background music too loud. No one wants to shout over the music. • Don’t forget to consider your guests’ dietary restrictions. • Don’t start the gathering too early if your entertainment area doesn’t have enough shade. • Once people arrive, just enjoy the party. No one wants to feel like the party/ dinner or event is stressing you out. Make people feel like you’re glad to have them there.
Text: RIALIEN FURSTENBERG. • Photographer: CELESTE CILLIERS. • Make-up & hair: ANTOINETTE DE BEER. • Dress: SHENÉ VYVER COUTURE.
