Alternative Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day!

Valentine’s Day got you down? Feeling like Cupid is stupid? Don’t want to spend another Valentine’s Day alone?

Then don’t!

There are plenty of ways to get through February 14th without getting caught up in red roses, boxes of chocolates and hundreds of hearts. We’ve got a few suggestions to get you started…

Throw a Galentine’s Get Together

Why not invite a bunch of your single girlfriends to BYO snacks and beverages and get together to do something fun. Host a spa or craft night or have everyone bring a different bottle of wine and do a self-led wine tasting.

Plan a Grateful to Be Single Party

Not everyone wants to be part of a duo. Some of us prefer single status. Invite your unattached friends for a night of celebrating single style. Play record hands of Uno and have everyone write down the top three things they appreciate most about being single. Do a white elephant gift exchange so everyone gets to go home with a gift. Better yet, plan your party for February 15th so guests can splurge on all the sugary snacks they want to bring at 50% off.

Have a Come-As-You-Are Binge Watch Fest

A lot of people don’t want to head out on Valentine’s Day because it’s cold and dark. It is the middle of February, after all! But what if you had friends come as they are in jammies or their custom winter snuggies? Serve something warm like spiced cider or hot chocolate with a kick. Then tune in to binge watch a season of your favorite sit-com or most anticipated recent release.

Whatever you decide to do, whether you embrace the commercialized side of the holiday and celebrate with your sweetie, or come up with a unique get together of your own, we hope you have a great time! And if you need some extra space to throw that awesome gathering, don’t forget to check our calendar!

Engagement Party Checklist

The engagement party is the first of many milestones you’ll be celebrating before you walk down the aisle. Traditionally, the bride’s parents have been in charge of the engagement party, but in today’s world, it’s not uncommon for the parents of the bride or groom, or even the couple, to plan the festivities. Once you’ve determined who’s hosting, you’ll still need to…

• Pick a Date

It’s an engagement party so usually the date should fall within two to three months of actually getting engaged. Be sure to compare calendars with family members you want to be able to attend.

• Decide on the Guest List

An engagement party is a chance for those close to the bride and groom to get to know each other before all of the festivities begin. Often times it’s the first time some members of the bride’s and groom’s families will have a chance to meet. Don’t include anyone who won’t be invited to the ceremony or reception.

• Book the Venue

  The size and type of space you’ll need will depend on several factors.

  • How many guests do you expect?

  • What type of event are you having?

  • What time of year is it happening?

• Send Out the Invites

  Once you’ve decided on a host, a date and a venue, let people know! Depending on how formal or casual your party will be, invites can be as fancy as the wedding invitations or as simple as an email. Make sure you give guests plenty of notice. Sending invitations out at least three to four weeks before the date is key. Most people will bring a small gift to an engagement party. If you’d prefer no gifts, make sure it’s noted on the invitations.

• Make a Plan for the Menu

Are you going to have food catered in or do it yourself? If your party is at a restaurant or event center, they might have rules regarding approved vendors. If you’re doing it yourselves, make a list of everything you’ll need and start a timeline for what can be done ahead of time and who you can count on to help.

• Decide on Decorations

  Check with the venue to see if there are any restrictions on decor. Some places have rules regarding decorations such as candles, confetti, balloons, glitter, and more. You can make the decorations as intricate or simple as you’d like. This is a chance to personalize the event to the couple as well. Consider using pictures or items that have been important to them in the decor.

• Prep Ahead of Time

  Plan ahead and try to get as much as you can done ahead of time. If you’re making decorations or food, put together a list of everything you can do in the weeks or days ahead. Things will come up at the last minute and you’ll be grateful you’ve got a head start. If you need to bring in linens or extra seating, make arrangements well in advance.

• Consider Entertainment

  Will you have a band? A DJ? A playlist of the couple’s favorite songs? Depending on the type of event you’ve put together, it might be fun to have some games planned to celebrate the couple or a photo booth set up to capture snapshots of the event.

• Have Fun

  Once all the details are taken care of it’s time to relax and have fun! Hopefully this is the first of many events that will take place to celebrate the happy couple!

Welcome to The Bonus Room

Several people have asked how we decided to start The Bonus Room, so we thought we’d share our story. The idea for The Bonus Room came from our desire to provide an affordable event rental space to the Lakeville community. Many of our friends and neighbors commented on the lack of options for party rooms. They always seemed to be searching for a space to host a party, get people together for a team meeting or hold a get-together. Through talking with them, we became aware of how few meeting and event rental spaces are available in the Lakeville area. So when an opportunity to create such a space became available in downtown Lakeville, we pounced on it.

We live in Lakeville. Our kids go to Lakeville schools. We both work in real estate in this community and Joe is a volunteer firefighter with the Lakeville Fire Department. He’s also a Lakeville native and graduated from Lakeville High School back in 1997.

We’re invested in this city, especially the historic downtown. We believe it’s the heart and soul of the community . Our mission and passion is to give something back, to support our friends and family and provide a place for people to gather. We wanted to keep it affordable so The Bonus Room might be an option for smaller groups as well as larger celebrations.

Since we opened our doors last March we’ve hosted just about any kind of event you can think of: baby showers, groom’s dinners, family reunions, birthday parties, book clubs, networking meetings, game watch parties, pop-up boutiques, classes, bridal showers, and so many more. We feel blessed to be a part of so many celebrations!

We hope The Bonus Room is just the extra space you need, and we can’t wait to share our labor of love with you!

The Pannkuk Family