Novel ideas for organising a coworker’s going-away party

When it’s time to saw goodbye to a coworker, often nobody’s sure what to do or what to get.  They’re probably not your best buddy, but you’ve spent a lot of time with them and you want to show that you care and that you respect them in a friendly kind of way, too.  Often someone will arrange a going-away party, and everyone trundles along not knowing quite what to expect.

Here are some ideas for the person who arranges the party.  Why not get some personalised chocolates printed up with a funny photo of the coworker who is leaving?  No doubt there will be a moment that got photographed; even one of those “photos taken for the staff newsletter column” might be hilarious if paired with the right caption.  These could be handed out at the party, to get everyone to loosen up and have a giggle and a bite of chocolate to eat because let’s face it, we all feel awkward sometimes with coworkers outside of the regular work setting.

Another idea is to get personalised balloons printed and hung up, or even just get balloons and do fun things with them like play the game where you see how many balloons you can stuff under a table with the whole group standing on it.  Trust me, it sounds silly, but it can be great fun - it tends to get everyone laughing because inevitably, some of the balloons pop and the table will tip, causing everyone on it to crack up as they try to scramble off it in laughter!  you can also play the game with the balloons where you take turns drawing a face of someone in the group on a balloon, and the person who guesses who it is who’s being drawn first, gets a little prize.

Don’t forget that after the fun and games is after it is a considerate and nice gesture to give a big card to the leaver of the group, and it’s all part of the fun to have the card written up on the night while everyone’s at the party - it’s almost a game in itself to try and hide the card from the recipient while you all take turns signing it with a little message or a joke each.  It’s a good chance to let the leaving coworker know that you always liked their hairstyle, their smile, their sense of humour, their shoes, their patience, etc.  Everyone likes to know that they are appreciated and sometimes when it’s hard to say something to someone’s face, it’s easier to write it down, so encourage others to take this opportunity.  Even if you really couldn’t stand working with that person, surely there’s something nice about them that you can mention in your short farewell note.  Think what you’d like to receive yourself if you were leaving, and try not to put remarks in the card that will sting, no matter how witty they might be - a sting is a sting.

Anyway enough morals for today, because this was mostly about a few novel ideas for your coworker’s going-away party.  So - personalised chocolates and balloons - goofy but simple and time-tested - they’re my ideas for you today.

How to use personalised chocolates to best effect at your wedding

There are as many different kinds of weddings as there are people.  Some view it as a strictly religious or legal ritual with no frills, others the opposite end of the spectrum using the wedding as an excuse to party long and hard whether with music, food, drink, dancing, holidaying or family get-togethers.  Wherever you fall between the two ends of the scale, no doubt you will want to enjoy your wedding and want to make it memorable.

It's a small gesture, but using something like personalised chocolates as part of your wedding can be a really inviting moment.  You could hand them out at the door as your guests come in, or put them in little bowls around the room.  Or, you could put one at each guest's place at the table or even in their chairs where they are going to sit during the ceremony - a cute yet official way to mark people's sitting places.  You could have them printed with a photo of both of you on the wrapping - those who wanted would be able to take it home as a memento - you'd want to get a good-quality service for this so that it had a good photo quality on the wrapping.  Or, you could print you names and maybe a favourite quote or simply part of the vows, for instance, "I do".

If you were thinking of a slightly more offbeat wedding what about putting funny photos of you and your spouse-to-be on the wrappers, or funny wedding quotes, faux vows, or even wedding jokes.  You could also put totally random things on the chocolates, or the date that you met (and a photo from that day), or a picture of the dog you got together a few months ago?!  So many ways you could use these small chocolates to insert some fun and irregularity into your wedding.

Have you seen the gorgeous full-photo wrapped personalised chocolate photo bars that some online stores sell?  Or the mini photo chocolates for weddings?  There are gorgeously elegant chocolates wrapped in silver paper and covered with finely textured off-white paper, and printed with the name of the guest.  There are beautifully boxed moulded chocolates in the shape of hearts, with you and your spouse-to-be’s names actually moulded into the chocolate.  There are also cards with specially wrapped chocolates stuck on the outside, slipped in the inside or mini gift boxes, all personalised to your own names and wedding theme.  You’ll have to check them all out for yourself, there are so many styles.

And while you’re on the subject, what about getting some chocolate roses to put into your bouquets?  Often, the Mother Of The Bride outfits the reception hall with decorations and flowers, so you my want to run the idea of chocolate roses by her before the big day. Wedding supplies with a personal touch are such a nice way to make your wedding more interesting and tailored to you and your spouse-to-be.