The Courage to Walk Through the Door
The Courage to Walk Through the Door Attending Your First Kink Event Recently, someone considering attending one of our cocktail soirées sent us a message. It would be their first time at one of our events, and they wanted to know if there was anything they should be aware of beyond what was in the […]
Behind The Curtain Part 7: After The Guest Leave
The evening officially ends around 10:30 p.m. The guests have gone home. The photographs have been taken. The hugs have been exchanged. The memories have been made. Knight of Xanadu heads off to get the car while a few attendees follow us back to the house to collect the clothes and belongings they had changed […]
Behind The Curtain Part 6: The Day Of The Event
Act I: Arrival and Set-up The day before the event has finally arrived. I have spent most of the week printing workbooks. Each workbook is about 45 pages long, so I know I’ve printed well over 500 pages this week between the workbooks, individual menu cards for each place setting, place cards, detailed schedules […]
Behind The Curtain Part 5: Menu Planning and Service Design
One of the questions we are often asked is, “How do you decide on the menu?” The answer depends entirely on the type of event. For a Royal Afternoon Tea, the menu is fairly standardized, although it can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. Our most recent Afternoon Tea featured cucumber and […]
Behind the Curtain Part 4: Building the Program
I am writing this series while living it. As I sit here writing, it is 5:00 in the morning, and we are only a few days away from A Starry Night in Paris. Earlier this evening, I received a cancellation from someone in the community whom I admire. I had been looking forward to sharing this experience […]
Behind the Curtain Part 3: Designing The Guest Experience
Part 3: Designing The Guest Experience Designing the guest experience begins the moment I choose a theme. Every decision that follows, from the invitations to the final candle on the table, flows from that initial choice. Almost every event we host has a theme. Sometimes the theme is elaborate, like A Starry Night in Paris or […]
Behind the Curtain Part 2: Budgeting and Feasibility
Part 2: Budgeting and Feasibility Budgeting is one of those words I have never particularly enjoyed. As you will see from this summer’s event, I did not do a very good job of it either. The moment I realized how far over budget I was, my stomach dropped. I had already committed to the venue. […]
Behind the Curtain Part 1: Choosing the Experience
Part 1: Choosing the Experience As I write this series, I’m in the middle of preparing for our latest High Protocol event, A Starry Night in Paris. With seating charts, menus, workbooks, and timelines spread across my desk, it seemed like the perfect time to pull back the curtain and share what really goes into […]
Behind the Curtain: A 7-Part Series
Have you ever attended a High Protocol event and wondered what happens behind the scenes long before the first guest arrives? What makes this series unique is that very few people in the kink or High Protocol community talk about the event production side of things. There are countless articles about protocol itself, but very […]
Dessert Flatware: On the Table or Off the Table?
One of the questions we hear quite often during formal dining and High Protocol trainings is whether dessert flatware should already be on the table or brought out later with the dessert course itself. Many people assume there is one strict “correct” answer, but in reality, both methods are proper etiquette. The choice usually depends […]