It has been a labor of love for the past four months, but the new Lifestyles Catering website is now up and running. Developing a new website was similar to getting a party catered. We started with a concept; what was the website going to look like, just as I would want to determine what a party is going to look like, will it be retro, slick, cool, comfortable? We wanted the web site to be sophisticated but yet warm, which was the instruction to our designer.

Then we needed to make sure the web site was easy to get around in. Just as a catering event designer does a site inspection to determine where the guests will enter, what layout will facilitate the flow of a successful event, we wanted the web site to be easy to navigate around. It had to be intuitive and clear where the information that a visitor would want to see is located. A well thought out layout for a catered party is the same. Each element of the set up should draw a guest in and then allow them to find the next buffet, bar or point of interest in the room. For example, in a wedding I always tell my clients that there are two focal points in the room, the Bride and the wedding cake. How many times have you gone to a wedding where you can't even see the cake because it was tucked away in some corner of the room? Just as with our web site, we want the visitor to be drawn in and compelled to explore the next page, or be able to scan the layout and find the information that they are looking for with a minimum of clicks.

Then the content, we have added pictures and more pictures, along with our menus and helpful hints for Brides to plan their wedding. Check out the wedding planning time line. I hope that you will find it a great tool to assist the bride with all of the details that need to be addressed when planning a wedding.

Along with putting information on the website, we have also made a commitment to update the information on a continuous basis. Through our blog postings, Facebook updates and other communications, we want to make the Lifestyles Catering web site a constant source of updated and new information.

So a big thank you to our web designer and producer, we hope that all of our visitors enjoy exploring our new web site.