When it comes to planning any event, the broad strokes are the easiest and often the most fun to plan. When envisioning the day of the event, it’s easy to see the location, the lively atmosphere, the food, hear the music, and imagine the joyful expressions of your guests. Yet, as the old saying goes, ‘the devil is in the details.’ It’s the finer strokes that can cause havoc in the end.
Last year, I planned two events for my friends and family; each was held in a commercial location. I had the other broad stokes of planning-food, theme, decor, tables, chairs, place settings, entertainment and/or music, secured well in advance. Although each was a success, I realized that being a planner and hostess is hard work! There are too many details for an admittedly-novice party planner to consider like running out of napkins, ordering too much dessert, not ordering enough of a dish, not having enough serving dishes/ utensils for food, having too few sternos to keep food warm, and aluminum foil, and, and, and! My major take away — you can never have enough napkins, aluminum foil, trash bags, and food storage containers!
These experiences only deepened my appreciation for the wedding planners I work with. I will plan other events for friends and family in the future and will have many opportunities to perfect my personal party planning skills. However, when it comes to planning a wedding, no matter the size or budget, the margin for error is much slimmer as there is more at stake. Make every effort to get it right the first time and hire a planner to attend to some or all of the finer strokes and details of the wedding planning process; a seasoned planner can do this with their eyes closed. If a planner is not in the budget, consult with a wedding planner for guidance while you do all the legwork — the value of this service will far out weigh the fee. Happy Planning!
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Quiana L. Adams, Managing Editor
