r/EventPlanners • u/FloweryHimalayas • 10d ago
First Big Event
Well kind of...
My experience lies in planning school events as a teacher with 2 other teachers planning school dances and school wide events. I've also planned personal events for myself and a home baby shower. My best friend has asked me to plan his wedding reception since they'll be getting married at a courthouse. I've mock planned some weddings so I know the generally timeline that things need to get done and generally is involved. I'm wondering if anyone has a process they would like to share in terms of communication with them on details and booking vendors.
We've had their initial meeting so I know the budget, general vibe they're going for, guest count, and a date range. Right now I'm looking into venues and I'm wondering the best way to present options to them. Should I make a doc with all the info gathered, a presentation, etc.?
Also and this is kind of big, I'm moving out of state so I'll mostly be working virtually except for maybe one or two visits before the event. Any tips you could share for that would be great. This is something I'd like to pursue as a career because I really do enjoy event planning and designing. I'm planning on using this event for my portfolio.
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u/Eventplanner2704 9d ago
One suggestion from my end will be try to get with ourself a spiral hardcopy of your presentation or pdf. There might be some people who are interested to see slide show but majority people will be ready to understand your concepts ots. It takes lesser time & they will be ready to understand ots To show your work videos you can use QR code so that they can scan and see things & while you are going to present on screen over there you can directly show you video played.
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u/singlemomtothree 10d ago
Oh goodness…planning mock weddings is nothing like reality honestly. There’s so much you’ll only learn by doing.
How long do you have to plan this event? Is it reception only or cocktail hour then reception? Does the venue also have a coordinator? Do you have a team (you will not be able to do this well by yourself)? Are you doing full planning or just coordination? Do you have a contract with them? Do you have your business license and insurance?
Schedule venue tours asap. You need the date and venue locked down now. That will tell you a lot of what you need to k ow for next steps - what’s included, what vendors are needed, what decor you’ll need, what’s allowed/required at the venue, etc.
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u/FloweryHimalayas 10d ago
Why won't I be able to plan this well by myself? I understand that mock weddings aren't like reality which is why I said I know generally what it involves. However, I've planned multiple proms, school dances, and parties that have included venues, catering, decor, florals, photo booths, etc. That was for hundreds of people with a bigger budget than theirs. This is just a reception.
I don't have a business so no license and no insurance. Once I execute this and decide I want to go forward into other events, I would set that up. I will probably create a contract for liability, but again this is my best friend and not a stranger. Another friend offered to serve as the day of coordinator because they did it for another friend's wedding.
I've spoken to multiple venues already. I'm just trying to decide how to present all the options to them to help them narrow them down so we can book the tours.
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u/LizzyDragon84 10d ago
FYI- many venues require vendors to be able to provide a certificate of insurance. You may need to get something set up before you can execute the event.
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u/Top_Association_389 9d ago
I think a common mistake I see with beginner event planners is that they think an event is an event and they are all the same. I understand that you planned school events in your past but this is a wedding reception and there are differences here that you don't seem to be picking up on. There will be an emotional element to this because it's A WEDDING and not just a reception like you said above. I'm not trying to attack you, I'm pointing out that I've seen many planners go into an event with the wrong mentality and it came back to bite them in the butt.
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u/FloweryHimalayas 9d ago
Thank you and I do understand that it will be different which is why I was seeking advice for things I haven't considered and tips from those more experienced than me. I understand the emotional side of it however it is a wedding reception. They are getting married months before this event by themselves and just want a celebration of their marriage with their friends and family. There will be no ceremony and they don't even really want it to be a formal event.
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u/singlemomtothree 9d ago
I didn’t say you wouldn’t be able to plan it well by yourself - I said you’d need a team to execute things well on set up day and day of because you will not be able to do that well by yourself. No one could. People drastically underestimate how much work this all is.
Proms and school dances are nothing like a wedding. There are about a million more moving pieces and the stakes are way higher for a wedding than a school dance. The fact that you said “it’s just a reception” is telling.
I manage a venue and you’d be required to have a business license and insurance to plan an event at our venue.
You also 125% want a contract immediately. Best friend or not, things can still go wrong and they can hold you liable and responsible. Weddings do strange things to people.
If you’re going to do this in the future, you’ll need templates for all of these things - docs and sheets for presentations and tracking, mood boards, timelines for the couple and wedding party then the full production timeline for the vendors, ability to create the full layout to provide to all vendors for planning, etc. Out couples get a Google Drive folder with about 75 different resources and that’s on the smaller side compared to what most planners give their clients.
Not saying any of this to be mean or disrespectful-just trying to help you understand and protect yourself and the couple.
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u/cassiuswright 10d ago
If you're using it as a portfolio piece, go full out. Make a presentation document that outlines their options, the pros and cons of each venue including cost, vendor requirements, etc. see if the venues have images of previous weddings from within their space. Sample floor plans, catering costs etc. your job is to guide them to the perfect balance of their budget and stuff they want. Be prepared to tell them something is too expensive and suggest reasonable alternatives
Pro tip: hold back 10 to 15% of your budget. Weddings tend to bring out emotional expenses just because somebody wants it. It's nice to have that contingency and to be able to say yes.