Concept to Reality: Planning tips

Planning can be tough.  Execution is even harder.  There are hundreds of details that go into a single event.
Here are some tips to stay focused and organized from start to finish:

Have a concept.
You may not necessarily want your event to have a theme -- perhaps you just want to decorate your space using a particular color palette.  Or maybe you want to make use of the 3000 red cocktail napkins that you kind of over-ordered 5 years ago for your sister's graduation party ("but they were so much cheaper if you bought more!")
Either way, it helps to have a starting point.  This will keep you focused during the planning process and will help keep you on track when the planning-chaos ensues.

Map out the big stuff
You have to hold your event somewhere, right?  Figure out where that somewhere is, right off the bat.  The venue is the biggest of the 'big stuff'.  Whether it's at your home, at a community center, a banquet hall or a park.  Make all of the necessary calls and put down a deposit ASAP if necessary.

Catering is a big deal -- it's kind of the meat and bones of any event.  Make sure that the food is on the top of your priority list before you start delving in to the smaller details.  Your center pieces can look phenomenal, but if your Guests have nothing good to eat, chances are they won't even notice the masterpieces staring them square in the face.  Secure the caterer immediately after booking your venue.  If you plan on preparing the food, write out a menu and list the key ingredients for each dish.  This will give you a snapshot of the variety in your offerings and ensure that your guests aren't eating dishes that are too similar in taste ("we're having cheese quesadillas, cheese pizza, baked parmesan crisps and nachos & cheese -- enjoy!")

Speaking of cheese...this applies particularly to weddings -- you'll want to find a photographer (and videographer, if you plan on having one) fairly early.  These guys and gals book up very fast, and so if there's a particular photographer who's style you really like, make sure you contact them right away to ensure they are available for the date of your event.  Be sure to have a Plan B and Plan C in case your #1 pick is already booked.

And now you have to decide on how to get the people to the party.  Invitations should be considered next -- figure out how much time you have until your event, and then make sure that you give your Guests a reasonable amount of notice.
Whether you're hiring an invitation vendor or you're going to try your hand at constructing them yourself -- make sure you include the key who what when where and why.... and RSVP info. 


Details, details, details...
So now that you have a concept and you've secured the space, the eats, the picture-taker and the invites,  it's time to hone in on the small stuff.

I find it helps to create a vision board at this point of the planning process.  Start pinning images of details that you want to incorporate into your event -- all keeping with your concept, of course

Sometimes, it helps to pick up a pencil and actually draw out your ideas on some paper (you remember what a pencil and paper are, right?)

Decor, desserts, entertainment.  All of these things can start to come together with the help of some visual inspiration.

Get 'er done
Create a list of all of the small things you have to complete.
Figure out how many of the details you can take care of yourself, and which ones will require you to hire someone.  Even though you were considered the iPod-playlist-queen in high school, doesn't mean that you should be manning the turntables at your event.  Hire a DJ and order lighting if necessary.
And maybe you won first place at the community bake-off and want to showcase your award-winning coffee cake recipe (you are quite the talented cookie, aren't you!) -- be sure to give yourself plenty of time to complete that project.
Don't pile too many things on your plate (no pun intended).  Be realistic and know your limits.   Complete one project at a time -- this is key. Nothing's worse than a billion projects that are each only a quarter of the way completed. It's very inefficient and will end up eating up more of your time in the end.
If you plan on winging it and trying a crafting project for the first time -- make sure you have a backup plan in case...well, you know... whatever you tried to make yourself, kinda sucks.

If you have ZERO desire to complete any of the tasks yourself, that's totally okay!  Just make sure that you follow up with your hired help.  Call everyone the week before your party, to confirm that they're all on the same page.
Don't ever put yourself in a position where you have to scramble.

Keep everything together
As you get closer to the big day, find a designated spot for all of your event items.  Keeping everything together will help you to be more organized -- you'll feel less overwhelmed when you know where everything is, and when you can see all of it.  If you have to transport these items to a venue, this will also give you an idea of how big of a vehicle you'll need, to do so.
Keep things clustered, if you can.  Keep decor items together, food-related items together, gift table items together, etc.  On the day of your event, you can tackle each section at a time. Efficiency at it's finest.

Watch it come to life
Whether you're pulling it all together yourself, or hiring a day-of coordinator -- watch as your concept becomes a reality.  Be sure to have your photographer take photos of all your hard work, because the weeks or months of hard work that you put in to planning this event, will literally be over in only a few hours.

Give thanks.
Depending on the nature of your event, you'll want to consider sending out thank you cards.  Whether it's a birthday party, a wedding, a shower or a charity event -- you want to thank your Guests for attending and for any gifts or contributions they may have made.  It's just a really nice thing to do :)


Planning a party or event can be extremely overwhelming.  Staying organized with lists and task calendars will help you tremendously.  If you're not a 'list' person, befriend someone that is.
And remember that if planning an event just isn't your thing, there are people that you can hire to help you turn your concept into reality (like Terlie Design Co.!)

FAQ: When do I send out the invitations?

You're engaged! Congratulations :)  You've booked your venue.  You've secured your caterer. Your dress is all picked out.  Once all of the "big things" are taken care of, you're left with having to plan the "little things"... the millions of little things.

So first thing's first -- you're going to want to invite people to your special day, right? Of course you are!  Well then let's talk about when you're going to want to get that process started, shall we?

He (or she) pops the question, she (or he) says yes!,  everyone does the happy dance, you buy a hundred magazines and then you PICK A DATE.  Maybe it's a year away, or perhaps it's 6 months away -- regardless, you are going to have to mail out invitations to your guests.  When you send them out, is going to rely on a few other details.  Here are some things to consider:

Destination Wedding: 9-12 months (no less than 6 months)
Leaving on a jet plane?
Destination weddings are becoming more and more common now-a-days.  The further away from home you're going to get married, the more notice you're going to need to give your guests.  As lovely as it would be for Jane to take a week off from work (not to mention, come up with hundreds of dollars for a plane ticket) with only a months notice -- chances are, it would probably be a little bit of a stretch and not so realistic for the average Joe Jane.  So be considerate of your guests -- give them plenty of time to plan.  After all, they WANT to be there to witness your nuptials on the white sandy beaches of Hawaii (who wouldn't?) -- they might just need a little bit of time to make it happen.  Give guests 9-12 months to plan and $ave up for the memorable occasion.  There's a good chance that you'll need that extra time for planning too, so send out your invitations nice and early and get to work!

"But the date we picked is LESS than a year away!"
If you've decided on a date for a destination wedding and it's less than a year away, be sure to send out save-the-dates as soon as possible.  This will buy you a little bit of time to sort out the details that you'll need to include on the actual invitation.  The save-the-dates can be simple and informal -- The Bride and Groom. The date. The place.  And a note saying that a formal invitation will be on it's way shortly. That's it.
Now your guests have the heads up, and can begin planning ... or building up the courage to tell you that they can't make it.

Local Wedding: 2-4 months (no less than 1 month)
The majority of your guests live close-by.  Thank the stars! This means that your close network of friends and family already know you're getting married, and have likely heard through the grapevine when and where it's going to be.  And well, for the guests who aren't as keen to gossip, you can send them an invitation 2-4 months prior to the wedding, to get them up to speed.
The reality is that weddings that are close to home, still require up to a year's worth of pre-planning for YOU, but not as much planning for your guests.  Your goal is to give them a head's up, before they make plans to go on an impromptu fishing trip with the boys, or squeeze in an appointment to see their podiatrist for their nagging bunion.  Or maybe they've already been invited to an event on the same day -- 3 months gives them enough time to figure out how they're going to magically morph themselves into 2 different bodies, to be able to attend both celebrations.

Forgetful Jones
If you send your invitations out TOO early, your guests may receive it and think "meh, it's still 7 months away". They'll throw it into a pile of mail -- only to lose it among numerous utility bills and take-out menus.  Before they know it, your wedding is 2 weeks away and you're calling them because you haven't received their RSVP.  Sure enough, they realize that they've agreed to host a play-date for their daughter and six of the neighbourhood kidlets, at the very hour that you'll be walking down the aisle.  Give guests time, but not too much time that they'll forget about your big day.

The early bird doesn't always get the worm
Another downfall to sending invitations out too early, is that the details of your event can unexpectedly change.  What does that mean?? 
Here are a couple examples: Venues may accidentally double book and need to shuffle events around, Churches may need to adjust their ceremony times, Restaurants may suddenly close down (yes, this happened to TWO of my clients), Hotels might have to cancel your guests' accommodations because they may unexpectedly have to house victims of spring flooding (yes, this also happened to my clients).  
Although you will never have full control of what plans the Universe has for you, you want to make sure that you have the majority of your details solidified before you send out the invites. Avoid having to send out TWO sets of invitations -- don't send them out too early!

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There isn't a pure science to when you should send your invitations out to your guests.  It really comes down to when you're comfortable.
However, I always tell my clients that it's never too early to get the design process going -- so meet with your designer as early as possible to shoot around some ideas. As you get closer to the date of the wedding, you can start zeroing in on the details and work on getting the design just right for the look and feel of your special day.  Don't forget to allow for production time as well -- handcrafted invitations will take longer to produce than digitally designed invitations.  Make sure you chat with your invitation designer and lay out a realistic time line at your initial consultation!