Lessons in event planning: Vision vs. Reality

I’m at the age where the majority of my friends are married or engaged. I’ve had my share of wedding planning over the last few years and no matter how different the brides…the story is always the same. They want a dream wedding that is then ruined by parents, relatives or an aggressive bridesmaid.

The key here is their vision versus the reality. Dream weddings are built up in the female mind from the first time we see Disney‘s ‘Cinderella’, but rarely do these dream scenarios take into account the many stakeholders, investors and audience members.

Oh yes, you read it right. I just boiled down the holy institution of marriage to a PR strategy.

Vision versus reality is incredibly important when planning an event – no matter if it’s a wedding, corporate conference or art opening. You must always under-promise and over-deliver.

Easiest way to accomplish this is to always work under the assumption you have no budget. You’ll be hard pressed to find a client that is willing to shell out what is necessary to have an awe-inspiring event. Instead, see what you can create on little to no money. If you can still plan for a decent event under those circumstances, then everything on top of that is gravy.

Always, ALWAYS, take into account every stakeholder. Your client may be spending the money, but the attendees are the ones whom will either hail or denounce your event to the public. Don’t forget the vendors either. The easier you are to work with when it comes to catering or decor, the more likely you are to get that discount you need to stay under budget.

Most importantly, be up front with your client. There is a reason marriages are staked in year-long engagements and lots of dates – a couple is trying to rectify a vision and the reality. You can avoid a rocky relationship and nasty split by being honest. If you know you can’t secure the venue or bring in the class of vendor, turn down the job. You’ll get there in time if you can make amazing things happen for the smaller fish.

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• What’s your wedding vision? (bayareabrideguide.com)
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