Event Planning DC

Wedding planning can be very stressful for a bride and groom under normal circumstances, let alone during a worldwide viral pandemic. Unique obstacles have continued to arise for couples planning their 2020 and 2021 weddings with many unanswered questions about what the future will hold short and long term. Hiring a professional event planner can help ease many of your frustrations, and together, they can help you create your dream wedding through these dark times to include a happy ending. First, take a deep breath and follow a few expert advice tips to navigate through this complicated experience. Postponing or Canceling? With advisements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they continue to urge individuals to practice social distancing and limit groups of people to no more than ten and have enforced travel restrictions for months. If you have an event scheduled for this spring or early summer, it will most definitely need to reschedule for a future ...

Being an event planner may seem like a fun, carefree job that gets to throw parties all the time, right? It can be quite the opposite; although it's gratifying to help make people's dreams come true, event planning can be one of the most stressful careers. Not every individual is cut out for the position and it's important to find a quality event planner to coordinate the successful outcome that you are looking for. These specific skills and characteristics are essential when hiring a qualified planner: Organization Great event planners are highly organized people who ensure that your special occasion runs smoothly and flawlessly. The profession requires a keen eye for detail and sharp, intuitive pre-planning. It's the job of the planner to keep a client within timelines and budgets and oversee all aspects from start to finish. They also have a great memory and are able to recall minute details. Keeping track of various vendors and contracts can be overwhelming and ...

The event industry is constantly changing and continues to grow in popularity as people's lives are on overdrive. They can't take the extra time to plan an upcoming event, or they don't need the added stress. Often, in this line of work, there are several terms used that are misunderstood or defined loosely. Certain words or even job titles can mean different things to different people. An easy example of this is the word "event" in which some people will interpret it to be a birthday party, business conference, wedding, sporting game , and the list goes on. These varying descriptions can be confusing in the event industry and so can job titles, such as "event planner" verse "event coordinator." What is it precisely that separates these two careers? Choosing an Event Planner No matter the type of event you are in the process of planning, whether it is a social or corporate gathering, an event planner is not a "party planner....

For any company, throwing a large event can be a very unpredictable experience. It’s hard to gauge exactly how everything will shake out even if you’re the most meticulous planner in the business. Unexpected issues can arise from any area, from troublesome guests to shoddy technology. While a great number of unforeseen issues cannot be avoided or predicted, there are elements of a great event that can be. Choosing to hold your event outside or in an event center can be a big choice that leads to your event being a big success or it can ruin the entire day or evening. There are a few elements to consider when making such a choice. Visual Interest/Location Location is a very obvious but very crucial element to holding an event outside. While you can decorate an event to an extent inside, business hotel conference halls and event centers can all look only so visually appealing but may be more than adequate for corporate events . Holding your event outside in a beautiful area o...

With the holiday season fast approaching, your calendars are sure to start filling up fun festivities. Now is the perfect time to begin planning a company holiday party for your workplace as well. Begin planning early enough to stay organized and make this a party that will create an experience that will boost company morale but also increase employee satisfaction. Start with the Basics It may seem overwhelming planning a party, especially when it’s a company holiday one. For this reason, many people will decide to hire a professional event planner to help in this task but depending on the size of the party, it is still something that can be done individually or as a team with a few helping tips. The first step is setting your budget for the party so that you will not over plan and realize what has been chosen will not work with your funds. Next, gather a list of the basic information you will need such as how many people are coming. Is this even going to include all employees or...

There is no doubt that planning an event no matter how large or small will bring a certain amount of stress along with it which can cause you to sometimes forget to prepare for certain aspects of the party. Hiring a professional event planner can alleviate many of your stressful obstacles and being a good reminder for things during the planning process but no matter which route you choose, throwing a party solo or having the help from an event consultant, things will be forgotten or missing guaranteed. To prevent these occurrences from taking place it is best to have an organized event checklist that can be synced or shared with a team that is involved in the event. Food for Thought When choosing food options for your event, there are more considerations to make than just selecting an appetizer, entrée, or dessert.  It may come to a surprise that many of your guests are vegan or have another type of food substitution for guests with allergies and knowing this information ...

Planning an event is hard. An obvious statement but planning an event has so many factors of which to keep track that it can not only be stressful on the planner, but stressful on those who attend should anything go wrong. Event planning is a serious juggling act, but there are tools to help any planner manage all the elements that go into kicking off an event that nobody will forget. One of the most popular and convenient tools is actual event planning software itself. Whether you are planning a personal event or something in the corporate space , there exists planning software for all occasions. But the question is, what do you need to look for in event planning software? Can I Plan an Event From Scratch? If you’re about to start planning a meeting from scratch, you’ll have to understand exactly what steps to take in planning the event with which you may need software aid. Long before the event is kicked off you should have a website made for the event that also include...

Celebrating any occasion with friends, family, and business coworkers is always an important part of our lives to take a moment and appreciate the changes that life continues to have for us all. Attending these types of parties always is something to look forward to however hosting or throwing the party can be a completely different story. Often during wedding planning, a bride and groom can get very stressed and overwhelmed with all the planning for instance. Weeding through the hundreds of vendor options and spending endless hours trying to be sure that you are getting the best value for every dollar spent since we all know that large events can be very expensive. Choosing to hire a wedding coordinator is a perfect solution when Management Skills With a job title of Event Coordinator , one would expect the individual to be a professional in leadership tasks. One of the main requirements given to an event coordinator is to lead a team of vendors or team of individuals in t...

Summer is always a season that people are looking forward to. It’s one of the best times of the year to enjoy the outdoors. Many brides and grooms love the sound of having a summer wedding.  With all of the positive aspects to a summer wedding, every season comes with its fair share of things to consider. Hiring a wedding coordinator to help overcome these obstacles can save you a lot of stress. Learn a few important do’s and don’ts when planning your summer wedding below. Protection from The Sun The warmth of the sun does feel great but too much of a good thing will make any event a disaster. Give your guests opportunities to escape the heat.  This will make your wedding more enjoyable. When choosing an outdoor location, locate shade options as well as an available air-conditioned space if it is needed. If you cannot escape the sun at times during the wedding, be sure to supply guests with sunscreen.  Sunburn and overheating can become very serious and no ...

Its wedding season and you know what that means, our confusion about what proper attire is for the vastly different events.  The wedding coordinators at Event Planning DC are here to help with this easy guide on wedding attire. When the Invitation Says: White-Tie Wedding Dress Code This is attire for the most formal event you can think of.  Attire you would wear to attend a White House reception dinner .  Ladies should wear a formal, floor length gown with conservative jewelry, high heels, and an elegant clutch.  There are no exceptions to this.  Men should choose a tuxedo with tails.  A formal white shirt should be worn with a simple colored vest and bow tie, think white, gray, or black.  Formal footwear should be worn as well like derby shoes or oxford styles. When the Invitation Says: Black-Tie Wedding Dress Code A step down from formal, but still incredibly dressy, black tie weddings most often occur in the evening.  There are...

Let’s face it, there isn’t a perfect time of year to get married.  Each of the four seasons offers a laundry list of positives and negatives.  Today our wedding consultants dive into considerations that couples getting married in the spring face.  Spring Weather The weather throughout the spring is highly unpredictable.  Many parts of the country have beautiful seventy-degree days throughout the season while others have large temperature variations from one day to the next.  One thing that can be said for springtime weddings is that you usually don’t have to take precautions against a heatwave.  If you are having a spring wedding you may experience gray skies or a little rain, possibly even a little snow but you for sure don’t need to worry about your guests dehydrating in the heat and humidity found during a summer wedding.  Holidays When planning a spring wedding it is important to consider the different holidays that fall througho...

Spring is a perfect time to get married!  The start of warmer weather and the beautiful blossoms blooming which is exactly why over 20% of brides and grooms choose to get married during the spring.   There are a few things that need consideration when planning a spring wedding such as planning around spring break when hotels can be hard to come by.  Here is how you can pull off the perfect spring wedding, remember our wedding consultant s are always here to help! Wilt Proof Wedding Flowers for Spring and Summer Weddings Spring is when everything is in bloom.  There are a huge selection of flowers and greenery in bloom.  Brides have access to colorful peonies, sweet peas, lily of the valley, daffodils, hyacinths, lilacs, and tulips.  Not only are there a number of different flowers to choose from, Mother Nature offers a perfect backdrop of spring colors from cherry blossoms, wheat grass, dogwood, moss, and herbs. When you stick to flowers ...

There are so many decisions a bride and groom need to make; one of the most important decisions being whether to hire a wedding planner or to go it alone.  We hear so many brides that have decided to forgo hiring a wedding planner regretting their decision in the end.  They go through all the reason why they didn’t think they needed to hire a professional and realize in the end most of those were the same reasons why they should have.  The Most Common Reasons Brides Decide Not to Hire A Wedding Planner We will bond over finding vendors and going to vendor appointments We will make better more informed decisions doing the work ourselves We can save money We won’t be forced into using the planners go to suppliers We won’t have to run our consideration by anyone else The Most Common Reasons Brides Wish They Would Have Hired A Wedding Planner Planning a wedding and the mundane tasks involved throughout the process are not always fun.  There are aspect...

Yay, you just got engaged and get to marry your best friend for life!  Once the love of your life has finally popped the question, the ring is securely in place on hand, your tears have passed, and you have announced to the world you are getting married it is time to get started on the hard part, planning a wedding . At this point if you are breathing at a quicker pace don’t worry, we will get you breathing normally in just a few minutes.  Anxiety is just one of the many feeling’s brides will experience when planning a wedding.  One thing that can help with this overwhelming feeling, is to of course hire help from a wedding consultant/planner to help but we will get to that in a little bit. Here Are Some of The First Steps to Take Once You Have Taken the Plunge and Gotten Engaged Take Some Time to Just Be Together Our world is so full of ways to connect to the outside world that sometimes we forget to take time to just live within the moment.  Our f...

When it comes to planning a wedding the spectrum of brides ranges from those who have absolutely no idea what they are doing to those who believe that after they have planned their own wedding, they should quit their jobs and plan weddings full-time.  It is pretty obvious that brides who have no idea where to start would hire a wedding planner to help them through the planning and execution of their big day however, for brides that feel like they have it under control or where money is tight the answer might not be as clear cut.  Should you hire a wedding planner? YES! All brides, no matter if they have a clue or not can benefit from the experience, industry connections, and extra hands that a wedding planner offers to their big day.  A wedding planner not only saves brides and grooms time but also money.  Choosing to hire a wedding planner is wise.  In actuality, the money spent on a wedding planner is often recouped by brides and groom in ...

Planning a wedding takes a great deal of time.  Many brides don’t have enough hours in the day to make this happen the way they want without the help of a professional.  There are several different professionals that play a role in making your big day come to a reality.  Some confusion comes from who they need to hire vs who is unnecessary.  This will basically come down to how much time and effort you, the bride, wants to put into planning your wedding.  Below we will look into the difference between wedding coordinators , wedding planners, and wedding designers.  These are the three key professionals that are hired to make your wedding dreams come to life.  Here we will find out exactly what role each plays in making your big day go off without a hitch.  Wedding Planners Wedding planners are logistic professionals.  From managing vendors, negotiating contracts, and day of execution wedding planners take any guess work out of the d...

The simple answer to this question, YES!  If you want to keep your sanity when planning your wedding the first person you will want to hire is a professional wedding planner .  Preparing for a wedding can turn into a full-time job.  If you are a working bride, like many are, this is a huge time commitment that many people can’t take on without serious assistance.  Every element of planning a wedding from interviewing and hiring vendors, choosing décor, and managing family is important and often overwhelming.  A professional wedding planner can help weed through your options and help make the whole process far more enjoyable than struggling to do it all on your own. Advantages of Hiring A Wedding Planner Wedding Planners Shoulder the Responsibility Tasks related to planning a wedding take up a great deal of time.  When you are working full-time and want to still have a social life, you may find that you just don’t have the time it takes t...

If you haven’t started planning for your company’s holiday party, it’s time to start!  Our experts are on the job to assist in planning a bash that your crew will actually be excited to come to.  Corporate events don’t need to live up to their stale reputation, it is 2018 and having a good time with your co-workers is trending!  Here are some tips to create a corporate event that stands out to your employees for years to come. Choose a Theme Nothing turns a frown upside down faster than a party with a theme !  Even your typical drinks and dinner event goes from ho-hum to something better when a theme is stuck to it.  Think about it, you will be talking about how Donna from HR won the ugly sweater contest with her hideous, super flash, glitter, punk sweater for holiday parties to come.  Here are some other ideas: Create a wonderland with fake snow, twinkling lights, and all white décor Have members of your staff vote on a decade and dress like they a...

Every couple wants the wedding of their dreams without the expense of their relationship.  Here are common but avoidable fights couples often experiencing when planning a wedding and how they can be handled. Different Sized Guest Lists and Unequal Family Contributions There are a number of solutions to help avoid the issue of uncontrolled guest lists and unequal family contributions.  This like many other times finances and family will be involved must be met as you would any business situation.  One approach is to set boundaries immediately with the number of guests each family can invite and how much they will be required to contribute to cover the cost. Another approach, especially if the bride and groom are paying for the wedding together is to break it down, “This is the cost of your guest list, this is the cost of my guest list.  It seems as if there is an imbalance, can you address this with your family to see if they are willing to chip in and if they ar...

No matter how prepared a bride and groom are there will always be circumstances outside of their control when it comes to planning for the big day.  To prepare yourself we have come up with a list of issues our brides and grooms have run into and how to handle them if (when) you run into them while planning your wedding . Awkwardness in the Workplace: In wedding planning there will always be people that think that they should have been invited to your special day. A lot of brides and grooms struggle with invitations for their boss and coworkers.  As a couple you are under absolutely no obligation to invite anyone to your wedding.  The best way to avoid awkwardness is to address the issue head on letting people know that it is nothing personal but that your wedding invitations are being limited only to family and close family friends.  This will help people understand why they have not received an invitation.  If you are not going to be inviting people from...