When you want to hold a big event, you normally enlist the help of a professional event planner. It’s stressful to handle everything yourself, after all, especially if it’s a wedding. But with DIY hacks becoming more popular, are event planners still necessary?
Of course, they are. However, the pandemic has made their services limited. People and companies are quick to adapt, though. Instead of holding in-person events, they switched to virtual ones. It prompted the birth of virtual-event planning companies and helped exist event organizers find a new market.
But if you’re now ready for a bigger in-person event, and you’re still worried about interacting with someone from outside your office or household, can you DIY your event planning?
What Event Planners Do that Make DIY Impractical
A DIY event planning, while possible, is often impractical. Planning an event takes time, money, and energy. If you have a full-time job, you’d barely have enough of those three, except perhaps money. But no money in the world can extend days. Even if you have the energy and funds to plan a major event, you’d be short on time if you can’t dedicate 80% to 100% of your schedule to planning.
Event planners ensure that your event will proceed as you want it, even if you don’t have time to handle its logistics. You can spend an entire day finishing a project for work, and your event planning will still progress. Of course, you still need to check in with your event planner to fulfill your requests. But that task won’t even last two minutes if everything goes well.
And, contrary to popular belief, hiring an event planner is more cost-efficient than the DIY method. Event planners don’t charge high so that they can give their clients a luxurious event. Rather, they help their clients stick to their budget. They make that possible because they have access to discounts that most people aren’t entitled to.
For example, if you need a venue for your intimate wedding, an event planner will recommend places that meet your budget requirements. They’ll also let you know if your ideas will cost more than your budget, then help you think of cheaper alternatives.
On the other hand, DIY-ing an event often ends up costing more because event suppliers won’t give you discounted rates. It’s also prone to mistakes, which would also cost money to correct. But DIY-ing an event isn’t discouraged outright. You have to know how to cut down your expenses and minimize your errors.
DIY Event Hacks and Ideas
Now that you know it’s possible to DIY an event and be practical, take note of these hacks and ideas to ensure that you’d nail it:
1. Plan Your Budget First
Whatever the event you’re planning, your budget is the most important. Outline everything your event will need, from the guest list to equipment. Allot a budget for every necessity, but be realistic; for example, if you want to hire a good photographer, but are only willing to pay a meager amount, either stretch your budget or lower your expectations. You won’t likely get professional-quality photos if your budget only fits an amateur.
2. Create a Timeline
One of the most stressful aspects of event planning is keeping track of every progress. But with a timeline, you can monitor the movement of things with less hassle. For example, in week one, aim to secure a supplier for tables and chairs, a caterer, and A/V equipment. Jot that down on a notebook or your phone, checklist-style. That way, you won’t lose track of the goals you’ve already completed, and you can address whatever’s running late.
3. Have a Plan B
Even professional event planners encounter challenges. But you won’t notice that because they always have a Plan B. So prepare alternatives for something that go wrong too. For example, if the musicians you hired got stuck in traffic, one of your guests should be ready to fill in for their tardiness.
4. Practice Your Crafting Skills
Venue styling is one part of event planning that you can easily DIY, as long as you have decent crafting skills. You can make flowers from tissue paper, create an Instagram-able wall art through confetti, or spruce up the buffet table with your cute pastry art.
Be resourceful with your decor, preferably choosing reusable or recycled materials to save money. If you’re holding the event in your own backyard, you may not even need to spend a dime anymore because your garden can act as natural decorations. Just enhance the effect through outdoor lighting and maybe some candles.
Note, however, that doing all this for your DIY event won’t make you invincible to challenges. There would always be at least one supplier who’d give you a hard time. But if you hone your negotiation skills, you can overcome any obstacle they throw your way, and you can stay within your budget.
