This is the fifth part of our six-part series on wedding receptions. Previously, we have discussed how to find vendors, deal with vendors, and have discussed some various options available to you. In this installment, I am going to focus on finalizing details and plans. We will discuss how to get everything done when it needs to be done; thereby, eliminating stress on you.
DOWN TO THE DETAILS
Planning Deadlines: One of the first things you should do is create a list of planning deadlines. This list will include deadlines from all your vendors: photography, banquet hall, caterer, entertainment, videography, cake, etc. Anytime someone tells you a date that something must be accomplished by, add it to the list. If a vendor has not given you any deadlines, then call and ask them if there are any deadlines that you should know about. Our entertainment company has a list of a little under 10 deadlines in order to properly plan everything. Sort the list by deadline date and print it on very bright paper. This is a very important document that you should refer to often and not lose.
The Plan of Attack: Once you have your list of deadlines, your work is not done yet. The list will not magically help you meet these deadlines. It is simply meant as a reminder and a general overview of what must be done. If the only plan you have is the list, then you may feel extremely overwhelmed. You now need to create a plan on how you will meet these deadlines.
Break it Down: An essential part of meeting deadlines is to break the large task into many smaller ones. Figure out what steps you must take to meet the deadline. Make deadlines for the smaller tasks. More importantly, put time into your schedule to complete those smaller tasks. Breaking down the deadline tasks into smaller ones is vitally important with the amount of planning you must do. Your small tasks should be able to be completed within 15 minutes. This way when you have 15 minutes to spare you can complete a small task without having to really worry about the big pictures. So much time can be wasted when you just sit around worrying about the big picture, instead you could be using this time to work on the smaller pieces of the big picture.
Take Action: Don't just sit around looking at what must be done. You must take action whenever time is available to get things done. Smaller tasks do not take as long to complete and will make you more productive. Once you have your plan you must act on it. I cannot stress this enough in wedding planning. There are a considerable amount of details and if you put them all off you are heading for disaster. Complete everything early and plan on having time to spare close to the event. The reason I say this is that details inevitably change closer to your event. If you have completed everything earlier, then you will have time to dedicate to these inevitable changes.
As always, if you have any questions on your particular event please feel free to email me here or call my toll free office number at 877-504-0186. I will do my best to answer any questions and help you in any way possible. All events deserve to be the best they can be.
