Planning From a Distance, Part II

Some tips for planning from a distance:

• Take as many pictures as possible of your venue. Each time I visited I took more and each time I wish I would’ve had a picture of something else that I missed.
• Also take as many pictures as you can and heavy notes about your final choices. Many times I couldn’t remember what color exactly I had chosen for linens, or what time something should start. This one is especially true if you do not have an event planner.
• Be sure you have at least one person with their feet on the ground in your event city. This could be a parent who is close enough to visit, the event coordinator at your venue, a friend… You need someone who can help you with any things you need done and done quickly.
• Create a checklist of any items that you are transporting.  Be sure that all of the boxes make it to their intended destination by having your DOC, planner, or you/friends check off each box when arriving at your venue.
• Take lots of pictures of things as you complete them!  You’ll want to use that to show your vendors what goes where.
• If you’re DIYing or bringing a lot of outside items, write detailed instructions (what it is, which vendor to give it to, where it goes) and place with each project.
• Make sure that you choose vendors who will take you seriously regardless of your timeline. When you’re planning from a distance, you have much less time on-site to decide therefore planning far in advance is crucial. Which leads me to…
• My last and most important advice. Give yourself as much time as possible and do not waver from your initial vision. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money to make trips to your site, so like me, you probably will not be there frequently. I needed every last moment of the 17 months I had to plan the event and easily could have taken 6 more.

I know a lot of you have been through this - please share your best advice!

E.