Planning a big event can feel like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle. There are so many moving parts that even the most organized people end up missing some pretty important details! These forgotten items usually aren’t deal-breakers, but they can definitely make the day way more stressful than it needs to be. Here are six things that tend to slip through the cracks when someone is planning a big celebration.
The Bathroom Situation
Nobody wants to think about bathrooms when they’re dreaming up their perfect event, but this is huge. If the venue doesn’t have enough restrooms for the guest count, things get awkward fast. Lines form, people get cranky, and it just becomes a whole thing. For outdoor events, portable restrooms are a must, and yes, it’s worth spending extra on the nicer ones. Guests will remember if they had to wait 20 minutes or if the facilities were gross.
A Realistic Load-In and Setup Timeline
So many people book a venue and assume they can just show up an hour before and everything will magically come together. Nope. Decorators need time. Caterers need time. The band needs time to do a sound check. All of these people can’t be working in the same space at the same time. Smart planners block out way more setup time than they think they need and coordinate who’s doing what and when. Otherwise, it turns into chaos with vendors bumping into each other and nobody getting their work done properly.
Vendor Meals
The photographer, DJ, band members, and anyone else working the event for hours on end need to eat. It sounds obvious, but tons of people forget to include vendor meals in their catering count. These folks are working hard to make the event amazing, and expecting them to go six or eight hours without food is just not cool. Most caterers can provide simpler vendor meals at a lower cost than the full guest meals, so it doesn’t have to break the budget.
A Rain Plan (Even When the Forecast Looks Perfect)
Outdoor events are beautiful until Mother Nature decides to crash the party. Even if the forecast says sunny and clear, things can change fast. Having a solid backup plan means knowing exactly where everything and everyone will go if it starts pouring. Tents, covered areas, or an indoor space nearby can save the day. The key is making the decision before the event, not scrambling when the first drops start falling.
Where Guests Will Put Their Stuff
People show up to events with coats, purses, diaper bags, and gifts. If there’s nowhere to put all that stuff, it ends up on chairs, under tables, or in weird piles in corners. A coat check area or designated gift table seems like a tiny detail, but it makes a real difference in keeping the space looking nice and helping guests feel comfortable. Nobody wants to guard their jacket all night or wonder if their gift is going to get kicked across the floor.
The Day-Of Timeline for Themselves
Event planners often make detailed timelines for vendors but completely forget to plan their own schedule for the actual day. When should they start getting ready? When does hair and makeup need to happen? What time should they eat something so they’re not starving and shaky during the event? Building in buffer time for unexpected delays is just as important. The goal is to actually enjoy the event instead of running around stressed and behind schedule the whole time.
Planning a big event takes serious brainpower, and some things are naturally going to slip through the cracks. The good news is that most of these forgotten items are totally fixable once they’re on the radar. Thinking through these details ahead of time means less stress on the actual day and more time to enjoy all the hard work that went into making the event happen!
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