Where to start planning your event

Are you embarking on the process of planning an event?  Perhaps it's as the committee chair for your charity's fundraiser, or you just got engaged on Valentine's Day and you're about to start planning?  Maybe you are going to plan your family's family reunion this summer?  Whatever it is, if you are staring this beast in the face and are starting to feel overwhelmed, your muse is here to help.  Here are the first two things you need to do get you moving....

First, sit down.  Take a deep breath and and think about this event, what you want it to be.  How do you want it to feel?  What colors inspire that feeling for you?  What is the message you would like to convey to your guests?  Write all of that down and use it for the basis of your theme.  Your theme could be a color scheme (your family crest colors for the family reunion), a seasonal theme (winter wonderland for a winter wedding), a place (your parent's favorite vacation for their wedding anniversary), whatever you like.  When you've finished brainstorming, you'll have a theme, some colors, an idea of what you want, stick to that.  Make sure that everything you do from now on serves the purpose of inspiring that feeling and that message to your guests.

Next, make a budget.  I'm sure you've been on the theknot or some other very useful website, but that generic one-size fits all budget is not necessarily for YOU.  While they may say that 50% of your budget should be spent on food and location, and 10% on your dress, it's not as cut and dry as that...   If you are the type of woman who uses her dining room as her walk-in closet and you are just dying for that silk organza Vera Wang gown that's $11,000, but you're only having 75 guests to a cocktail reception at your favorite little neighborhood restaurant; it's your wedding, make it fit you.  Spend more on the parts of the wedding that mean more to you and less on the parts that don't matter as much.  Whatever you do, though, decide that now and make a budget and stick to it.  If you decide to spend more on the cake than you budgeted for, take something out someplace else.  

Once you have a theme and a budget, the rest will fall into place.  If you are still feeling stymied, a good event planner will help you through all of this.  I have forms and questionnaires I use to help decide on the right budget and help the client decide on a theme.  Many clients want to plan their event themselves, and just need help getting started.  There is a service for that, too.  Just ask for a consultation.

Good luck!