The Plan

The Save the Date Plan ...

OUR WEDDING DAY

HERE’S HOW THIS THING IS GONNA GO DOWN

4 PM

6 PM

WE DO

CEREMONY

WE EAT

DINNER & SPEECHES

WE DRINK

COCKTAIL HOUR

WE PARTY

DRINKS & DANCING

CHARLOTTE & BEN

JUNE 18, 2022

No matter what type of event you’re planning, you’re going to have to put some time and effort into planning and organization. If you’re putting together a large event like a wedding, charity fundraiser, grand opening celebration, work function or retreat, you may want to consider hiring an event planner. If free time is a limited resource for you, or you’re not familiar with area vendors and venues, or even if you just want to be able to relax and enjoy an event with your family and friends, turning things over to an event organizer may be a great solution! Often venues have their own event planners who can assist you and can refer you to preferred vendors, but that isn’t always the case. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re in over your head or getting too overwhelmed to actually take pleasure and pride in a successful family reunion or other gathering, so consult with an event planner early to see if their services would be a valuable tool for you. Once you establish your goal for the event and your budget, your event planner or team can do the leg work needed to secure venues, create branding for the event, and source vendors and supplies. They can hire event staff, speakers, entertainment, and work to secure sponsorships or partners. If your event is a charity gala or fundraising event, your organization may have committees set up to handle all of these steps. The bottom line is that the devil is in the details. And from establishing a name and/or logo for the event to getting the word out through all possible channels, staffing

4:30 PM

the party to selling tickets, and planning seating charts to making sure garbage cans are emptied, there are a lot of details for most events. Familiarity with licensing and experience with logistics can be a lifesaver. Having someone with strong communication 8 PM and organizational skills who can delegate tasks and oversee everything can play a major role in the event’s success. If your home is going to be the event venue, you may need to do some organizing there too. There are professional organizers and businesses, like Organizational Heroes on St. Simons Island, that specialize in decluttering, staging furniture, and optimizing rooms who can make sure your space is party-ready. Outdoor prep like landscape trimming and pest control are considerations for our backyard barbeques and community cookouts. Nothing kills a great party vibe more than being attacked by swarms of gnats or having to swat away mosquitos! Sweating the small stuff is something you must do when you want your event to be successful, so don’t be afraid to call in reinforcements to help you!

Brittany Jenson of Experience Event Planning is on site with a bride in the picturesque courtyard at The Westin Jekyll Island, one of multiple event spaces at the hotel. She’s poised and professional with a feminine flair wearing a silk blouse and jewelry from CobbleStone Living in Redfern Village. Her colorful bouquet is from Merci Bouquet Flower Truck.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Martha DeWitt of Tallahassee attends the rehearsal dinner for the wedding of her grandson Ander Bodkin (Tallahassee) and Shannon Petrie (Merritt Island and St. Simons Island) in the A.W. Jones Heritage Center. This is just one of the event spaces offered by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. Her stylish evening jacket and jewelry are from Evelyne Talman. Martha made the beautiful, personalized oyster shell napkin holders (pictured above) for the dinner. They’re designed to be a keepsake ornament for guests to remind them of the event. One of the most important aspects of an event is making sure everyone feels welcome and included. Here are a few ideas that can help with that. Not all of these ideas will work with every type of event, so tailor to your needs.

Plan group activities. If you’re flexible about the types of activities that will be offered, ask your guests what they’d like to do or provide a list of options when having them register for the event. For instance, at a reunion, ask whether they’d like to attend a karaoke night or a sunset cruise; based on responses you can tailor activities or offer alternative options to ensure that all guests have some activity in which to participate. Not everyone wants to compete in the family frisbee challenge! Be sure to ask your guests at registration about any special needs and plan accordingly to accommodate. with each other here and post updates about planning or use it to promote raffles, auction items, entertainment, and other aspects of the event. Use this to generate (and gauge) excitement.

Give tasks or assignments to as many people as you can. This can be as simple as requiring everyone to bring a dish to a potluck or family cookout or involve the creation of committees to man the registration table, monitor the silent auction items, ensure the garbage cans aren’t full, assemble welcome bags. Make people feel like they have a special role to play so they’re invested in the event’s success.

A welcome gift or swag bag for attendees is always a nice touch. This is an excellent place to incorporate your branding and sponsors. If your guests are coming from out of town, include local treats like handmade confections from Sugar Marsh Cottage Island Chocolatier, and a current issue of Elegant Island Living!