Everyone makes mistakes, especially when planning events. There are a TON of details to coordinate and no two events are exactly the same.
To help you master this tricky art, we wanted to give you five common event planning mistakes to avoid.
Mistake #1 – Using only one type of invite
The temptation is to create a Facebook event, invite everyone to it and be done with it. And although almost everyone is on Facebook, there will still be people who say ‘going’ and then forget.
Or they might even miss the notification altogether. Then you have an upset family member on your hands because they missed the party.
You should definitely invite everyone through Facebook. But you may also want to considering adding 1-2 of the following options as well:
- Email invitations
- Text message invitations
- Mailed invitations (yes, these are still a thing)
- A good ole phone call to grandma
Mistake #2 – Not giving enough notice
There is a lot of competition for our time these days. So, to even get a chance at getting on someone’s schedule, you need to give them advance notice and reminders.
Here are some tips on how to do this:
2 Months Before
- Secure venue and catering
- Send out a ‘Save the Date’ email
1 Month Before
- If mailing invitations, get them out
- Create a Facebook event and invite everyone you want to come
2 Weeks Before
- Write a post in the Facebook event to remind your guests
- Call those on your list who don’t use Facebook regularly
1 Week Before
- Write a post in the Facebook event to remind your guests
- Send out a reminder email
Mistake #3 – Putting out all food at the beginning
When your guests see a ton of food, they’ll load up their plate like there’s no tomorrow. But, if you hold some of it back, they’ll be more conscience of making sure others get to eat too.
The best way to make sure you don’t run out of food is to put some of it out of sight and refill as needed throughout the event.
Mistake #4 – Not checking surrounding events
When zoned in on planning your event, it’s easy to get tunnel vision and forget that the rest of the world keeps going.
Then, you accidentally schedule your event the same time as the most watched football game of the season… whoops!
When picking your date, be sure to check surrounding school events, sport events and even community events that might be going on in your area.
Mistake #5 – Overthinking it all
Events are a big deal. They take a lot of time and attention. But, don’t get caught up in the dream of a ‘perfect event’.
Here’s the deal. Something will go wrong. You’ll forget something. One of your decorations will break. You might run out of food.
But you know what? It’s okay. Because it happens at every event.
Definitely do your prep work. But when it comes down to it, relax and go-with-the-flow. Improvise as needed and enjoy your event.
