while planning this shower i learned some things and was reminded of some things and i thought i would pass along these tidbits of information so you could all learn from my experiences and mistakes.
1. when planning an event, make a list of your top priorities. remind yourself of those priorities when you are making decisions. my priorities were a) make it enjoyable and memorable for the bride to be, b) have fun with the decor, & c) keep it reasonably priced. having these priorities decided allowed me to make change course when necessary without a lot of stress. i was able to keep the big picture and overall goals in mind. for example, i could have gone with the cafe rio pork salads but instead decided to put the $ into the decor as the decor was one of my priorities. also, i could have done both but i would have blown my budget going against priority “c”. you get the idea. set your priorities and stick to them. let them guide your decisions.
2. be flexible. allow for changes & allow for different expectations. there will always be an “oops” or a “oh shoot, i forgot about that.” moment, and you know what? that’s ok! be flexible and improvise. no one else will even know. the saying “fake it until you make it” applies here. i spent time spray painting a bunch of wooden x’s & o’s to display at the shower, only to forget to put a back on them to thread the ribbon through. so i ended up not being able to use any of the letters. oops! rather than stress over it though and freak out, i just reminded myself no one would miss what they didn’t know about in the first place, and that i could use the letters as valentine’s decor for many years to come.
3. anything you can do/make/paint/purchase in advance. do in advance! figure out your time frame and try to have all that done 3-5 days before the event so the days leading up to the event aren’t stressful and hectic. i had all the supplies to make pom pom’s to hang and ended up not having the time to make them. i should have had them done the week before and stuck to a schedule like i had originally planned. i like to print off a free calendar and assign one task to each day with everything being done two days before the shower that can be done. of course, now i just need to actually follow the calendar rather than see it as merely a suggestion. it’s that nasty procrastination habit i have!
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4. keep a notebook or envelope in your purse for all receipts & notes. that way you have them available for returns or to see how much you are spending. put receipts immediately in the envelope as you leave the store. i like an envelope that is attached to a notebook. i am a huge list maker so i usually assign a notebook to each event and while i’m shopping or running an errand for the event i always always have my notebook with me.
5. if you buy helium balloons to display outside the house. never ever take them into a room with 20 foot ceilings, even if you think they are tied down securely. i spent the better part of an hour rescuing balloons that escaped and fled to the highest corner of our house. it required a construction ladder, a broom, and a whole lot of crazy to get them down. i would have had my sister take pictures but i was too worried about the ladder falling and wouldn’t let her let go of it to pull out her camera. safety first!
6. which brings me to my next point – keep things in perspective and always plan extra time for things to go wrong the day of. why i didn’t just go buy 6 more balloons, as they were only like $5, i have no idea. i was not thinking very clearly. i was just thinking, must have balloons. again, keep things in perspective and allow time for something to go wrong.
7. keep your cool & remember what is and isn’t important, especially the day of. while driving to the shower i had to stop and get ice and after attaching my cart to the curb and hopping in my truck i saw a lady wildly flagging me down and motioning for me to roll down my window. i seriously thought i was about to run over a child or something she was that frantic, but no. come to find out she only wanted to yell at me for not returning my cart to a cart rack properly. now don’t get me wrong, had she simply said “hey next time could you please return it to the rack. it just helps everyone out.” i would have been totally fine with that and even maybe felt a little bad. this lady said it very differently though and with a few colorful words thrown in. at one point i was called an “inconsiderate *@!itch” & also “a full of herself barbie doll”, oh and then there was my personal favorite, which was when i told her to let go of my window so i could roll it up or i would call security (i mean seriously, i was done being harassed and sworn at over a silly cart) and she informed me she was going to call the police about me not putting my cart away properly. really? really? hmmm…i wonder who the police officer would side with? the crazy lady spazing out over a cart or me simply trying to roll up my car window?! now i could of let this ruin my night and gotten all upset over this crazy lady, but instead i prayed she doesn’t have kids, and decided to forget about it for the night. i mean, this lady has to have issues if she is that upset over a cart & that is not my problem. no need for it to ruin my fun night.
8. do you research. as i mentioned earlier i spent some time spray painting wood letters the week before the shower and i found i definitely preferred one spray paint over another. in fact, i ended up liking the cheaper spray paint better for this job. so do your research & shop around for your projects. make sure you are getting what you need/want. i threw away $6 on a can of spray paint i ended up hating and i had to redo what i had done with the original paint i preferred. what i thought was saving me time (just buying the first can i saw at a store after my first can ran out) ended up really just wasting my time because then i had to go back again and get more of the original kind. my timesaver wasn’t really a timesaver. should have done my research
9. and that brings me to the next tip, always buy extra. if you think you’ll only need one can of paint, buy two. if you think you only need to double the recipe, triple it. always plan for more. you can almost always return things, especially if you save your receipts in your envelope. buy extra!
10. rsvp! this last one is for guests and the event planner. understand that most people in our generation don’t seem to understand RSVP or RSVP regrets only & how to do it in a timely manner. three days before the shower the guest count was 40. two days before, 36. less than twenty four hours before, 22. how many actually came? around 20. if you are invited to an event, please rsvp 3-5 days before the event, it’s only courteous so food and other details can be planned accurately. the only reason you should be calling the day before is if you literally have an out of control, totally out of the blue emergency arise. like you or your kid are deathly ill or your house is on fire. other than that, pick up a phone and call in a timely manner according the the invitations request! as the original guest count was 47, imagine if i had not procrastinated purchasing the food and had bought it all 2-3 days in advance. i would have had WAY TOO much and so much would have gone to waste. again, rsvp 3-5 days in advance! pretty please!
well that’s it. that’s the end of my very wordy, food for thought, when it comes to planning a bridal shower, or really any event. coming up tomorrow, giving the perfect gift & my playlist selections.
