Event planners are so expensive! How many times have you heard that before?

If you are a bride – or even if you’re not and you simply enjoy throwing amazing parties – the idea of hiring an event planner is always a hot button topic. This is particularly true when people start crunching numbers.

Let’s first address the pink elephant in the room. Event planners are an expensive line item in your budget, period.

However, I’d argue that hiring an event planner is not only a smart investment but, it will ultimately end up saving you money in the long run.

3 Reasons Why Hiring an Event Planner Should Be In Your Budget.

YOU SHOULD BE A GUEST AT YOUR OWN EVENT

After spending so much time planning an event, shouldn’t you be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor? If you’re both the planner and the host then the answer is a resounding NO, you don’t get to have nice things. (sucks doesn’t it?)

Instead of mingling with guests that shuffled their schedules around to be with you, you’re now saddled with dealing with an endless number of behind the scenes details. What should’ve been your crowning moment of glory (because everything is finally done), has now turned into the million and one headaches you wish you could avoid.

Tell me if this doesn’t sound familiar: If you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner or any other major holiday at your home, then you understand the massive undertaking that goes into preparing for and executing such an event. From shopping, to coordinating the guest list, to making sure everyone is having fun and getting what they need, you as the host never truly get to enjoy anything!

In a moment when all you crave is a nice glass of wine to drown out Uncle Sal’s terrible karaoke skills, you’ll be lucky to get two minutes of peace and quiet before someone else is calling your name needing something.

Hiring an event planner releases you from the burden of having to take care of every(thing)and every(one) and instead, allows you to simply enjoy the moment.

Be fully present at your own event and revel in the company of your guests. Your event should be a time when it’s all about YOU and not the million and one things you can’t forget to do.

Disclaimer: if you do decide to go it on your own – there is absolutely zero shame or judgment in that decision – then make sure you fully understand what that’ll mean in the weeks and days leading up to your event.

WE ARE NEGOTIATION NINJAS

Talking numbers and worse yet, actively engaging in the process of negotiating with a vendor, isn’t the sexiest or most enjoyable part of the planning process. While many people shy away from negotiations because it feels seedy, sales-y and at times uncomfortable, this is the part where hiring an event planner becomes a wise investment.

Could you go out, find vendors that you like and negotiate your own contracts? Of course you could, but you likely wouldn’t have access to the network of vendors event planners have access to.

For example, if you have your heart set on a certain floral artist for your wedding but their team shared that they’re unavailable for your event, this is where a planner might be able to step in. We can negotiate on your behalf and see what we could possibly make work for you.

Bottom line: haggling at your local swap meet or Saturday open market is very different from the negotiation skills that event planners bring to the table when they’re leading your event’s creative team.

If you’re in a nonprofit, this is a point you’ll want to pay special attention to. Going at it alone is not only time consuming, stressful, and overwhelming but, it can also be immensely costly. For many nonprofits operating on a shoestring budget, not knowing how to negotiate event vendor contracts is a costly gamble.

Proceed at your own risk.

THIS IS OUR ZONE OF GENIUS

There’s so much more involved in planning an event than simply picking out the pretty. The behind-the-scenes workings is what people don’t generally see (or truthfully, understand) and it’s what gets them into trouble when they realize they’ve gotten in over their heads.

Between deadlines, contracts, guest list management, and more, there are countless moving pieces that create a seamless event.

The messy, at times hair-pulling underbelly of event planning is often the tipping point that makes people hate planning events and everything about it when they do it on their own. (sound about right?)

I am all about Team Stay-in-Your-Lane. You have your zone of genius and we, as event planners, have ours. Trying to bloom where you weren’t meant to be planted is a fool’s errand.

Quit being stubborn and making things hard for the sake of proving that you were right. Sure, you saved a couple hundred dollars but was losing your sanity really worth it?

There are so many things in life that unfortunately don’t have answers or easy solutions. This doesn’t have to be one of them.

Choose your hard then go about the business of buying your peace.

Until next time…

Bennell

laporteandcompany.com

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