Like many aspects of life, event planning is experiencing a metamorphosis in today’s age of technology. With infinite inspiration accessible at our fingertips, our aspirations for even the most mundane milestones have become grander. Whether it’s a wedding, corporate event or even a child’s birthday party, the bar has been raised. The problem? In a world where being surrounded by beauty and creativity has become the norm, it’s no simpler to achieve these visions than it was prior to the launch of Pinterest and Instagram.

As many of us struggle to attend to our daily lives while replicating the events that taunt our social feeds, we are scratching our heads – is it worthwhile to hire an event planner or is it more trouble than it’s worth? The answer may lie in clarifying the myths and realities of event planning! Booked Parties’ Claire & Meryl set the record straight.

Myth: Hiring an event planner is a luxury I simply cannot afford.

Reality: Veteran event planners have worked with all scopes of budgets and have a knack for executing a creative vision while stretching the dollar.

Meryl laughingly answers, “You can’t afford not to have an event planner!” continuing, “Joking aside, we have access to exclusive professional discounts that we pass along to our clients. And, our bandwidth is extensive. For example, last week alone, we created a customized candy cart and a specialty backdrop to add special elements to events. Much of our expertise lies in our ability to hone in on high-quality, low-cost, time-sensitive solutions that result in memorable events.” Claire adds, “We have become experts at leveraging our long-standing vendor partnerships and identifying creative ways of working around clients’ budgets.” 

Myth: Only extravagant affairs warrant event planning services.

Reality: Many event planners now offer a range of services based on the level of support desired by the client.

“In today’s society,” Claire points out, “we have become so busy that a lot of parents are seeking a certain level of assistance on events that even fall into the smaller category.” Client-centric planners like Booked Parties provide tiered packages including virtual services, which is oftentimes the ideal, not to mention, economical solution. Such sessions can be valuable as Meryl explains, “There are so many details that go into planning every single event. Engaging a planner early on can help to organize the steps and alleviate any last minute complications. It’s all about creating a framework that sets the stage for a smooth event with as much or as little assistance as the client wants.” Claire continues, “Even one virtual conversation can help take an event to the next level. We love bouncing ideas around with clients and helping to get their creative juices flowing!”

Myth: Event planners micromanage the process and don’t take my creative vision into account.
Reality: The true role of an event planner is to take the client’s lead.

Meryl sums it up succinctly, “Event planning is a collaboration and our job is to bring your vision to life.” Claire elaborates, “We look to the client to direct us on our level of input. While some have a clear direction, others are hands-off. Our general flow of show is to create Pinterest boards, enabling clients to be interactive, adding pins and notes to communicate their ideas. We always welcome the input!”

Myth: There’s nothing I can get from an event planner that I can’t gleam from Pinterest.

Reality: The images on Pinterest are two-dimensional.

As Meryl says, “Pinterest is an amazing resource to turn to for inspiration, but actually executing an event that results in those final images is more complex. Once again, it’s all about access to the right vendors and resources to transfer the images flooding social media into your own reality.” Claire concurs, saying, “While we pride ourselves on our creativity, the event planning process truly goes beyond those elements and involves our exclusive toolbox of preferred vendors that our event planners are hands-on in managing throughout process.”

To find out more about the myths and realities of event planning, contact Booked Parties today for a complimentary 15-minute virtual session at 917.650.7743 or info@bookedparties.com.

Shauna Levy is a writer, communications professional and a stay-at-home mom.  Her interests include flaunting her discount shopping finds, cooking food her children reject and restoring her 125-year old home.  She is currently raising three boys, ages 9, 6 and 5 alongside her husband in Chappaqua, NY.