The Pros and Cons of being an event planner
Just because I plan parties all day, does not mean it is all rainbows and sunshine for event planners. Ok, so it is mostly rainbows and sunshine, but there are a couple of things about being an event planner that suck. Of course from the outside people just see the dancing, decorating, drinking, and hugs. But there is also high emotions. long days, missed holidays, and did I mention the bridezillas. I am going to do my best of describing the best of the best, and the worst of the worst, in an effort to show you what being an event planner is really like. Here we go…
PROS OF BEING AN EVENT PLANNER
- You get to celebrate constantly: It is an honor to be at the biggest celebrations in people’s lives. We get to help family and friends cheer on their loved one as they hit this important milestone.
- All the pretty things: It is so much fun to be surrounded by flowers. balloons, confetti, and colorful items. My office and house is an explosion of happy items. You can not help but smile.
- Eat everything twice: Literally we eat everything twice. First at the tasting, and then at the actual event. From cakes to the most delicious catered meals, event planners are spoiled with tasty treats.
- Relive your own party, again and again: Most people have one, maybe two weddings. I have one every weekend. I know it is not mine, but it is still fun to plan different styles of weddings.
- The party: Once the party starts, I can’t help but get into it. The time between the setup and breakdown is the time we relax a bit before starting to work again. You better believe I am backstage dancing to the DJ and having my one glass of wine 😉
CONS OF BEING AN EVENT PLANNER
- Working Weekends: Most people’s work weeks run Monday through Friday. Most event planner’s work week run Tuesday through Saturday. We spend our weekends making sure other people have fun. Which leads me to…
- Missing out on my own parties and holidays: I have missed my kid’s friend’s birthday parties, school plays, my friend’s bridal showers, and every New Year’s Eve for ten years. Our work load is heaviest on holidays and long weekends. I am the one mom that gets excited when I hear a school event os on a Wednesday 🙂
- The pressure to get it right: This is a big moment in a person’s life, and they have one shot at this celebration. The client hired me to ensure their party goes off without a hitch, so guess who is responsible if something happens? Even if it is out of my control.
- No sick days: I do not get the option to be sick and miss an event. I once showed up to a wedding the day after I had surgery. Thankfully my team did all the heavy lifting as I sat in a chair managing it all. When you are in charge of a once in a lifetime moment for someone, you do not have the luxury to miss it for anything.
- Other people’s stress: Wedding planning is consistently ranked as one of the most stressful jobs there is. A lot of that stress comes from managing our client’s emotions. Brides, grooms, and parents put an unnecessary amount of pressure on themselves. Unfortunately, they eventually explode, and the planner is one of many casualties.
Event planning is not for everyone. You must love the pros so much, and manage the cons so well, that you can’t help but crave to plan parties again, and again.
For a behind the scenes look at the events we produce, head to our Instagram page. I post the pros, cons, and all the chaos in between on our stories. It’s raw, real, and fun.