I was honored to serve as the "expert" across campus and give a presentation to all incoming event planners about how to create a meaningful event. While this presentation is geared towards the University of Illinois and our fundraising efforts - I hope you can find something helpful.
Friday, October 16, 2015
DIY Wedding Programs
You're two weeks from a day you've been planning for months years and suddenly it hits you.... "Son of a bitch.. We need programs!!!" You've been so busy planning all of those details for the reception that you completely forget about all of the details for the part of the day that really matters... the ceremony!
So you hop on etsy to buy the fanciest programs you've ever seen... ((insert sound of both your hands smacking your cheeks)) $5.00 per program?!?! When you are two weeks away from the wedding another $5.00 per person FOR PROGRAMS is the last thing you want to spend money on.
So.. here is my suggestion:
Spend one evening (I know free evenings and weekends are hard to come by at this stage in the game, but try and find one... it will be worth it!) typing, printing and folding your programs. If you have some of those relatives that are dying for ways to help.. THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS THEY CAN HELP... Have them fold! Its a simple half fold on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper... we all learned how to do this is Kindergarten... And, if you are feelin' real crafty, put a ribbon on there!
Here's what I'm talking about...
So you hop on etsy to buy the fanciest programs you've ever seen... ((insert sound of both your hands smacking your cheeks)) $5.00 per program?!?! When you are two weeks away from the wedding another $5.00 per person FOR PROGRAMS is the last thing you want to spend money on.
So.. here is my suggestion:
Spend one evening (I know free evenings and weekends are hard to come by at this stage in the game, but try and find one... it will be worth it!) typing, printing and folding your programs. If you have some of those relatives that are dying for ways to help.. THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS THEY CAN HELP... Have them fold! Its a simple half fold on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper... we all learned how to do this is Kindergarten... And, if you are feelin' real crafty, put a ribbon on there!
Here's what I'm talking about...
 |
| You can't see it really well in this photo, but I used a Champagne shimmer paper and gold and champagne colored ribbon with a simple knot-tie at the bottom. |
You can find a link to the Champagne shimmer paper here. And, here's the ribbon I used.
Step 1: Pick your paper. There are hundreds of websites you can order paper from for your programs. My suggestion is 8.5x11 that is at least 80lb-thickness or more. Most website have an option to order samples... I highly suggest doing so before ordering enough paper to kill a tree. Here is my favorite place to get paper. Also, I suggest a lighter color... anything dark is harder to get ink to show up on.
Step 2: Create your wedding programs by typing them out. I use Adobe InDesign, but you can recreate something similar using other programs as well. ((I also sell personalized graphic files in my etsy shop for a reasonable price... for those of you who don't think typing all of this on your own is for you!)) Here is a sample of the programs:
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| Program Cover |
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| Inside of Program |
Step 3: Print. I suggest printing all of one side first and all of the other side second. Most at-home printers don't have the capacity to print double sided, especially with thicker paper! You can print in almost any dark color you like... The lighter ink you go, the harder they will be to read (and, if your grandmother is anything like mine then she will be PISSED if she can't read your programs!). Also, feel free to take the file and paper to to any Staples or Kinko's.
Step 4: Rally the troops! It's finally time to delegate something... HOOORAY! A half-fold is all these programs need! (Just FYI, Staples or Kinko's may be able to do this part for you also.)
Step 5 (optional): So you may be looking at your programs and be thinking... these just don't have enough pizazz for me... So there are plenty of options!
- Add a ribbon with a simple knot-tie at the bottom.
- Add a ribbon with a bow on the side.
- Add a rhinestone or two to the front of the program.
Are event planning jobs overrated?
"Overrated jobs are defined as those that seem attractive from the outside but that sound better than they really are. The may have a poor outlook for jobs, too many candidates entering the field, poor working conditions or high barriers to entry." -ABCnews
Articles, lists and other types of "definitions" of event planners ((like this one)) are what make my blood boil! Along with the old-fashioned lady who claims to be an event planner because she knows how to decorate for her kid's 5th birthday party. While keeping in mind this old-fashioned lady is actually the one who pioneered my beloved profession of event planning.. We're beyond that!
As many of you know from my intro to blogging article, I am obsessed with my alma mater... One of the main reasons is because of the opportunity I had to create my own major. As many other event planners with a Type A personality, I wanted my degree to be on my terms. I knew what I wanted to do with my life and I felt like there was no opportunity for me to get there. So... I had to create that opportunity. Luckily, I went to a school with an Individual Plan of Study curriculum where I could literally create my own major. With the help of an Associate Dean, Professor and many other faculty members I was well on my way to a degree in Communication in Event Management & Public Relations. Many of you are probably thinking.. "Okay crazy pants... What the hell does that even mean???" For me.. it meant the future of event planning...
I knew I wasn't going to make a living by picking out menus, looking at floral arrangements or hosting fabulous parties... ((Which is exactly what people think event planning is.. and why I think it in on the list of overrated jobs.)) I wanted people to see me as a professional event planner within the academia field. I wanted to be well respected and have an education to back me up. In my eyes, I wanted to be apart of the modern world of event planning and take my beloved profession to the next level.
But what does this next level look like? I can tell you right now.. it's not ordering flowers or booking a caterer ((like most would think)). Anyone with a little organizational sense can do this... And.. sadly, there are MANY employed people who call themselves "event planners" and this is all they do. Congratulations to you guys! You're organized... along with millions of other people! Being an event planner is about taking an idea or goal and using an event to help bring that idea to life or achieve that goal. It's the broad picture, the reason anyone does any type of job.. There is something someone, somewhere, wants to achieve. And I make it my job to listen to these conversations, hear what the playmakers want to see happen, then take those ideas and goals and create an event that, in their eyes, is successful.
But then that leads to the next aspect of modern event planning... What does event success look like? This question can be just as hard to answer as the first because it is different for every event. In turn, it is the event planner's job to figure out how to measure the success of the event... both qualitatively and quantitatively. Then take these reports, metrics and outcomes back to the playmakers to show them that their ideas were brought to life and their goals were met.
Oh.. and in between those two bookends is where the "overrated" event planning stuff happens.. like finding a venue, booking a caterer, making invitations and keeping track of every tiny little detail that happens at an event. And, if this is all that job seekers think event planning is.. then, I agree, it is an overrated profession with little pride or ownership. And, it will continue to be this way until every event planner can jump on board and become a modern-day, money-making, idea-festering, goal-oriented event planner. Once someone makes that leap.. the job is no longer overrated... It's empowering.
Articles, lists and other types of "definitions" of event planners ((like this one)) are what make my blood boil! Along with the old-fashioned lady who claims to be an event planner because she knows how to decorate for her kid's 5th birthday party. While keeping in mind this old-fashioned lady is actually the one who pioneered my beloved profession of event planning.. We're beyond that!
As many of you know from my intro to blogging article, I am obsessed with my alma mater... One of the main reasons is because of the opportunity I had to create my own major. As many other event planners with a Type A personality, I wanted my degree to be on my terms. I knew what I wanted to do with my life and I felt like there was no opportunity for me to get there. So... I had to create that opportunity. Luckily, I went to a school with an Individual Plan of Study curriculum where I could literally create my own major. With the help of an Associate Dean, Professor and many other faculty members I was well on my way to a degree in Communication in Event Management & Public Relations. Many of you are probably thinking.. "Okay crazy pants... What the hell does that even mean???" For me.. it meant the future of event planning...
I knew I wasn't going to make a living by picking out menus, looking at floral arrangements or hosting fabulous parties... ((Which is exactly what people think event planning is.. and why I think it in on the list of overrated jobs.)) I wanted people to see me as a professional event planner within the academia field. I wanted to be well respected and have an education to back me up. In my eyes, I wanted to be apart of the modern world of event planning and take my beloved profession to the next level.
But what does this next level look like? I can tell you right now.. it's not ordering flowers or booking a caterer ((like most would think)). Anyone with a little organizational sense can do this... And.. sadly, there are MANY employed people who call themselves "event planners" and this is all they do. Congratulations to you guys! You're organized... along with millions of other people! Being an event planner is about taking an idea or goal and using an event to help bring that idea to life or achieve that goal. It's the broad picture, the reason anyone does any type of job.. There is something someone, somewhere, wants to achieve. And I make it my job to listen to these conversations, hear what the playmakers want to see happen, then take those ideas and goals and create an event that, in their eyes, is successful.
But then that leads to the next aspect of modern event planning... What does event success look like? This question can be just as hard to answer as the first because it is different for every event. In turn, it is the event planner's job to figure out how to measure the success of the event... both qualitatively and quantitatively. Then take these reports, metrics and outcomes back to the playmakers to show them that their ideas were brought to life and their goals were met.
Oh.. and in between those two bookends is where the "overrated" event planning stuff happens.. like finding a venue, booking a caterer, making invitations and keeping track of every tiny little detail that happens at an event. And, if this is all that job seekers think event planning is.. then, I agree, it is an overrated profession with little pride or ownership. And, it will continue to be this way until every event planner can jump on board and become a modern-day, money-making, idea-festering, goal-oriented event planner. Once someone makes that leap.. the job is no longer overrated... It's empowering.
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