Most of the best hosts and hostesses in the world have diagnosable control problems. After all, the best events require impeccable focus and planning to pull off without a hitch, and there is no one who has an untouched vision of the perfect event save the event’s primary host.
Still, no hostess is an island, and even the best party planners need help from service providers to make sure their event runs as smoothly as possible. Here are the top five signs you need to outsource one or all of the elements of your party to make it a complete and total smash.
1. There Will Be More Than 80 Attendees
Overly enthusiastic party planners will argue that an event is not an event without 300 guests, but not every host expects or wants a whole horde of people to show up. Still, there are some events that are inescapably large that require all the precise attention to detail one might notice in a smaller event. Because no host is expected to cater to the needs of an inordinately large group of people, vendors are an absolute must for these types of events.
Most homes simply will not accommodate more than a few dozen people, which means planners must seek out a venue that will be neither too vast nor too cramped. Even the greatest home cook has never prepared dinner for more than the handful of people who will fit at her dinner table, so caterers must be hired. Parties that will exceed 80 or so attendees will need vendors for almost every aspect of the event, from the seating to the flowers, simply because there are too many people to make comfortable on your own.
2. The Event Is Away From Home
Destination weddings, company retreats, and more are all events that commonly take place away from one’s base of operations. Events far from home can be more complicated to plan due to the unfamiliarity of the area and vendors. Thus, not only can hosts not provide their own goods and services, but they must often trust complete strangers to get the event right. People planning events in big cities like Los Angeles should be able to find a bevy of quality vendors, including top catering companies and venues. Smaller towns may have less selection, but you should still be able to find talented individuals that can fill in where you can’t.
3. You Don’t Know How to Do Something
Party planners may be masters of organization, but chefs, venue owners, and musicians they probably are not. Even if you have cooked every course for a successful dinner party, you might not be up to the challenge of feeding and watering an entire event’s worth of people. Similarly, you may have compiled a great mix tape for your 1998 road trip, but that doesn’t mean you can lay down appropriate tracks for a night’s worth of entertainment. Instead of gambling on your own sub-par abilities, entrust skilled professionals to patch up the holes you can’t fill by yourself.
4. You Have Anxiety Problems
More often than not, anxious people are some of the hardest working and meticulous workers out there, which is why they often host some of the best events. They have their heads and hands on every last detail, down to the substrate at the bottom of the floral centerpieces.
Unfortunately, while anxiety can ensure a near-perfect event, it can also cause a plethora of mental and physical health problems in the improperly medicated and overly taxed. If you suffer from any degree of anxiety, know that you can lighten your load by hiring dedicated and trustworthy vendors to accomplish certain tasks. There is absolutely no reason to put your health and stability at risk for any type of event.
5. You Want to Enjoy Yourself
First and foremost, the point of any event – from a masquerade ball to a corporate gala – is to relax and have a good time. In the thick of counting the number of courses in the meal and players in the band, as well as other minute decisions, it can be difficult for many hosts to remember this simple fact.
Even if you relish a difficult challenge that requires hands-on intervention, spending the duration of a social event with your nose to a clipboard is not a happy end to weeks or months of planning. While the event is taking place, you should take off the headset, put down the checklist, and mingle with all of your guests. Besides, an event will never be a success without a present and active host to lead the socialization and fun.
Identity Magazine is all about empowering women to get all A’s in the game of life — Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.TM Every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. As a team, we hope to inspire and motivate ourselves and inspire you to get all A’s.
What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? What are you still working on accepting?
My main acceptance in life would be that “change” itself is a constant and regardless of opinion it is inevitable. Making peace with ones self and accepting the things we CANNOT change is key to living a full and happy life. Within those experiences we grow as people and learn.
What have you learn to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? What are you still working on to appreciate?
I have learned to appreciate all of my imperfections as it makes me who I am as a person and in reality “perfection” is all up for interpretation. In return I have taught myself to replace the old methods in dealing with situations and problems with ones that will deliver or elicit positive responses and solutions.
What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? What makes YOU most proud? What goals and dreams do you still have?
I believe my core values or the personal rules I have set in place for myself and chose to live by have brought nothing but reward to my life as it has created my known presence to be one of value and those things remind me daily of my standards set if ever I were to steer off course.
We all have imperfections, so we think. The truth–we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? What imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
Over analyzing every situation would definitely be a not-so-perfect quirk about myself, leading my mind to wander with thoughts of what-if’s, that usually are just that, “what-if’s”. Along with spontaneity and positivity it creates my not-so-perfect, but awesome self!! 🙂
“I Love My…” is an outlet for you to express and appreciate all the positive traits that make you…well… YOU! Sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (we assure you!)
Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?
I love my positive outlook on life and the huge heart I carry with me daily filled with nothing but compassion for others and a willingness to always be learning something new.
