A friend of ours helping set up an eventEvent hosting can be as intimidating as it is fun. The designing, brainstorming, and creating is one thing. Executing without breaking the bank is quite another. It’s a skill that requires developing like any other. Everything in life has gotten more expensive, and our paychecks and pocketbooks never seem to keep up. Taylor and I firmly believe however, that with a little creativity and some prime prioritization- you can still absolutely host get-togethers, parties, events, and soirees that people will remember without overcommitting yourself. There is pride to be had in creating intentional events while honoring a budget.
Don’t get me wrong- all artists dream of creating amazing art and experiences where they can let their creativity run wild and not be limited by finances, and we’re no different. However, even more so- we love creating unique events for real people. People like us who do have budgets and limitations. There is a specific type of creativity that comes into play when you begin to ask, ‘how much can I do with how little?’. Everybody can learn to be an amazing host, and today I’d like to start sharing the basics.
Setting Your Main Budget:
This technically stating the obvious, but it is the most important step. Set a realistic budget, not a budget that’s going to have you waking up in cold sweats in the middle of the night because you have this idea and it just has to be ‘go big or go home’. I have been there, and I am telling you- the trade off is not worth it.
Define what kind of Event You’re Hosting:
We’re going to prioritize different things depending on what kind of event we’re hosting, so this step is important. A more formal event with a high head count might sacrifice elaborate décor for a bartending service with one to two bartenders, whereas as small or medium get together like an evening soiree or an afternoon cocktail event can focus a bit more on the table accents and décor. A child’s birthday party doesn’t need a huge food budget, but it does warrant more of a focus on décor or activities and things that will grab and hold attention.
The Scenario:
Event planning and hosting to me, is really only half about your own idea and vision. At its heart, it’s about hospitality and pouring in to others. The only thing that really requires is knowing your guests or friends and designing something for them.
To show this better so I’m not just throwing vague guidelines at you, I’m going to give you an imaginary scenario and we’ll use this to build context throughout the rest of this exercise.
let’s say we are planning an evening anniversary party. They’re a social family and love having people over. Their house is set up for entertaining, and they have a beautiful backyard, so we don’t need to factor in a venue. Our budget is $500 for 35 people. The couple is in their late 50’s and are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. It’s a classy group and they want elevated but not stuffy. Smart- Casual. Not a full dinner, but upscale small bites and cocktails. It’s a 4 hour event and they want some structure for the evening, but nothing overly rigid.
Section Out Your Budget:
Decide what is most important to you based on the type of event you have defined. Before you go through Pinterest with the vengeance of a PTA mom, take some time to portion out your budget into different categories. Do this first. This will help avoid unreasonable expectations. Its easier to not overextend yourself if you have a hard number in your head.
I find the “cash envelopes” method as useful now as it was in college for making sure I do not overspend. This can be trickier if you are planning an event over a longer period of time like a wedding, but for smaller events it’s great. If not, just make sure to keep track of receipts. If you go over in one area, you’ll have to move money from another.
Again, I say that excellent hospitality is about prioritizing and anticipating the comfort of your guests. Thinking about the kind of people/ the people in attendance and what is going to be most important to them. That may just be whoever you are having over if you are the host. Or, in the case of the wedding anniversary it’s a combination of meeting the requests of the couple while anticipating the wants and flow of their guests as well.
With our anniversary scenario I would outline something like this:
- Food: 30% or $150
- Cocktails/Beverage: 30% or $150
- Rentals: 30% or $150
- Décor: 10% or $50
- Entertainment: 0% or $0
Let’s go over the reasoning behind each category below so we can get into the nitty gritty of it.
Food Budget:
This couple doesn’t want a full sit-down meal, but they do want some light bites. Think Hor d’ Oeuvres, Sexy Charcuterie, Cocktail bites, and Petite Fours. Depending on your priorities and skill set you can either make these yourself using the $150 to purchase in ingredients or you can split this 60/40 between two vendors to do savories and sweets. Or you can find someone like us, that will help you design both within that budget.
Let’s say in this case the couple or their party planning daughter didn’t want the stress of being responsible for the day-of cooking so they hired us to do a small grazing table with charcuterie, appetizers, and some crostinis as well as a mini dessert table with macarons, eclairs, lemon tartlets. While it requires some creativity- it IS doable with $150.
Cocktails/ Beverages:
This couple is focused more on hospitality and service, so it’s worth reducing the food budget to have a bartender present. This way the couple are free to focus on their guests and celebrating their anniversary, not mixing drinks. AND they get that extra swanky feeling or service. 25 people is EASILY handled by a single bartender, so no need to have a second, and this couple didn’t need or want a crazy full bar- wine and 2 signature cocktails. A red wine, a white wine, a beer option, whisky, tequila, some juice & mixers and you have all you need for a number of drink possibilities at your fingertips.
The couple does have an outdoor bar in their backyard so the bartender didn’t need to bring a set-up, which helps reduce the cost.
Rentals:
This couple cares a bit more about the ambiance and having a little bit of elevation. They don’t want disposable plates and forks but they don’t have fancy China that isn’t Christmas themed. While they have plenty of seating, they do need 2 small tables and some linens to make them look sharp for their small bites and desserts.
In this case we’re going to reach out to a company like Cranberry Sky Rentals and rent some elegant serving wear pieces, and some flat wear, either using an A la Carte option or a small package like their “shower” option. This gives us access to finer quality dishes in an environmentally friendly way, without breaking the bank or needing to store them afterwards.
Décor:
In this scenario, we are leaning into the ambiance of their backyard since they already designed it with an eye to having guests. The couple has a fire pit, string lights, a pergola/trellis covered in honeysuckle, and a gorgeous garden with a small pond.
We don’t need much for this event, just a bit of personality for centerpieces on the tables in the backyard. If you want something really unique that might require some DIYing we will always suggest thrifting and repurposing (YES, even for elevated events!!!). This option allows you to keep it afterwards if it’s something you really love. The other option would be to move this money into your “rentals” budget and rent some centerpieces from someone like Cranberry Sky. Again, this makes it more environmentally friendly, and reduces your need to keep things afterwards.
Candles, candelabras, small table runners, or vintage vases make excellent options. Let the space do the work and highlight as needed.
Entertainment:
While this couple wants some structure to their event, we’re hosting a mature group of people. Unlike a child’s birthday party- where some of your hospitality might need to be funneled into organized entertainment in the form of experiences, or possibly into craft supplies- this group doesn’t need it.
The Couple plans to project the pictures and video of their wedding onto an outdoor screen, allowing for some loose and light entertainment, and freeing up 100% of the budget for the things that really need it.
How to apply this budget model to other events:
This is a relatively small event and is easily broken down into those 5 categories. If the event is bigger- say, a wedding- it may be easier or more prudent to have more specific categories. I.e. photographer, dress, favors, etc.
You are still going to need to start by defining the style of the event, set an overall budget, and then prioritize which items need the most attention to get the most bang for your buck so that you don’t accidentally overspend in an area that isn’t important to you.
Maximizing Benefits for an Efficient Budget:
There is a difference between having a budget, and having an efficient budget that works as hard as you do. An efficient budget almost does the work for you. This comes back to knowing your clients and both parties having clear expectations. You can’t execute an unclear vision, and sometimes people need guidance with this.
What do I mean by that? The more aligned the event is with the lifestyle of the people designing/ hiring/ host/ or executing- the less gaps you will have to fill, and the more you can make of each area of the design.
For instance, in that scenario we discussed, the only thing that could have made that budget even BETTER, is if the clients were the kind of people that already had serving ware/dishes they wanted to use, eliminating the need for rentals and widening their food, décor, or beverage budget.
Think how hard it would be to host a tiki party in a barn. Not that it can’t be done- but that you’re going to have to stretch things to reach the ambiance you’re going for. The best thing you can do for your budget is to maximize your space- whether that is renting a space that feeds your ambiance, or reverse engineering and creating a “style” that matches the space, the less class you have the more wiggle room.
As another example, when I got married and we designed my Forest Fairytale wedding I envisioned big trees and lots & lots of flowers, little hidden walkways that would be great for pictures, and a space that would feel like you stepped right on the boundary between your grandma’s garden and the fae realm in the forest. If you have ever purchased flowers you know that they are EXPENSIVE (and worth every penny). To get the kind of florals and greenery that I had in my head would have required me to chew off an arm, or something equally dear to me.
Instead, we looked for a venue that had an abundance of natural greenery. This led us to Paul George at Moon Mountain Lodge, who has designed what is in my opinion one the most versatile, accommodating, greenery abundant venues in the state. His intentional and well thought out landscape hugely minimized additional purchases and instead allowed me to lean into the landscape and only purchase the florals I really needed.
If you have a Thrifty budget, get Thrifting.
I mean this literally, and the more time you give yourself- the better. Finding the right pieces can be difficult and may take several trips. If you’re new to thrifting, you’ll want to check out Taylor’s article on thrifting for beginners to learn how to set yourself some guide rules.
Goodwill’s & Value Villages are a great place to start, however we always encourage yard sales and local thrift stores when possible. Check out google maps and see what pops up for secondhand stores and thrift stores near you.
If you are a Snohomish or Skagit valley local we love:
Craft Stores are a Budget’s best Friend
Before you hit ‘add to cart’ on all the décor pieces of your dreams, ask yourself Taylor’s favorite question “how hard could it be?”. No really, ask yourself though- and be honest about the answers.
Take a look at your design wants and needs with a critical eye. A LOT of centerpieces, decorations, and detail work can be DIY’d with time, planning, hot glue, and a few well placed youtube videos.
HOWEVER! Know your limitations. Some things are just better left to a professional. If you think you are biting off more than you can chew- you probably are. You can teach yourself a lot, but play to your strengths. If you know you’re a terrible sewer- then the time to test that is probably not on your wedding veil, ya feel me?
The Bottom Line
Budgeting-like any other skill- is something that anybody can learn with practice. It sounds easy to say to yourself “set an amount, and don’t go over it. Prioritize.” But it’s quite another to do it, the world is expensive- we feel you.
Stick to your guidelines, and flex your creative muscles! With enough creativity, you can in fact, do pretty much anything you want. Remember that at the end of the day, hosting is about hospitality- and what people are really going to remember is how you made them feel. Focus on serving your guests, make them feel welcome, comfortable, and cared for and you can’t go wrong.
Have fun!
Mikaela