Being an Event Planner can be tough. Enough said! I had originally intended to post some great holiday cocktail recipes, and still will.  However, I had a very crazy weekend and just needed to get a little something off my chest. With 3 Lil Ladies n Me being a “Mom Blog,” I feel that it’s necessary to be as transparent as possible. As much as I hate to say it “life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.” Myself and others need to be reminded that we are all human and strive to do the best we can with the situation we have.

By the way, Sunshine and Rainbows will be back next week?, I promise.

Thank you for reading…

An Open letter from an event planner.

Just recently I had the privilege of helping plan a wonderful event.  I loved the idea of bringing local people together to have a great time in a sweet holiday setting.  An event to give everyone all those holiday feels…?. All while capturing sweet moments with the big man in red!

Any event out there, such as  birthdays, corporate parties, holiday, etc., can and usually takes months and months of preparation. I definitely don’t have to tell you this,  you already know. Well, this particular event was definitely no exception.  This specific event that I was a part of  are put together by everyday people (not professional party planners with unlimited resources). Often times they are moms.  Your fellow ladies that are doing the same things you do.  You know… waking up early to get the kids ready and fed, running on maybe 4 hours of sleep from the night before, still wearing the kids breakfast on your shirt. The moms that have unfortunately neglected their precious family time, to plan and work on said event. 

Yay! Planning is over!

Now the execution, that is a different story. Imagine this… You have a 6 hour event with 70 families (4 or more people each) going in and out of your venue. The weeks leading up to and even the night before, 90% of your volunteers and or their children fall ill.  At no fault of their own, the reality is that people get sick. What do you do?

I don’t know what you would do, for me it was full on panic mode. My spouse, mother-in-law, and heck even my children (the ones that are old enough) were recruited. We scrambled to make sure to find a sitter for my little one.  It was pure craziness! Two adults and two children picking up and set up furniture until 1 in the morning. Decorating a banquet hall for 100’s of people, only to be back at that space by 7:30am. Then its GO time.  As an event planner your job is to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be, keep the drinks and snacks flowing, answer any questions, and coordinate performers.  All while making sure the one thing people are paying for is the one thing they will be ecstatic with.  

The event finally ends, Whew.

At this point I am thanking my lucky stars that even though I didn’t eat breakfast or have any coffee (ahhhh)! I did  manage to get through the day with some dignity left.  Everything went as smooth as can be, considering. Everything was packed up and I mean everything.  I got in my car with the kids, while hubby drove a van with all the furniture and we left. As were driving the tears start streaming of pure exhaustion, joy, stress and thankfulness that my family came through. Yes!!

Oops wait, it’s not over. The day after, when life can finally resume again (or so I thought). Here come the e-mails.  And not just any emails, the ones that punch you in the gut after such a hectic day. Letters from your fellow mamas, on how disappointed they are how horrible this event was. Aren’t these ladies the ones who should “get you,” “have your back,” or at least have a little understanding.  Before you say…Tiff you signed up for this. And yes, I did sign on for this. I knew what I was getting myself into, what I didn’t know is how cruel and mean people get when they express their dissatisfaction.

The main point I’m trying to convey is this…Please think before you go blast people or groups on social media. Always remember, when you attend a moms’s event you are not attending a professionally run event (although we try to meet those standards). You are attending  an event of someone who has a passion for bringing the local community together.  Feedback is always appreciated, that’s how we learn and can improve for next time. Try not to lose sight of why you are there in the first place, something I have been guilty of myself. Just know that there is an actual person reading those e-mails and an actual person who poured themselves into an event, hoping to make you or your kids smile.

I didn’t write this letter for pity or deliberately trying to put people in their place (well, maybe a little of that). I wrote it so that attendees realize there are real people behind these events. Such as a mom just trying to do her best. It’s a good lesson for all, including myself.

Thank you for listening to this mamas feelings on the subject. And If this has happened to you in one way or another, I GET YOU!! Hang your head up high girl!!

If you just can’t live without our Sunshine and Rainbows…check out our Grinch Dinner for some fun holiday Inspo.