Wrong Impression

In the process of planning and designing a wedding, there are times the venue might not totally meet the vision of what the couple was looking for. They picked the venue due to an open date, price, location or one of another dozen reasons but there might be changes that they want to make.  I notice some venues are very touchy about what goes on in their space, what they are willing to move and change around.  I get this, I do.  It isn't always easy to move around huge pieces of furniture but moving a few plants out is totally doable.  Anyways, more than once I've heard horror stories about planners or designers coming in and taking over the space, nailing things into the wall, taking down art, and overall causing stress for the venue.    I recently witnessed this at a location I was at.  The event planner started sticking things into the windows, hanging hooks from the walls (not the cool, leave no mark ones either) and just not respecting the space at all.  This of course gives all of us planners and designers a bad name. 

Now I will admit, I have moved my fair share of dead plants, fake trees and ugly soda coolers but I've never hung anything permanent on a wall at a venue.  I have attached the 3M hooks that work great.  I have been given permission to pin fabric to fabric that was already on a wall, and I have moved fake fencing out of a space too.  Usually if I go to move something, it is cleared way before the event and I make it clear that we will return the item to the correct space at the end of the night. It is a always a good idea to ask your venue, do they have any rules, a list of things not to do or to do and work within these rules.  I don't like people having the wrong impression about ALL planners coming in, taking over and making huge changes but it isn't like that.  My goal is to keep my couple's wants and needs taken care of during the event but to also work well within the space we are in. 

When walking through a venue, that you may fall in love with, ask the questions.  Ask can I hang things, are these the paintings here year around, do we need to have the fake tree in the corner, is the bar moveable or not??? These are things worth asking before you sign on the dotted line. 

You can't really see the orange netting at all. :)

As I end this, I will admit to one more thing.  I had a bride getting married with the beautiful ocean as the backdrop to her ceremony.  Between the ocean and the ceremony was a boardwalk that decided to be worked on the months leading up to the wedding.  The morning of the ceremony, the backdrop all of a sudden was orange netting over the boardwalk and then the ocean  I might have cut down the netting, allowed it to drop to the ground and hour before the ceremony and tied it back up right after.  I just couldn't let that be in the photos. :)