Planning 2.0

In about a week or so, we will be mailing out the invitations. This means the hypothetical guest planning is coming to an end, and the actual managing of RSVPs will begin.  It is exciting and just a little nerve wracking.  I want to make sure we're ready!

It seems months ago (because it was) that I made Teri stand out in the 22 degree weather with a tape measure and help me measure areas of the back yard to figure out where we would put the buffet, dessert and seating tables, and how many people we could comfortably accommodate.  We crafted our guest list with that in mind but, as many of you know, it hasn't been an exact science.  You never know until you start actually inviting people and they actually RSVP (oh, please, Universe and the Good Laura, inspire people to actually RSVP!), how many and who.

So, now comes the seating chart stage and this takes planning to a whole new level.  We want to do assigned tables and that means figuring out who sits where and with whom and that can get a little complicated. I have a computer document that I used to figure out the mapping of tables, trees, etc. but decided that something Teri and I could both look at and have a visual and functional tool to work with as we figure out where and who (and who goes where) would be nice.  So...presenting the handy, dandy, bulletin board--used by wedding planners for centuries (maybe not centuries, but definitely decades!)

What is fun about this bulletin board is that I have had it for years.  It has nicks and places where the cork has peeled and it also has my daughter Lilly's signature all over it in pencil and pen from those early teenage years when she was affixing her name to just about anything.  What is fun about my hayseed approach is that I used what paper I had which was lined notebook paper (I'm a writer, not an artist).  I originally made little paper trees to help me figure out where the tables had to go but got rid of them because they confused me.  You'll notice the little cluster down in the lower right corner?  Those are the beverage and dessert tables which haven't found a forever home yet.


Once we start to manage RSVPs, there will be little names pinned to each of the numbered tables.  Things will change, it might take us until the very last minute to get things where we think they should be and people will still likely move around, but at least we can say we gave it our best shot!  We are even prepared in case we need to add tables, but for now, this configuration allows for 80 guests. While I do love the tidiness of being able to do all this on the computer, I think the bulletin board will allow for Teri and I to be able to do this together and that is as it should be!