Great events may feel effortless, but behind the scenes, it takes careful planning to make everything come together. That’s where a solid event planning checklist makes all the difference.
From timelines to table settings, TCFLinen supports planners with high-quality products and expert tips to help every event run smoothly.
Use our event planning checklist to stay organized, avoid last-minute stress, and create moments your guests won’t forget.
Event Planning 101
🗺️ Determine the Why for Your Event - Understanding your event’s purpose can influence your decor choices.
💰 Make a Budget - Turning to past events, vendor quotes, and other event planners can help you craft a budget.
🌎 Pick a Time and Place - Thinking about your event’s needs can help you select the best date and location.
🏅 Think About Food and Entertainment - Considering your event’s timing and purpose makes it easier to select food and entertainment.
📋 Don’t Leave Decor Off Your Event Planning Checklist - Selecting the right color scheme and design elements can set your event apart.
🫶 Turn to TCFLinen For Help - Joining our Wholesale Partner Program makes it easy to plan memorable events.
Determine the Why of Your Event
What’s a party without a purpose? Every event has a goal. While a birthday party exists to celebrate another trip around the sun, a non-profit fundraising event’s purpose is to raise money for a worthy cause.
Before you pick the best table linens, consider the purpose of your event and what you hope to achieve by hosting it. Knowing your event’s goal will help you make design choices that create the perfect feel and look for your guests.
Here are examples of how your event’s purpose can shape your event decorating choices:
- Formal Events: Whether you’re hosting a wedding or a corporate dinner, your event should feature classy decor in refined colors.
- Casual Celebrations: Birthdays and baby showers are the perfect time to relax and have a little fun, so incorporate bright colors and creative design elements.
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Professional Events: When you’re hosting networking events and conferences, polished and professionally branded decor should take center stage.
Make a Budget
When you’re planning an event, it can be tempting to let creativity take over. However, practical considerations like your event’s budget should also help steer the ship to keep you on course.
During the early stages of planning, you can make a budget by turning to several sources:
- Previous Events: While no two events are the same, you can review the costs of past events as a starting point. Think about the similarities and differences between these events and the one you’re planning as you create a budget.
- Vendor Estimates: Contacting potential vendors (like TCFLinen) can help you learn how much everything will cost. Even a rough estimate is better than no estimate at all!
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Event Planners: What if you’re new to event planning or haven’t planned a certain type of event before? You can get a ballpark estimate of costs by talking to event planners.
Pick a Time and Place
What they say about real estate is also true about event planning: It’s all about location, location, location. However, gatherings also have another critical element, which is time.
- Date: As you think about event dates, try to choose one optimal date and a second-best date as a back-up. Don’t forget to consider whether other large events could interfere with yours.
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Location: When selecting a place to host your event, think about how many people will attend it. Also, consider what type of geographic area works best. For example, a rustic wedding often makes sense in the country, but this setting won’t work for a conference.
Think About Food and Entertainment
Selecting the right food and entertainment for your event can take it from “meh” to memorable in the blink of an eye. However, what’s right for one type of event may be wrong for another.
Think about it: A baby shower often only requires hors d'oeuvres and games to keep the guests happy. In contrast, a corporate dinner without speeches and a meal would not be well-received.
Asking the following questions can help you make decisions about food and entertainment:
- What is the purpose of your event? With a professional event, you typically need to book speakers and presenters. If you’re planning a wedding, dancing will likely be a featured activity that requires a band or a DJ.
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When is the event, and how long is it? Long events and those that occur around mealtimes typically come with the expectation of having a meal (or two). Additionally, gatherings like birthdays and weddings often require cake or some other sweet treat.
Don’t Leave Decor Off Your Event Planning Checklist
Now we get to dive into the fun part of the event planning checklist: Choosing the decor! While this task allows you to get in touch with your creative side, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
From choosing your color scheme to balancing the different decor elements, there’s a lot to consider. Thankfully, our checklist can keep you on track.
Set the Mood With the Right Colors
Many people don’t realize how powerful the right color scheme can be. The colors you choose for your event decor can help set the mood and tone for the entire experience. As a result, you want to make sure the colors you pick are consistent with the event’s theme and purpose.
Here’s a look at how different palettes can create a specific look and feel:
Noble Neutrals
Far from boring, neutrals like white, beige, and shades of soft gray evoke classic sophistication. White has the added bonus of looking incredibly fresh!
Bright and Beautiful Colors
When you want to bring extra energy and fun to your event, you can turn to colors that pack a punch. Options range from celebratory reds and bright pinks to cool blues and luscious greens.
Pretty Pastels
If you want to give your event a romantic and whimsical feel, pastels should be your go-to color scheme. Great examples include soft pinks, mint, lavender, and light blues.
Put Together All the Pieces
When it comes to the decor side of your event planning checklist, you need to include more than “get tablecloths.” A well-decorated event includes a variety of cohesive elements that add to your guests’ overall experience.
To help you create a polished appearance, consider the following design elements:
Linens and Table Settings
At most events, guests spend a lot of time at their tables, so make their seats comfortable and beautiful with tablecloths, table runners, napkins, and centerpieces.
Flowers and Greenery
After selecting your linens and centerpieces, choose floral and greenery arrangements to add texture and depth. It’s also the perfect way to bring a touch of the outdoors to an indoor event.
Drapery and Backdrops
Once you’ve chosen linens and flowers, you need to think about backdrops and drapery. When thoughtfully used, they can enhance and define entrances, stages, and photo areas.
Lighting
By now, your event space is starting to look beautiful. However, you’ll need the right lighting to see everything. Items like string lights and candles can shine light on your design choices.
Finally, don’t forget about furniture! While most event spaces have tables and chairs, you want to make sure they’re arranged in a thoughtful way to provide a natural flow through the space.
Turn to TCFLinen For Help
At TCFLinen, we believe it doesn’t need to be stressful or expensive to throw a memorable event. That’s why we sell high-quality, stylish decor in bulk with discounted pricing so that you can effortlessly bring together every detail and leave a lasting impression.
For added event-planning ease, we created our Preferred Partner Program. This program is for event planners, hospitality professionals, and decorators who want to focus on designing unforgettable events without the extra stress and expense.
Membership in our Wholesale Partner Program comes with several benefits:
- Expert Support: There’s no need to juggle the details alone. Our dedicated account managers work with you to ensure your decor selections are perfect for your event.
- High Quality, Low Prices: Our wholesale pricing lets you stock up on exceptional event decor and accessories without spending a fortune.
- Speedy Shipping: With our fast and reliable shipping options, you can feel confident you’ll receive everything you need for your event right on time.
With this event planning checklist and help from TCFLinen, you can seamlessly plan events that exceed expectations!
Sign up as a Preferred Partner today!
