Whether you’re planning a wedding, sweet sixteen, communion, corporate event or a myriad of other events, there are some important things to know. These are the kind of tips you think, “I’m sure glad someone told me that!” While you may have planned events before, here are seven best event planning tips you may have missed that are secrets to a successful event.

1. Be Our Guest
It’s always important to consider your approximate guest count before settling on a venue. This will ensure there’s enough space for everyone. Remember, you need space not only for your guests but a DJ/band, dance floor, tables, and busy servers. If you need to cut the guest list consider prioritizing by tiers. Begin with the immediate family, persons of honor, and best friends at the top of the list. Follow this with extended family; aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends. These are people you can’t imagine celebrating without. Next, list additional friends, neighbors, coworkers and so on. If you need to pare down, begin at the bottom until you reach your ideal number and budget.

2. Securing The Date
Choosing a date can be tricky. While there are several things to consider, here’s just one. Discover if your special event date falls on a holiday, convention, or large local event that would cause conflicts with traffic and hotel availability. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating on a holiday but consider your important guests may have other obligations.

3. Capitalize On The Bonuses
Want some bonuses for spending all that money on your event? Secure a credit card with a rewards program. From airline miles to shopping deals, putting all your spending on one card will help you accumulate thousands of rewards points.

4. Get Referrals
When looking for trusted vendors ask the catering hall and vendors for referrals. They’ve worked in this business a long time and know who can be trusted for the best experience. Your photographer knows which florists flowers last longer and stay freshest. The catering hall can tell you which transportation is always on time.

5. Get Organized
There is a lot to plan and keep track of. Get organized using a digital format, if that works for you, or go traditional with a three-ring binder. Compile everything; correspondences, notes, photos, ideas, things from magazines, etc all in one place. This will save you time and stress. Set up an email address dedicated to the event. Keep a contact list of important people and vendor numbers in a hard copy and on your phone. Break things down into a schedule from start to finish and follow a logical order to get things done. This will relieve a lot of stress, keep you from getting worn down and help you enjoy the event when the day comes.

6. The Signature Drink
Signature drinks are still a great way to celebrate any event. Since signature drinks are custom made, make sure you have enough servers to attend to your guests. You don’t want your guests waiting in a long line to enjoy the celebration.

7. Help Them Arrive At The Event
With all the planning you’ve done, you want to make sure your guests get to the event on time. Providing an accurate directions card, map and address will help them accomplish this. Your catering hall can help you print our driving directions. Having the address allows your guests to use their GPS to find the least congested traffic route. As a safety measure, you can create a private event page on Facebook and post the address and directions there. The Facebook site never goes down and your guests know how to easily access it.

Whether you’re planning a wedding, sweet sixteen, communion, corporate event or a myriad of other events, there are some important things to know. Using these seven best event planning tips will help you have a more successful celebration.