Unusual People Have Events Too

Not everyone is traditional. When a non-traditional person starts musing over hosting an event, and when they are not pressured to conform to societal mandates - often something new, insired and exciting can evolve. As an event planner, this can be the most challenging, yet rewarding work there is out there.

Pressure them to conform to the pre-programmed expectations of traditionalists... and you have eliminated the possibility to get something new out into the world.

There are few resources to help non-traditionalists, partly because of the infinate complexity of the subject - and the fact that there is little opportunity for profitability for niche markets. I have located a few resources, and anyone is invited to add to the arsenal. Just send in your comments, and I will be sure to review and post them here.

www.uniquevenues.com hosts basic searchable info on non-traditional venues such as colleges, universities, conference centers, theaters, mansions, dining and entertainment venues, museums and castles among others.

At ethicalweddings.com they boast: ”Local, fair trade, organic, eco-friendly, recycled… these are a few of our favourite things at ethicalweddings.com, a searchable database of ethical wedding services and products which give you the chance to celebrate your wedding the way you want while giving others something to celebrate too.”

Offbeat Bride offers inspiration for the “aisles less traveled.” Author Ariel Meadow Stallings shares her own experiences that of dozens of nontraditional brides. Offbeatbride.com is the companion website for the book, with such unconventional categories as “Wedding Porn”... and it does not hold back. Reoccurring themes are: tattooed brides, red wedding gowns, groomsmen as bandmembers and veil alternatives. Warning: she drops the “f-bomb” on her site a few times.

To quote Ariel … " For me, the scariest part of getting engaged was feeling as if I were suddenly buying into an identity that wasn’t my own. I was having a bridentity crisis. Suddenly I was supposed to care about floral arrangements and classical quartets. Suddenly I was supposed to like poufy white dresses and showing off jewelry. Suddenly I was supposed to buy five-hundred-page glossy magazines and take a strong interest in decorative bows for the backs of rented chairs. I was a bride, but I wasn’t that kind of bride. I didn’t care about any of these things. I just loved my partner, Andreas, and I wanted to have a big party to share that love with our family and friends."

As planners, we can reduce pressure and try to buffer the stress for our client when resistance from family, society and traditional vendors arises. It is rewarding to assist people in realizing something new, something not experienced before, and somehing that truly reflects the wonderful person hosting the event.