An event planner's client workflow: from first brief to final report

Great planners are not only creative; they run a process that makes every event feel effortless to the client. When the steps are the same each time, you can take on more clients without dropping details. Here is a workflow many studios use.

1. Discovery and brief

Start with a structured call and write down:

• The occasion, date range and guest estimate
• Budget, and what is included in it
• The client's must-haves and deal-breakers
• Who approves decisions (the couple, a parent, a marketing director)

Send a one-page summary afterwards. It becomes the reference for every later conversation.

2. Proposal and agreement

Turn the brief into a proposal with options, a timeline and your fees. Once signed, create the event and a client record so every file, message and decision lives in one place.

3. Design and approval

Share the invitation design and ask for approval in writing. A review link where the client can comment directly on the design saves long email threads, and it records exactly what was approved and when. Limit rounds of changes in your agreement (two or three is common).

4. Guest list and invitations

Import the client's guest list, clean it and agree on the rules for plus ones and children. Then:

• Send invitations with personal links
• Give the client a read-only portal to watch replies come in without editing your list
• Schedule reminders before the RSVP deadline

5. Vendors and budget

Keep vendors, quotes, deposits and due dates in one budget view. Link each vendor to the run sheet so everyone knows their arrival time and contact on the day.

6. The run sheet

A minute-by-minute schedule for the day: set-up, arrivals, ceremony or programme, food service, speeches, pack-down. Share a live version with your team and vendors so a change reaches everyone at once.

7. The day itself

• Check guests in with QR codes and watch arrivals live
• Keep the run sheet open on every team member's phone
• Log any issues for the debrief

8. Wrap-up and report

Within a week, send the client a short report:

A clear report is also the best moment to ask for a review or a referral.

Tools make the process repeatable

Templates for tasks, run sheets and emails turn a good process into a fast one. einvitation's Event Planner plan includes clients, design approval, a client portal, vendors, budgets, run sheets and check-in in one place. Compare the plans.