Wedding and Festival Management: Social and Cultural Events Planning – Paris, 14–18 Dec 2026

Programme overview

Introduction:

Wedding and festival management is where social and cultural events succeed or fail on details: a couple's vision that drifts from the budget, vendors who arrive late, guest lists that change weekly, festival performers without a stage schedule and permits requested too late. This Core Concept course gives planners, banqueting teams and cultural programme staff a working method for weddings, private celebrations, festivals and community events, from the client or community brief to the post-event debrief. Participants produce a Wedding Event Plan and a Community Festival Run-of-Show for two case events.

Course Objectives:

• Translate a couple's, family's or community's wishes into a written event brief with guest profile, style direction, priorities and budget ceiling
• Build an itemised celebration budget and client agreement covering deposits, payment stages, inclusions, change requests and cancellation terms
• Select and lay out venues for ceremonies, receptions and open-air festival sites using capacity, access, power and weather criteria
• Coordinate decor, floristry, catering, photography, entertainment and performer suppliers through a vendor matrix, tastings and confirmation schedule
• Manage guest invitations, replies, seating, hospitality and VIP family care alongside festival programming, artist logistics and permits
• Run the event day with a minute-by-minute schedule, contingency cards and a debrief that improves the next celebration or festival edition

Target Audience:

• Planners and coordinators who design and run weddings, engagement parties and private family celebrations for clients
• Venue, banqueting and hotel event teams who host receptions and deliver catering and hospitality on the day
• Cultural programme and community events staff who organise festivals, heritage days and public celebrations
• Festival production and site coordinators who manage stages, stalls, performers and volunteer crews
• Event supplier and agency staff who handle decor, entertainment or guest services and want to plan whole events

Course Outline:

Day 1: Social and Cultural Event Landscape and the Client Brief

• Social and Cultural Event Types: Weddings, Private Celebrations, Festivals and Community Days
• Wedding Planning Service Packages: Full Planning, Partial Planning and Day-of Coordination
• Couple and Family Discovery Interview and Wedding Brief Template
• Community Festival Purpose Statement and Audience Profile Sheet
• Current Practice Review Using a Past Celebration Lessons Log

Day 2: Concept, Budget, Contracts and Venue Planning Tools

• Theme and Style Board: Colour Palette, Mood, Dress Code and Cultural Traditions
• Itemised Celebration Budget Tracker with Contingency and Per-Guest Cost
• Client Service Agreement: Deposits, Payment Stages, Change Requests and Cancellation Terms
• Venue Site Visit Checklist for Ballrooms, Gardens, Heritage Sites and Open Grounds
• Ceremony, Reception and Festival Site Layout Drawings with Guest Flow Zones

Day 3: Suppliers, Guest Experience and Festival Programming

• Vendor Selection Matrix for Florists, Caterers, Photographers, Decorators and Entertainers
• Menu Tasting, Cake Selection and Banquet Service Sequence Planning
• Guest List, Invitation, RSVP Tracking and Seating Chart Workflow
• Luxury Guest Experience Map: Arrival, Family Hosting, Gifts and Farewell
• Festival Line-Up Grid, Stage Schedule and Stall Vendor Village Allocation

Day 4: Performers, Permits, Safety and Contingency Control

• Artist and Performer Logistics: Riders, Stage Plots, Sound Checks and Green Rooms
• Permit and Stakeholder Coordination Tracker for Authorities, Neighbours and Sponsors
• Crowd Capacity, Entry Points and First Aid Basics for Open-Air Festivals
• Weather, Power and No-Show Contingency Cards for Outdoor Celebrations
• Family Tension, Last-Minute Guest Changes and Complaint Recovery Scripts

Day 5: Case Events: Wedding Plan and Festival Run-of-Show

• Case Wedding Briefing: Two-Family Evening Celebration with Mixed Traditions
• Wedding Event Plan Build: Timeline, Budget, Vendor Schedule and Seating Plan
• Case Community Festival Briefing: Weekend Cultural Programme in a Public Park
• Minute-by-Minute Festival Run-of-Show with Staff Positions and Radio Call Signs
• Post-Event Debrief Template and Peer Review of Both Case Plans

Skills You Will Gain:

• Client Brief Discovery
• Celebration Budget Control
• Theme and Style Design
• Venue Layout Planning
• Vendor Coordination
• Guest Hospitality Management
• Festival Programming
• Event Day Contingency Handling

Why Attend This Course:

• Leave with a Wedding Event Plan and a Community Festival Run-of-Show built on two case events and reviewed by peers
• Protect margins and client trust with clear payment stages, change-request rules and budget tracking
• Keep suppliers, performers and families aligned through one schedule on the day
• Exchange practice with planners, hotel banqueting teams and cultural programme staff from different sectors and countries

Conclusion:

Weddings and festivals are remembered for moments, yet those moments depend on briefs, budgets, contracts, layouts and schedules settled weeks earlier. The course moves from event types, service packages and client or community briefs, through themes, budgets, agreements and venue layouts, to suppliers, guests and festival programming, then to performers, permits, crowd basics and contingencies. The final day applies the method to a case wedding and a case community festival and produces a Wedding Event Plan and a Festival Run-of-Show ready for use at work.