They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. - Tom Bodett
The last year has presented many challenges and I found myself longing for all three of those things that Tom Bodett referred to.
More than ever I needed the ones I loved closer, I needed to be able to recover safely and I needed to hope for a brighter future-one that included my husband and I being together, with the only distance being pre-planned trips.
If you read my previous marriage series posts, you would recall that my husband and I were in a long-distance marriage- not by choice, but by circumstance. As the coronavirus made its way around the globe, it then became long distance as a result of numerous lockdowns and border closing both in The Bahamas and in Trinidad and Tobago.
With some travel restrictions being lifted and slow and somewhat steady boost in the economy, the pandemic has made most of us resourceful allowing for the recent eruption and blooming of young entrepreneurs. As a result, there has been more at home shenanigans and smaller gatherings that has afforded the intimacy and socialisation that has been lacking and desired all in the comfort of your own home and mostly without requiring you to lift a finger.
After a long and tedious seventeen (17) months, and with an exemption from the state, my husband and I were finally reunited. To say I am pleased is an understatement! After many months of recuperating from Covid-19, I decided to plan a surprise intimate picnic for my husband and I to prematurely celebrate our anniversary and his birthday.
Below are the steps I used and businesses I solicited after deciding on a theme in order to pull off my very first surprise event.
Related: Picnic Planning
5 Tips for Planning A Surprise Beachside Picnic
1. Budget
As with all things a budget will keep you on track and allow you to spend what you have without placing yourself in debt.
Setting a realistic budget will allow you to avoid anxiety and eliminate the frustration of not getting what you want because what you envision far outweighs what you can afford.
In order to set a realistic budget it may require you doing some research on what the market has to offer and what is in your ability to do yourself in order to save a few dollars while getting what you want.
Once the budget has been set, be sure to secure the funds for various things such as food, drinks (if not included in any package you're booking), attire, hair and makeup if you're opting for those, photography etc.
You may chose to use envelopes or simply moving money from one frequently used bank account to another savings or checking account to allow you to make payments directly from the designated funds and monitor your spending.
2. Research Local Offerings
As this is a small event we're planning I wouldn't recommend seeking the services of an event planner unless of course you want to be completely uninvolved or unbothered with the planning process and you have the budget to afford it.
If you're not going with an event planner, then be sure to research certain companies offering what you're looking for.
I decided I wanted to have an intimate beachside picnic inclusive of games, a bonfire and of course S'morse. Despite being able to put this all together on my own, I decided to seek the services of a local picnic planning business to do all of the ground work and heavy lifting to ensure my husband wouldn't pick up on what was being planned.
There are several companies that offer picnic planning locally and after reviewing their price list and offerings I decided on
Paradise Picnic BS.
3. Set the Date
Once you have found a business you're comfortable and satisfied with, be sure to secure their services with any deposits if required. This secures your date and allows you to stay on budget.
Mark the date in your calendar and now proceed with booking other vendors based on this date as your primary (and likely most expensive vendor) has been secured.
Be sure to notify your significant other or whomever you're planning the special event for, to keep that date clear. Get creative with the reason.
4. Finalise the minute details
Once the date was secured and I had a vision of how I wanted the picnic setup to look, I began looking for sentimental pieces from our wedding that could easily be incorporated into the picnic setup that Paradise Picnic and I had discussed.
For our wedding decorations, I made a few floor signs that directed our guests to various spots throughout the venue. One sign in particular read "almost there," as I knew there would be a walk to the picnic site, I decided to incorporate this into this special day along with the tic-tac-toe game and our wedding vows booklets that weren't able to be shipped due to Hurricane Dorian and other unforeseen circumstances.
These made the decorations all the more special and were such a unique touch.
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| Letter board included in Paradise Picnic Package |
5. Have fun
As much as I've planned things, I have now learnt that, nothing ever goes according to plan, so leave room for the mishaps, mother natures way of adding a twist and her own touch to things and whatever you do, don't get angry or upset; take a deep breath, laugh and enjoy the moment.
This was my husbands first time ever having a beachside picnic, inclusive of a gorgeous Bahamian sunset, a bonfire and s'mores and Mother Nature's special twist: a torrential downpour, which left us both soaking wet (our dog Copper as well), laughing our butts off and so glad we did it.
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| Gorgeous sunset that made the evening all the more special |
Here's a sneak peek video thanks to Paradise Picnic BS.
If you enjoyed this concise post, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you liked the most and if you'll be planning a surprise beachside picnic in the near future.
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