How to write an event-day run sheet
One page per event that tells every vendor and helper where to be, when, and who to call.
What a run sheet is for
On the day, the couple and their parents should not be the people answering calls about where to park the van. A run sheet is a single page per event that answers those questions in advance. Everyone who has a job gets a copy.
What goes on it
- Event name, date, venue address and a map link.
- Start and end times, plus the vendor arrival and set-up times.
- A timeline of the event in fifteen- or thirty-minute steps.
- Every vendor’s name, the person in charge and their phone number.
- Who on your side is the point person for each vendor.
- Which payments are due that day, how much, and who hands them over.
- The nearest hospital, and who carries the emergency kit.
- What happens if it rains, the power fails or a vendor is late.
A template you can copy
Copy this into a document or message and fill it in for each event:
EVENT: ______ DATE: ______ VENUE: ______ MAP: ______ VENUE CONTACT: ______ (phone ______) TIMINGS __:__ Vendors arrive (decor, sound, catering) __:__ Family arrives __:__ Guests arrive __:__ Food service starts __:__ Music must stop (check venue rules) __:__ Take-down starts VENDORS (name / person in charge / phone / our point person) Decor: ______ Catering: ______ Photography: ______ Sound: ______ Transport: ______ PAYMENTS DUE TODAY (vendor / amount / who pays) ______ EMERGENCY Nearest hospital: ______ Emergency kit is with: ______ If it rains: ______
Share it early and update one copy
Send the run sheet to vendors a week before, ask them to check their times, and keep one master copy. If anything changes, update the master and resend it, rather than passing corrections by word of mouth.
The vendor question lists help you collect the details a run sheet needs.