Anyone who has planned an event, be it a small birthday or a huge wedding, knows that creating such a thing from scratch is no small feat. And nobody knows this better than Marin County local and event designer Marinda Freeman.
For 40 years, Freeman has honed her passion and natural eye for event design into an artform. And recently, she condensed her decades of experience, insight and wisdom into a book entitled Everything is an Event; A Step-by-Step Guide Creating Memorable Occasions for Today’s Lifestyle with 15 Principles Revealed.
Everything is an Event is an essential guide providing easy-to-follow advice when it comes to hosting…well, anything. To celebrate the occasion of Freeman’s new book release, Corte Madera’s Book Passage is holding a free-to-attend meet and greet with the author herself at 1pm, Saturday, March 29.
During her Book Passage appearance, she will talk about what led her to become an authority in the realm of event design, how she turns parties into art and, most importantly, how anyone can do the same (with the right tools and mindset, that is). Those who attend her talk will experience one of the best ways to glean wisdom, when women pass down their knowledge to others.
“My mother, my grandmother and my aunts were all incredible cooks, seamstresses, entertainers and decorators, so it came as osmosis to me,” said Freeman. “When you’re in an environment with beautifully set tables and delicious dinners, you grow up thinking that’s how everybody operates.”
“When I started my own business, it was so easy for me since I’m very organized and creative, and all of this was very natural—it took me years to articulate what it is I do since it is so inherent,” she continued. “Later [in my career], I started looking at the principles of event planning…to clarify and quantify the focus and principles that I use to operate, and then observing the results that happen because of that.”
In her four decades of experience, Freeman has explored the full spectrum of professional event design and planned—or helped to plan—too many events to count. She has made waves in the industry as an entrepreneur of event design and during her tenure as executive director at Martha Stewart Catering. In writing her book, she condensed her plethora of experience into just 15 fundamental principles to event plan (and possibly live by).
“One of my principles is that when you have fun and create community, the fun, memories and buzz will follow,” she said. “…it doesn’t matter what kind of event it is; the principles remain the same.”
“Most people start planning events about four steps behind when they should,” explained Freeman. “But you have to ask, ‘Why are you doing this? What is the environment you want the guests to walk into? What is the experience you want them to have?’ Anticipating and planning with clarity that allows the event you envision to unfold.”
Freeman’s experience has led her to host a plethora of events, ranging from non-profit galas to weddings to outdoor festivals, with no small amount of product launches and anniversary celebrations in between. Her event design experience spans so extensively that it would be more efficient to list what she hasn’t planned, to be entirely honest. And her wealth of knowledge is invaluable for those who wish to host an event of their own—and the wisdom bound together in Everything is an Event is a resource worth its weight in gold.
“Think of a fun party or event you attended recently,” said Freeman. “Did you know it was fun because there was a sign at the entrance that said ‘Fun Party,’ or did you just know from experiencing it?”
“Fun is the energy of attraction,” she added. “The atmosphere you walk into can be designed. Design what you want the guests to experience. What are the qualities of that experience? Love, fun, connection, community…? A wedding, for instance, can be elegant, casual, connection-based. Start with establishing that, as it’s a foundation for the event. Design what you want them to say when they walk in and when they depart, and do all of that before you start doing the things.”
Twenty-five years ago, Freeman decided to not only host and plan events, but to teach others how to do so as well. By becoming an event consultant, she began sharing her inherent wisdom and lived experience with clientele, helping spread the scope of her know-how for hosting unforgettable events to others.
“I teach my clients to time travel to the date, place and time of their event so they can walk through the space,” she explained. “What does it feel like? What’s the environment, and is it easy to move through? Experience what the guests will experience so you can take care of them.”
“We don’t talk about gravity, but it’s operating all the time,” Freeman continued. “The principle I teach my clients is that event planning is a lot like gravity, and if you know and work with it, you can enjoy the process of planning and enjoy the end result.”
An entire section of Everything is an Event is dedicated to this time travel exercise, which she calls “looking through the eyes of the guest.” By putting oneself into the shoes of the guest instead of the host, one can gain a more objective viewpoint and better anticipate what guests will see, need and experience. This is one of many useful tools Freeman hopes to teach others through publishing her principles in Everything is an Event.
“My event principles are not just for events, but guidelines on how to live your life and think differently too,” concluded Freeman. “Create an environment for the human beings that are in the event to actually be inspired or be relaxed or be welcomed or comfortable being there—that’s what all of us need.”
Life is full of reasons to celebrate, between weddings, anniversaries, going away and welcome home parties, quinceaneras and sweet 16s and all the other occasions that bring people together. So one may want to come on out to Book Passage and learn how to host unforgettable events from the master of event design herself—it’s sure to be a stellar gathering if she has anything to say about it.
To learn more about Freeman’s event planning principles, visit her website at marindafreeman.com.
