Alright, let’s have a real talk. You’re deep in event planning mode. You’ve got the venue locked down, the caterer is on speed dial, and you’re having dreams about seating charts. But in the back of your mind, there’s this little, nagging voice. It’s whispering one terrible word: stuff.
Where does all the stuff go?
I’m not talking about the glamorous stuff. I’m talking about the 37 mismatched tablecloths you bought for a steal on Facebook Marketplace. The box of “extra extension cords” that’s really just a tangled snake of despair. The fifty mason jars you swore you’d use for that rustic wedding three years ago. If you’re anything like me, your garage or spare room has become a haunted house of event past, and it’s starting to freak you out.
So, from one recovering storage disaster to another, here are the hacks I learned the hard way. No fluff, just the stuff that actually works when you’re up to your elbows in bubble wrap.
Hack #1: Your Phone is Your Best Friend (Before You Pack a Single Box)
This one changed my life. Before you touch a thing, take your phone and do a slow-mo video walkthrough of your storage space. Open every box, unfold a tablecloth, point at the weird, unlabeled thing in the corner. Narrate it like you’re a museum tour guide. “And here we have the remnants of the 2019 gala, notably three broken candle holders and a bag of gold glitter that will haunt me forever.”
Why? Because two days before your next event, when you’re 90% sure you have a box of votive candles somewhere, you won’t have to tear the place apart. You can just scroll through the video on your couch. It’s a digital memory you can’t lose under a pile of table skirts.
Hack #2: The “Why Is This Sticky?” Prevention Method
You know that feeling. You reach into a bin for your string lights and your fingers come away weird and sticky. Or worse, you smell that faint, sour smell of “something spilled in here years ago.”
My rule is now absolute: Nothing edible or liquid goes into long-term storage. Ever. This seems obvious, but you’d be surprised. Leftover mini bottles of hot sauce from the corporate lunch? Toss ‘em. Half-used bags of coffee for the volunteers? Nope. That mostly-empty gallon of industrial cleaner? Find a different home for it. The ghosts of events past are often made of dried condiments. Don’t invite them in.
Hack #3: The “Open Me First” Box (And Its Cousin, The “Dump It Here” Box)
You’ve arrived at the venue. The clock is ticking. You have six helpers looking at you expectantly. This is no time for an archeological dig.
Always, always, always pack one box for each major zone (decor, kitchen, tech) that is clearly marked “OPEN ME FIRST.” In it goes the absolute essentials to get that area started. For decor: the layout diagram, the command hooks, the scissors. For kitchen: the vendor contracts, the table diagrams, the sharpies. This box gets loaded last on the truck so it comes off first.
Its crucial partner is the “DUMP IT HERE” box. At the end of the night, when everyone is tired and just wants to go home, you need a catch-all. Designate a couple of sturdy bins for the “I don’t know where this goes right now” items. It prevents things from being left on tables or, heaven forbid, thrown away in the exhaustion. You can sort it properly later, in the calm light of your storage unit.
Hack #4: Befriend the Librarian (The Professional Organizer’s Mindset)
I once watched a librarian weeding a bookshelf. She wasn’t just putting books back; she was curating. That’s the mindset.
Once a year, usually in January when I’m feeling brave, I do a “storage reckoning.” I take everything out. Everything. And I ask three brutal questions:
- Is it damaged? (That stained tablecloth? It’s a rag now.)
- Did I use it in the last two events? (If not, will I really use it next time?)
- Does it spark joy? (Thanks, Marie Kondo. That bag of sad, deflated balloons does not. It can go.)
This hurts, but it’s the only way to prevent the slow creep of chaos. You’re not a museum for your past events. You’re running a business. Keep what serves you.
The Real Talk: When Your Garage Fights Back
Here’s the honest-to-goodness truth I had to learn: There’s a point where “home storage hacks” aren’t enough. When your spouse starts parking the car on the street, or you can’t host a dinner party because your dining room is a holding cell for 80 folding chairs, you’ve hit a professional wall.
This was me. I was a professional planner with a completely unprofessional storage situation. My turning point was renting a small, clean unit over at Bristol VA Self Storage. I’m not just saying this because you run a storage site—I’m saying it because it saved my business sanity.
It wasn’t just about space. It was about mindset. My home became my home again. My storage unit became my warehouse, my staging area, my “backstage.” I could lay things out, reorganize on a rainy Tuesday, and everything was safe, dry, and together. No more “I think the banners are in the attic and the linens are in the basement…” It was all in one, accessible, purpose-built place. For a planner, that’s not a luxury; it’s a critical business tool.
Look, event planning is about creating magic for other people. But you can’t create magic from a place of chaos. Taking control of your storage isn’t a boring logistical chore. It’s how you protect your time, your investment in all that stuff, and most importantly, your peace of mind.
Now go on. You’ve got an event to plan. But maybe, just maybe, take ten minutes first to film that garage walkthrough. Future-you will send past-you a thank-you note.
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