Dare to Dream Event Management: Creating Event Magic Six Feet Apart

Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography

Passion for the extraordinary is what got Cheryl Clark into event planning. That same passion is helping her push her business through extraordinary circumstances.

Clark had been planning events in her church and community for over a decade before friends finally pushed her to create her own business. Now the owner of Dare to Dream Event Management, and a certified wedding planner and event designer, Clark and her team have been executing luxury events in Topeka and beyond for six years.

Dare to Dream’s tagline, “Where extraordinary events come to life,” highlights her team’s edge.

“We don’t want to be the same as everyone else,” Clark said. “We chose that tagline because we can take the basic and make it marvelous.”

Case in point: The Beauty and the Beast wedding Dare to Dream executed at the Brownstone.

The bride’s vision was simple: she wanted a cloak and flowers. Clark and her team ran with it,covering the room with candlelight and glass-encased roses, reminiscent of the enchanted rose from the fairytale.

“We created magic for her,” she said. “If you have a small dream, we can make it very big by being extraordinary in our presentation.”

While delivering fantasy-quality events is complex in normal circumstances, executing them during a pandemic adds a new layer of challenges. But, incredibly, COVID-19 has not dampened Dare to Dream’s business.

“People are still booking in a pandemic,” she said. “I’m completely shocked.”

Clark has had to postpone some events, but that hasn’t thrown her.

“As an event planner you need a plan B through Z,” Clark explained. “We always have another backup.”

To follow safety standards, Clark’s clients have had to reduce their guest lists, in some cases cutting them in half.

“They have to be thoughtful about who they really want to celebrate with,” Clark said. “Because of that, people are honored when they are still invited.”

Other measures Clark and her team take to uphold COVID-19 guidelines include setting tables apart, limiting the amount of people per table and requiring masks—even on the dance floor.

“They’re still having fun,” Clark explained. “You can do a line dance and still be six feet apart.”

Though safety guidelines require guests to be physically separated, Clark said she’s seen families become closer during the pandemic.

“People are loving on each other like they haven’t seen each other in months. Which they hadn’t because of COVID,” she said. “It’s really meshing families back together.”

Even when the pandemic is behind us, Clark thinks reduced guests list will be a continuing trend.

“People invite 200 people because that’s what we’ve done in the past, but I don’t think they will go that route any longer,” she said. “They’re just going to pick the people that are most important to them.”

While events held during the pandemic look different, Clark said she expects people to continue } booking, even if they do have to alter their visions.