Party Planning

How to plan a party

Planning a party is not an easy task. A lot of work and effort goes into planning an event. It can sometimes take months to plan a party. Some things that need to be considered are location, venue, and decorations. I have planned three different parties in the past two years. I have planned a bridal shower and two baby showers. When I plan a party I like it to be a unique occasion. To make the task of planning a party a little easier it is best to create a to do list. My lists look a little like this:

1.      Who will attend the party

2.      Find out the addresses

3.      Choose a date

4.      Choose a location

5.      Order invitations

6.      Mail out invitations

7.      What will be the theme and or decorations

8.      Will there be any party favors

When planning a party I usually ask the recipient to come up with a list of people that they would like invite to the party. This allows them to choose the people that they would be most comfortable with and have a good time with. I also ask them to get me as many addresses as possible. This is the only work that I ask the recipient to do. I try to keep all the details a secret so that they can be a little surprised. Once I get the list of people I create an excel spreadsheet to stay organized. I then start thinking of a theme and try to choose the perfect invitations.

Before you order the invitations you have to choose a date and a location. Weekends are usually best for most people to attend parties. If you do have a party during the week it should be sometime after 5:00pm so that the majority of the guests do not have to change their work schedule. The location you choose may be a location that goes with the theme of your party, it may be held in a hall, or at a restaurant or in the comfort of your home.

If the party is not held in a restaurant, thought has to be put into the what the meal will include. You can assign everyone to bring a dish or you can figure out a dish that you can make in bulk. Some parties simply have cocktails and or devours. Everyone looks forward to the dessert! The easiest and most common dessert would be either a cake or cupcakes. This can be ordered from a local bakery or you can make it yourself.

The last thing that you may want to think about before you order the invitations is if you want to put a note on it. One major thing to include is an RSVP date and contact number. Other notes that you can include on the invitation are  “SSshhhhh it’s a surprise” or if there is going to be a pool you could write “Bring a Bathing Suit.” Oftentimes people wonder what the dress code would be so it is nice to include either casual, or cocktail dresses. Finally you can order your invitations.

Once you receive the invitations you can begin addressing them. You may want to include a return address in case the invite is undeliverable. Before sealing the invitations  make sure you put all registry cards into the envelope so the guests have information on where they can buy gifts. If it is a personal bridal shower it is good to include the future bride to be’s sizes. Last step to the invitations is to seal and mail them out. If you go to the post office for your stamps you can even choose cute stamps for the same price to put on the envelope. Make sure you keep your mailbox on your phone free so that you can receive voicemails from people that are rsvping. Also remember that you will be receiving phone calls from a lot of numbers that you don’t recognize.

The rest is awaiting game… and the fun part. You can start planning your ideas for decorating. Colors? Streamers? Table cloths? Utensils? Plates? These are all things that you need to think about. Other things to think about are if you are going to make the cake and what the party favors will be. In an upcoming post I will tell give you a few ideas for party favors.