So you wanna throw a party?
Planning a party, to me, is just as much fun as the actual party. My favorite is that a-ha moment when the idea or theme slaps me in the face. From that moment on, I am on fire. Brainstorming, price comparing, shopping, planning, taking notes, prepping-- all until the very last minute.
I have yet to find a suitable party planning book that meets my needs and then some, so, I make my own using blank stationary books. Mapping out a grid for my guest list with a ruler, I then add bullets for main ideas and tiny square boxes to check off the to-do list.
The following are my key focal points when planning a party:
What? Why am I having this party? The answer is usually what creates the title and theme of my party. For example, after we bought our first home we wanted to celebrate and show it off with all our friends and family. So we decided to have a house warming party. Pretty standard idea, right? But how you pull it off makes all the difference. The theme was "Welcome, this is our house, allow us to entertain you." We had interactive games for our guests to play, all house themed; we named and titled each one of our rooms; our guests were greeted with tour maps upon first arriving and encouraged to walk about and check it out for themselves. You can see more about this event in a separate blog post, here.
Where? Location! Location! Location! I tend to host my soirees in our home. But if this is impractical for you, other good ideas for a venue could include, rent-able halls, restaurants (preferably ones with a private area or room), another friend's house, outdoor parks-- the possibilities are endless, especially if you think outside of the box.
Who? Who do you want to attend? Is it ladies only or co-ed? Are children welcome or perhaps animals?
When? When is your event going to take place? I usually prefer Saturdays if in the evening or Sundays if during the afternoon. Since I work a full time 9-5 job, I like to allow an entire day to prep for event. If I am hosting a party Saturday evening, I'll go to market and liquor store Friday after work and do any major clean up that evening. If I am decorating or rearranging my furniture, I will get that done then as well. Saturdays I will do light cleaning and tidying up, food prep and any last minute details, get ready and wait for guests to arrive. If my event will take place on a Sunday afternoon, I will to do the above only on Saturday. I feel doing an event on either of those days / times gives me more time to take care of anything with minimal stress.
How? How are your going to get people to know? By inviting them, of course! But choosing the correct format is important. I am guilty of it myself -- I have sent out invitations using only social media. But I may be one of the few who prefers good ol' fashion, mailed, tangible, paper invitations. I found using the social media e-vite tool was less time consuming for keeping up with the RSVPs and convenient for my invitees to easily press a button, yea or nay. However being the crazy paper hoarder I am, I enjoy collecting and revisiting my keepsake boxes of such items. Also it is still possible that not all of your friends don't partake in online social media networks. I've made that mistake; I thought I had invited everyone I wanted and was confronted a week prior to my event that I had not invited them. It's safe to say they were disappointed with me and they did not attend. Perhaps to have the best of both worlds, you could send out paper invitations as well as set up an online e-vite page. But in retrospect, how you decide to let your friends know what you're up to and that you would like their company is completely your choice. So do what works and fits best for you and your friends. Your invitations are to serve the purpose of letting people know what you're planning and what they can expect at your party. Invitations are a good time to let your guests know whether or not gifts are accepted. I don't like to pressure my guests with having to find a suitable outfit, bring food and beverage on top of finding and purchasing a gift. But I don't want to discourage them either. I will simply state "gifts are welcome though not necessary." Also as a side note, if I do go the route of sending out paper invitations, I will mail one to myself, for two purposes: 1) to know the time frame my guests should have received theirs and 2) to have a time-stamped copy for my keepsake box.
Food & Beverage. What foods are you going to have available for your guests? What about beverages? There is no shame in requesting your guests to bring a snack to share or their own choice of poison. I always make a lot of food just so there is plenty and a good variety. I will also try to offer a signature cocktail. However I understand not everyone will like what I am drinking. I am fortunate enough to have a husband who homebrews as well as a boss who owns his own micro brew. Therefore I usually will have a keg of good brew available. Lastly, you should have a nonalcoholic beverage. Not everyone drinks alcohol and there will come a time when you and your guests will need to stop drinking-- having something other than water is always appreciated.
Those are the most basic and vital points when planning your party. But to really take it up a notch, other things must be considered, e.g., choose a theme or come up with games your guests can play, and most critical of all: What are you even going to wear?!
And that brings us to the extended key focal points:
Theme. It's always fun to have a themed party and it gives your guests a better idea as to what they should wear, bring to share, and what they can expect to encounter when they walk through the ballroom doors. My rule is if I am going to have a themed party which will require my guest to do anything specific, I will indicate such on the invitations and mail / send to guests with a two month notice. This then gives time to bargain shop, research, plan a recipe and or setup appropriate child care.
Games. I go back and forth on playing games or not. Sometimes it's nice to allow your party goers to chill and enjoy each other's company, and other times games are great way to liven up a party or get your guest to engage with one another. Before I was always, "YES, we're going to play games, duh!" And I would have two or three available as suited the mood. You can see in some other posts exactly which games I've had at my parties: coloring contests, guessing games, treasure hunts, etc.
Props or Supplies. Now that you have all the above covered. What materials do you need to pull off this event? Are you wanting a photo booth where your guests can pose with silly items and snap photos for long lasting memories? I keep a suit case full of all sorts of props for that very purpose. And throughout the years I have accumulated quite a collections of fun and random objects. This is the time to brainstorm and think about what you need, anything you already have and want to do for your party. This would include your market list and any liquor you need to stock up on.
Attire. What on earth are your going to wear? If you are like me, I sometimes need to assist with my husband's attire as well. I plan my whole outfit way in advance, sometimes before I've even announced I am hosting a party! A couple of weeks before the party I will have my apparel, shoes, jewelry, hair and makeup already mapped out. This makes for a less stressful day on the day of your party. As us girls can spend hours trying to figure out what on earth we're going to wear. Have it figured out prior - it's just that simple.
To-Do List. Make a list of all the things you need to accomplish before the big party. I will list chores I need to complete in a timely fashion. For example, I make a list of what needs to be done two weeks before the party, then one week before, then the week of, day before and day of. Hopefully if you start checking off two weeks prior you'll have minimal work to prepare on the day of your party, which gives you more time to get yourself ready. I have had guests show up while I was still in my to-do clothes and not ready at all. This is a result of poor time management and can cause frustration for you, possibly your significant other and make your guests feel a little uncomfortable. Anytime someone shows up early I will put them to work, or, if someone offers to come earlier to help with anything, I will gladly accept their hand.
Planning a party can be just as fun as the actual party. And if you follow these key steps, you too can pull off a super fun and memorable party just like a professional.
What? Where? Who? How? When? Food & Beverage? Theme? Games? Props & Supplies? Attire? & To Do!
Content by: Agent J
