I don’t know about you, but I get excited when planning a party. I start seeing the vision of how I wanted the color, theme, decorations, food, and atmosphere to be. But then, I quickly pump the breaks. Because what I have in my head, may not necessarily match my pocketbook. So, before I do anything, I set a budget and stick to it. Occasionally, if I have a little extra I purchase a few more items to spruce up the party. If this is something you struggle with, have an accountability partner.
1. Set A Budget You Can Stick To
I don’t know about you, but I get excited when planning a party. I start seeing the vision of how I wanted the color, theme, decorations, food, and atmosphere to be. But then, I quickly pump the breaks. Because what I have in my head, may not necessarily match my pocketbook. So, before I do anything, I set a budget and stick to it. Occasionally, if I have a little extra, I purchase a few more items to spruce up the party. If this is something you struggle with, consider having an accountability partner. If you ask, some people will help you with those extra things as well.
2. Choose A Planner That Works For You
Even with the best planning, unexpected things will occur sometimes. That’s why it’s important to have a planner. Your planner can come in the form of a book, cell phone notes, a person you hire or, Party Planning Organizer. A cell phone is a great backup option because we always have it with us. So, when things come to mind, we can just pop it in our phone notes at the grocery store and put it in our planner later. If you hire someone, be clear with them about your vision for your event. If you are not sure, either way, write down as much as you know you would like to happen. And be sure to book your event and put down your deposit as soon as you have confirmed a date. You don’t want to take the chance of someone else booking your venue on your date and time.
3. Select Party Favors
Party favors can take a chunk of your budget if you’re not careful. You want to make sure your gift is both meaningful and worth it. Try to avoid one-time use gifts if you are on a tight budget. Spending a lot of money will simply be up to you. There are plenty of things you can give that don’t have to break the bank. You can do something as simple as a handwritten enveloped letter with gourmet chocolate and a bow attached to it. If you like to make things, homemade honey in a jar or peanut brittle in a clear plastic bag with a bow personalizes your favor. If you like to craft, show off one of your creations to your friends. For my kids’ parties, a very inexpensive go-to gift for me is popcorn, a lollipop, and a fun pencil tied in a bow. Go online to get ideas. Then add your own touch!
4. Customize Your Event For Each Guest Group
No two parties have the same personality. Create the vibe of your event based on the people you invite. If it’s a group of savvy intellectuals, lay out your business magazines or books from your library that you know will spark stimulating conversation on world events. But if you know these conversations can get spirited, these are great times to transition into a fun activity. This group wants conversation that gets them engaged. But they don’t want the night to be tense, stuffy, and all business. They’ve come to have a good time.
If it’s people from church, they may not necessarily want to talk about religion all night either. Unless it is a prayer breakfast for example and that’s part of the purpose. Because this group may tend to be more conservative, you will need to know if they drink alcohol or not and have an alternative. Also, your conversation may be more conservative.
The childhood friends you grew up with, you know you can get goofy with them. Pull out albums of when you were kids. And catch up on old times. If they were there when you got your braces, your first heartbreak, and were a bridesmaid in your wedding, they’re not going to care that your napkins weren’t folded right.
Nevertheless, don’t take any of these so seriously that you can’t be present for your guests Because the thing you forgot to do, they don’t notice or care most of the time.
5. Creating A Menu For The Event
It’s not always easy to come up with a menu for your party. So, here are a few things to consider. Is it a sit-down dinner? That may consist of a 3 to 4-course meal with soup and or salad with bread, the main course, and dessert. Try to provide at least 2 things to drink. Like water and 1 beverage. Or, if you want a variety, serve a buffet or potluck. If your party is a Come & Go or the purpose is for people to move around and mingle for the night, there are options like hors d’oeuvres, wine, and cheese, and desserts.
6. Decorations & Decor
Our decorations bring the party to life. The theme, color, and placement immerse us in the event. Once you select your theme, it will guide you to your choices of colors, decorations food, and favors. For example, at a Luau Party, choose vibrant colors like fuchsia, teal, and violet. Decide at the beginning where you want most of your decoration budget to go. Balloons are a traditional decoration. But make the eye travel around the room and fill it. If flowers will be throughout the space, you can spend less money on other decorations. A fun decor piece to always add is a photo backdrop. Props can be made or bought at a party store. Put props in a basket or decorative container that ties in with the theme.
7. Set The Mood with Lighting, Music, and Scents
Lighting, music, and scents can determine the way your guest interact with each other at the party. Bright lights, upbeat music, and a fragrant candle can keep them alert and engaged. While dimmer lighting can give them a sense of relaxation and make them feel comfortable in your home. Keep it simple by choosing fragrances that complement the occasion or season. Pumpkin, gingerbread, or vanilla for Thanksgiving. Cinnamon, Peppermint, or Balsam cedar for Christmas. A fresh spring floral scent at an Easter or Mother’s Day dinner. Music should also match the event. Classical or jazz for very formal settings. Soft romantic music at a dinner for two. More hip music for teenagers like rap or rock. When my kids were younger, we put together a mix of soundtrack music from the most popular children’s movies and it was always a hit!
8. How Will Your Guests Be Entertained?
What do you have planned to keep your guests entertained? Enlist a friend who is great at getting the crowd going if that’s not your specialty. And put them in charge of the games. There are lots of games for the more casual parties that will have you up and moving around or that are slightly competitive. Pictionary, card games, dominos, or karaoke. If it’s a pool party, that’s where most of the activity is and you may not need to plan anything else. If you have a basketball court or volleyball, this takes some of the pressure off of having to have a lot of other things. I like printable games for Christmas parties and showers because everyone can be a part. The main thing is when planning a party, think of something everyone can participate in.
9. Communicate The Attire In Your Invitation
I just have this thing about flowy outfits as a hostess. Light flowy sleeves, pants, and dresses. I think it comes from seeing lots of movies where the hostess is working the room and as she glides across the floor, parts of her outfit elegantly follow behind her. I know, corny. But still, I love it! Whatever you wear stand out as the one who’s in charge. Communicate what the attire is in your invitation. Some people don’t want to mention attire for fear that someone may not have it. That will probably be more the exception than the rule. State the attire for everyone. And if you want to give options, you can do that. If you don’t, it may leave many guessing. I am very particular about what I wear to an event. I’ve gone both overdressed and underdressed. No, it’s not the end of the world. But it can be awkward. You can state toward the bottom of your invitation, Attire: Cocktail Attire.
10. Are Kids Welcome?
We all love our mini-me’s. But momma needs to have fun too! We’ve hosted both kids’ welcomed- kid-friendly and adults-only parties. If your party is welcome to children, you still need to have a plan. Here are some ways you can accommodate them:
Babies still in car carriers are pretty low maintenance. They may need a bottle, or their diaper changed. But if you have a few toys that dangle, a binky, teething ring, and a baby show on your device, they are pretty chilled.
For children older but still need supervision, if you can, designate a room or clear a small space for them and hire a babysitter. Or, enlist one of your teens and give them a few bucks. If you can’t get a sitter, try to have them somewhere close by and have the parents rotate checking on them and make sure they have snacks and plenty of entertainment.
Where some people feel uncomfortable is making their party an adult-only party. There’s no need to feel guilty about that. We need to have time with other adults without children. If our kids are older now, we’ve all gone through the stage where we couldn’t go to certain parties because we weren’t able to make arrangements for them. I understand this very well with us having a special needs child. There were lots of things we couldn’t go to because we need a special caregiver. Host some parties with children and some without.
HOSTESS CHALLENGE: Right down a list of the important details you will include in your invitation.
