Your birthday, engagement party, corporate event or kids party is coming up, how exciting! Now what… where do you start?
1. Pick a Theme
Some people really dislike the idea of a theme, but a theme doesn’t necessarily mean 80’s, big hair and leg warmers. You could simply pick a simple color scheme, modern theme, rustic theme and of course actual themes. Choosing a theme will make the process easier because you can incorporate the theme into everything, such as food, drinks, invitation and decorations. Whether it’s very specific – such as a “Welcome to the Jungle” or as general as a favorite color palette, having a theme in mind will help guide your decisions and keep you from getting overwhelmed by too many options!
2. Start Early & Set the Stage
Once you have established a theme, start researching ideas online, such as Pinterest. Create a list of items you would like to purchase (compare prices – you can grab great deals online!). Start ordering right away so you can avoid express shipping costs, as well as have peace of mind that your items will arrive in time for your party.
You may think this is crazy, but do a “dry run” of your set up. Set up a mock table, with anything you were going to theme it with, and make any adjustments. Although everything may have looked perfect in your head, sometimes, things need some tweaking. Giving you time to make finishing touches will most definitely be helpful on the day of your event. At least you will know exactly how it’s meant to look, and there will be no crazy running around on the day of your party. Imagine how calm you will be the night before the party!
3. Take that shortcut!
If you’re having your party at home, don’t spend hours cooking and cleaning! Instead, prepare simple finger/cocktail food options. A cocktail style event is a great option to keep guests socializing with one another, they can chat and enjoy your canapés! For an even simpler option, you can always hire a caterer to provide the food for your function. Another idea is to order take away from your favorite local place!
Of course, if you love to cook, then this will be heaven for you! But remember, ask for help! Not necessarily in the kitchen, but perhaps with general set up, or serving, just to take some of the pressure off.
4. Stations Are AMAZING!
Have you ever been to a party where all the food and drinks are placed together in one corner, and it seems the entire room is empty because all the guests are crowding around the food table!? Why not set up stations? Perhaps place various styles of food together split into three areas. A drink set up may include separate beer, wine and cocktail stations. Instead of a range of cocktails, perhaps a “signature cocktail” which again should tie in with your theme! They can be pre-made so guests can grab one and keep walking. It will keep guests moving around, socializing and will stop the traffic jam around the food.
5. Have some you time
Act like the party is beginning half an hour before guests are actually meant to arrive and have some time to yourself. Enjoy your handy work with a glass of wine or a signature cocktail. Take a few deep breaths and just RELAX! Your guests can tell if you are frazzled or stressed, and an important factor in hosting a party is being charming and welcoming. Having 15 minutes to half an hour of you time will most definitely calm your nerves.
A Pair of Pears have some really great Party Planning FREE printables to help keep you on track!
Cheers!
Angee