My Top Party Planning Tips & Tricks
Did someone say party? Oh, yes. I did. I love party planning and I want to share some of my most crucial tips and tricks for making any party a success.
First and foremost is needing a plan. I am a planner as mentioned in every post I've ever written, or at least that's how it feels. And no, not everyone has to be a planner to have a successful event, but some planning has to happen if you want it to be a success. A basic plan is just as good as a complex one as long as it covers your bases.
Lucky for you, I have a free printable that helps outline a basic plan for any event. Fill this out and you will be well on your way to event success.
Second, you need to decide on a budget. This is an important next step because it can impact the steps that follow AND because this needs to be part of your plan. The budget will dictate how creative you need to get. I'm convinced that you can throw a great party whether your budget is $50, $500 or $5000. So decide what that budget is and write it down.
Third, you need to decide on a theme. I'm assuming if you are planning an event, then you know WHAT kind of party it is (birthday, anniversary, retirement, graduation, celebration, etc.), but not always. Sometimes you just know you want to throw a party, but you need to decide what kind to throw. A theme is important because it can tie together the simplest of party plans. A theme could be based on a color scheme, a character, a movie, a trend, a decade, a design element... the possibilities are endless, so because this can be so broad you really want to hone in on a specific theme, so your event has good direction and doesn't confuse guests.
Having a good theme will also help you stay on budget because you won't be wasting decor and supplies on items that don't help enhance your theme. Every decision you make and everything you buy for your event should support the theme. This doesn't mean everything MATCHES, this just means that the choices you have made for the party are cohesive with the theme you've chosen.
Fourth, pick a date and time. It's important to put some thought into this. You want to make sure you avoid major conflicts and you want to think about your guests and what could prevent them from attending. Avoid those days and times of highest conflict and keep in mind that you probably can't pick a date and time that works for everyone. If the group is intimate and attendance to the event is crucial, then you might want to get some feedback from the guests before you finalize the date and time. Along with a date and time, once you have made a decision, consider if a SAVE THE DATE would be appropriate to send out. Also, consider your venue and their availability. Your date and time might need to be tentative until you lock down a venue, which brings us to number five...
TIP: Consider how much notice your guests need without giving them too much notice so that the event gets forgotten. Or follow up as the event gets closer with reminders.
Fifth, pick a venue. You want to pick something that fits your budget, theme and works with your date and time. If your venue is crucial to your event theme, your venue could be the deciding factor in your date and time. Make sure you understand what is included and what is not in your venue location. Knowing what's included in your venue is so important because it will help you know what else you need to plan for.
Next, you can begin the actual event plans. Start with a rough timeline of how long the event will go and what you will do during that time and start filling in the blanks with food, entertainment, music, decorations, layout, etc.
TIP: Consider what is most important to you. If a designer cake or live music is a high priority to you, then other things of lesser importance might have to take a back seat. Focus on what's most important first and compromise on less important things. And this will be different for everyone!
Lastly, be flexible and have fun. This cannot be overstated, because what good is a party if you didn't have fun. The nature of events is that not everything will be perfect (okay, actually that is just life) and that's okay. Make a good plan and then be flexible with the things that don't go perfectly.
Enjoy the Party Planning Worksheet and leave me your best party tip! Happy planning!
