How to Select Supplies for a First Communion Party

A child's First Communion is coming up. You are in charge of the party and you need supplies. If you spend a little time and effort, you can select tasteful decorations, table furnishings and maybe even a few extras that will make the party a fitting end to the child's special day.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Select Supplies For A First Communion Party

1. Talk to your clergyman about ways to carry out the themes of communion, maturing in faith and unity in the visual aspects of the party. The priest or pastor has probably been to a lot of these and he knows the ropes.

2. Select a bright and cheerful color scheme. Blue for boys and pink for girls are traditional, but red and white would be good, as would green and yellow. If you choose pink or blue, set it off with an accent color like silver or gold.

3. Browse online and brick and mortar party stores to get ideas for supplies. Many stores feature prominent First Communion displays or photographs to help give you ideas and spark your creativity. You can find great examples at the Catholic Children's Company website (see Resources below).

4. Narrow down your choices of colors and patterns of party ware to two or three. If you have trouble picking one, ask a friend or relative to assist you. Keep the religious themes in the foreground with symbols such as crosses, candles or the Christian fish symbol.

5. Decide what kind of table supplies you will need, taking into consideration how formal or informal the party will be and what food you will serve. Items such as cups, plates, napkins, flatware and table covers should probably all be purchased from the same place to ensure they match.

6. Consult with the family about decorations and how ornate you want to get. You have centerpieces, flowers, confetti, banners and streamers to take into consideration.

7. Put a ceiling on spending and don't exceed it. Splurging on certain supplies could seriously damage your budget in other areas, which could create a disastrous situation.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to others about their child's First Communion party or a celebration they thought was especially meaningful. Take the ideas you get and tailor them to your event.
• When shopping, only look at two or three patterns, color schemes or themed sets at a time. If you look at more than that, they will all start to run together.