How to plan a party.

Need a list on what needs to be done to plan a party? Big or small, this list is a must!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Calendar
• Invintation list
• Food list
• Decoration list
• Location
• Assistance during the party

1. Which Theme? A party is a time for celebration! So before you can start on planning this celebration, you need to figure out what the party is for and how it should be celebrated. Below are a few selections to choose from:
   
   Theme parties (everyone dresses for a theme, dinner, entertainment, louder gathering): Best for Birthday’s, baby showers, or for a Holiday, such as Halloween or the Fourth of July.
   
   Formal parties (big fancy dinner, formal attire, quieter party mainly consisting of dinner, light dancing or similar entertainment): Anniversary, wedding receptions, baby shower’s, promotions, or birthday’s.
   
   Tea parties (garden tea party, light foods served, attire may consist of long dresses): Baby showers, get-together’s, or birthday’s.
   
   In formal parties (BBQ’s, big dance party, no entrée’s served, louder gathering, no attire code): Birthday’s, Bachelor parties, gathering’s, and Holiday’s.
2. Open areas make great locations for a party. Once you’ve figured out what theme will go best for your party, you should begin planning on a location for the party. Some things to consider would be the approximate amount of guests attending and budget. Always over-estimate head count should your guests bring along another person. However, do not over-estimate so much that there will be an abundance of food, and wasted space. My rule of thumb is if a large gathering of 100 to 150 estimated people, always leave space for an extra 15-20. If a smaller group of 20 to 25, I always leave space for 5.
   
   A great saver would be someone’s home, if a smaller gathering. But be sure that the person’s home is big enough and comfortable enough for your selection of party. Another consideration is to never rule out the possibility of a large open outside area and possibly renting tents if renting a building or large room is out of your budget.
   
   Once a few possible locations have been selected, you should set up a time to visit and take photos of the location and discuss options on how you may decorate the locations to match your theme or party type. You should consider the parking space, dinning area, dancing or entertainment area, appearance you are trying to create, and possible hazards (should it rain on that day if you are having an outside gathering).
3. Now that you’ve selected your location, you should consider how to decorate the place. Take into consideration how much time you have before the party date. Do you have time to make the floral designs with artificial flowers or will you have to spend the extra money on pre-made or real ones? You should always focus on a theme for the party. Who’s it for and what does the party celebrants like? What kind of theme is this party for? If it’s formal, you should go for a more classy and elegant look. If it’s a theme party where everyone’s dressed for a certain theme, go with the theme. If it’s a barbeque party, it’ll be less formal and the décor will be the theme of party (i.e. Hawaiian or cowboy theme).
4. Once you’ve selected the type of party, location, and the décor of the party, the guest list should be drawn up, drafted, and a final copy sent to your choice of card company (if you decide to create your own, make sure you have enough time to send out invites and get a response). Three weeks before the actual party is plenty of time, if you have less than that, you should consider speaking to the guests personally or via e-mail (if they check it often).
5. Food selections Depending on the type of party you have, you should consider what types of foods and drinks will be served. If it’s a large gathering, you will need to decide how the food and drinks will be accessible to your guests. Will you have hired help or will it be self-served? Be sure to always have a vegetarian dish and check to make sure all of your guests are not allergic to anything. Or else please include a menu in your invites explaining what’s in each dish and a side option in case some people are not able to eat a certain dish. Normal meal options would be appetizers, salad, main entrée, and desserts. (One last note: be mindful if children are attending and to make sure you have a dish for the children).
6. Once the dish has been selected, you should consider any fun activities that should be played out during the party to keep it alive. Will there be dancing? If so, what type of music should be played? Karaoke, water games, and especially if it's a children's party, rented blown-air castles are a great way to get kids excited. Be sure to consider the age, size of group, budget, and space you have for the party.
7. As the party date draws nearer, responses from attending guests become clearer, you should have all the decorations and meals confirmed and ready to go within the week of the party. On the day of the actual party, be sure that everything has been set up at the location of the party to your liking and that all food is prepped and ready for serving, and that you are presentable and ready to have a great time celebrating with everyone else.

Tips & Warnings

• If everything appears to be too over whelming, a pricier option (but head ache saver) would be to hire a local event planner. By enlisting in their professional services, they may have discounts with local retailers and provide you with options you never knew was possible.
• When selecting guests to attend the party, be sure to select guest's who all get along. Nothing can turn a party down with high tension and awkward moments that people who do not like each other being around one another.