Most people at some point in their lives throw some sort of party. It was easier when you were younger; your parents went out of town, you’d invite a bunch of friends over, everyone would bring their own drinks. Boom, it’s a party. If you had really nice friends throwing the party, maybe they would supply chips. If not, you’d send out for pizza.
Being a responsible adult makes things a little more complicated when it comes to throwing a party. Now, there is a right and a wrong way of doing things and the level of expectations of your party guests goes up. But, this is not a problem because you can find out all there is to know about throwing a party right here.
The first thing you need to do is to decide what kind of party you are throwing. Is it a holiday party, a graduation party, a birthday party, etc. Is it going to be a surprise party? These are fairly obvious questions and ones you most likely have already decided. A couple more obvious questions are; what is the main age group of the guests that will be attending the party and how many people are you planning to invite. This will determine a great deal of the decisions you need to make for the party.
In determining the age group of the guests will help you decide if you need activities to keep your quests busy. For instance, if you are planning to invite a lot of kids, it is a good idea to supply something that they can do or play with. Determining how many guests you are planning on inviting helps you to determine how many party supplies you will need to supply. What is your budget for the party?
It is fairly obvious that the way to invite people to your party is through invitations. There are several different kinds of invitations. There are cards that you can mail or hand out to predetermined guests. There is also word of mouth. Spread the news about the party you are planning by simply telling those who are invited. You can also email your guests or send out an online invitation. The online invitations are growing in popularity. It is a website call evite. You simply sign up for a free account and you can design and send an invitation to the list of people’s email addresses that you provide. The thing that is so great about this site is that it will keep track of how many people have RSVP’d and who is coming, the amount of people who are coming, who has viewed the invitation but not RSVP’d yet, and who is not coming. Guests can also write a little message when they RSVP.
Where is your party going to be held is another important decision? Is it going to be outside? If so, is there adequate shade for hot days or shelter for bad weather? Is this party going to be thrown at your house or at a venue that you will rent? How much room are you going to need for those that are planning to attend? The plus about having the party at a venue is that you can cut out the cleaning and setting up for the party. When a party is thrown at home, a lot of time and effort will go into preparing your home for the party, serving food and running around while the party is underway. Don’t forget cleaning up after the party is over. While a venue is more expensive, it cuts out a lot of responsibility for the host and allows them to enjoy themselves more.
Figuring out how much food you are going to need is probably the most difficult thing about throwing a party. What kind of food are you going to serve, is this going to be a buffet or a sit down dinner, are you going to make everything yourself or have it catered. These are all important questions. Offering food is a party must! People expect to go to a party to eat. It is the first question other people ask about the party; ‘How was the party? How was the food?’ It is the thing that will determine most of your budget and should have the most thought put into it.
There is so much that goes into a party we have just touched on a few of the basics. There is a lot more to learn to learn before you can call yourself an expert but, with the information above, you can definitely get the ball rolling.
Showing posts with label dinner party planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dinner party planning. Show all posts
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Party Planning Checklist
Planning a party involves a lot of work and effort on the part of the host. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to write out a checklist of all the things that need to be accomplished and when you need to do them.
First things at the top of your checklist should be to create a budget for your party. By creating a budget first you can figure out how many people you can invite which leads into the next section of your checklist. The next set of things on your checklist will be in reference to the guests. Some things on your checklist should include making a list of people to invite, buying invitations, writing out invitations and sending out invitations. Give yourself a date of when to send the invitations out by. You should send out your invitations a minimum of three weeks before the date of the party. Guests should then be given two weeks to RSVP if they will be attending or not. You can create a second checklist with a list of the people you invited in order to keep track who will be attending.
Next on your checklist should be in reference to the place where the party is to be held. If you are not sure where your party is going to be held and if you have it in your budget to hire an outside vender, you will need to do a little research. Place on your checklist calling venders to get price quotes. You will need to figure out if they will supply the food and how much it will all cost. You can then determine if you would like to have the party at your home and hire a caterer. You will need to place on your checklist, get quotes from caterers. Or you might want to make all the food yourself in which case you will need to place on your checklist to investigate how much supplies and food will cost you. Once this is determined, you will need to add a place on the checklist to book the vender or caterer and further down the list place a checklist that will remind you to confirm with them closer to the party date.
Other things on your checklist may include buying party supplies like plates, napkins, utensils, cups, drinks and food. You also will have to determine if you are going to grant your guests with party favors when the night is through in which case you will need to add researching, buying and preparing the favors to your checklist. You may have to also add researching and hiring rentals like tables, chairs or a tent if it is so required to your checklist.
The exact things that are on your checklist are greatly varied from party host to party host. But it is clear that creating a party planning checklist is a wonderful way to stay organized, get everything done in the proper amount of time and the ability to give the best party you can.
First things at the top of your checklist should be to create a budget for your party. By creating a budget first you can figure out how many people you can invite which leads into the next section of your checklist. The next set of things on your checklist will be in reference to the guests. Some things on your checklist should include making a list of people to invite, buying invitations, writing out invitations and sending out invitations. Give yourself a date of when to send the invitations out by. You should send out your invitations a minimum of three weeks before the date of the party. Guests should then be given two weeks to RSVP if they will be attending or not. You can create a second checklist with a list of the people you invited in order to keep track who will be attending.
Next on your checklist should be in reference to the place where the party is to be held. If you are not sure where your party is going to be held and if you have it in your budget to hire an outside vender, you will need to do a little research. Place on your checklist calling venders to get price quotes. You will need to figure out if they will supply the food and how much it will all cost. You can then determine if you would like to have the party at your home and hire a caterer. You will need to place on your checklist, get quotes from caterers. Or you might want to make all the food yourself in which case you will need to place on your checklist to investigate how much supplies and food will cost you. Once this is determined, you will need to add a place on the checklist to book the vender or caterer and further down the list place a checklist that will remind you to confirm with them closer to the party date.
Other things on your checklist may include buying party supplies like plates, napkins, utensils, cups, drinks and food. You also will have to determine if you are going to grant your guests with party favors when the night is through in which case you will need to add researching, buying and preparing the favors to your checklist. You may have to also add researching and hiring rentals like tables, chairs or a tent if it is so required to your checklist.
The exact things that are on your checklist are greatly varied from party host to party host. But it is clear that creating a party planning checklist is a wonderful way to stay organized, get everything done in the proper amount of time and the ability to give the best party you can.
Dinner Party Planning
There is something so classy about sitting down to a nice, elegant dinner with a few friends or family members. Maybe it’s the light from the candles. Maybe it’s the sound of the forks hitting the porcelain. Or maybe it’s because one of the first gifts that man was given was the ability to enjoy food. But whatever it is, throwing a dinner party is a wonderful excuse to get together when there is nothing in particular to celebrate.
Planning a dinner party is slightly different from planning a regular party. Normally there are fewer guests invited to a dinner party then a regular party. The atmosphere is a little bit more intimate. Yes, food it a hug party of throwing a regular party but, with dinner parties, the focus is centered around the food more. It is a sit down dinner while some parties are buffets or just appetizers like cocktail parties.
The guest list is limited by how many guests can be seated around your table comfortably. It is up to the host as to who is invited. Sometimes throwing a dinner party is a way to introduce a couple of friends to each other. Or maybe you love to experiment with cooking and would like someone to experiment on. Some thought would go into who should be invited. Do these people get along; will they find mutual subjects to talk about. Is this person that you would like to invite going to be the odd man out? This especially pertains to if you are inviting mostly couples.
The important things to remember in your dinner party planning are your supplies. This is not the type of party where you can supply paper plates and plastic forks and knifes. Dinner parties call for breaking out the fine china and silverware. If you don’t think that you own anything that is acceptable, you can always rent some. You should also use a centerpiece for the table that includes candles. The centerpiece itself is up to you depending on the occasion and your style but, candle light gives the perfect atmosphere to the table. You should also use a linen table cloth with matching or close to matching cloth napkins if you have them. Again, these supplies can be rented if you don’t own anything that you think is right. Make sure that your space is adequate for the people you are planning to invite. Usually dinner parties start out with a few cocktails as the guests arrive so you will need room for your guests to mingle. At the table each guest should have enough room for their place setting, to move their chair away from the table and are seated comfortably next to another guest. Sometimes dinner party hosts will serve several courses so this means sitting at the table for a while. Then after dinner you can show your guests to a seated area for coffee and relaxation. You just served them an outrageous meal; they want a place to digest. A nice living room area is perfect.
Compared to other types of party planning, dinner party planning is easy. Just remember that you are the host and set the mood for the entire night. It’s up to you to start stimulating conversation if it lags. But, there truly is no way to screw up a dinner party so, have fun!
Planning a dinner party is slightly different from planning a regular party. Normally there are fewer guests invited to a dinner party then a regular party. The atmosphere is a little bit more intimate. Yes, food it a hug party of throwing a regular party but, with dinner parties, the focus is centered around the food more. It is a sit down dinner while some parties are buffets or just appetizers like cocktail parties.
The guest list is limited by how many guests can be seated around your table comfortably. It is up to the host as to who is invited. Sometimes throwing a dinner party is a way to introduce a couple of friends to each other. Or maybe you love to experiment with cooking and would like someone to experiment on. Some thought would go into who should be invited. Do these people get along; will they find mutual subjects to talk about. Is this person that you would like to invite going to be the odd man out? This especially pertains to if you are inviting mostly couples.
The important things to remember in your dinner party planning are your supplies. This is not the type of party where you can supply paper plates and plastic forks and knifes. Dinner parties call for breaking out the fine china and silverware. If you don’t think that you own anything that is acceptable, you can always rent some. You should also use a centerpiece for the table that includes candles. The centerpiece itself is up to you depending on the occasion and your style but, candle light gives the perfect atmosphere to the table. You should also use a linen table cloth with matching or close to matching cloth napkins if you have them. Again, these supplies can be rented if you don’t own anything that you think is right. Make sure that your space is adequate for the people you are planning to invite. Usually dinner parties start out with a few cocktails as the guests arrive so you will need room for your guests to mingle. At the table each guest should have enough room for their place setting, to move their chair away from the table and are seated comfortably next to another guest. Sometimes dinner party hosts will serve several courses so this means sitting at the table for a while. Then after dinner you can show your guests to a seated area for coffee and relaxation. You just served them an outrageous meal; they want a place to digest. A nice living room area is perfect.
Compared to other types of party planning, dinner party planning is easy. Just remember that you are the host and set the mood for the entire night. It’s up to you to start stimulating conversation if it lags. But, there truly is no way to screw up a dinner party so, have fun!
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