Planning a party doesn’t have to be stressful; it can be a fun and straightforward process with these tips! Keep reading to learn how you can have all the fun of a great party with no anxiety!
Plan Ahead
There is NOTHING worse than feeling like you’re behind the eight-ball when it comes to planning a party—waiting until the last minute will always lead to stress. To avoid that, you need to start your party planning as soon as you can. For a large formal event such as a wedding or anniversary party, we recommend you start planning at LEAST 3-6 months ahead of time. For smaller formal occasions, you should begin planning 6-8 weeks ahead of the event, and for smaller casual parties, you should start planning 4-5 weeks in advance. The first few tasks that you should tackle are 1. Creating a Party Checklist 2. Create a Planning Timeline, and 3. Settle on a Theme. The first two tasks will keep your party planning organized and on task. Setting a party theme makes deciding on your menu, decor, and activities really simple. Completing these three steps at the very earliest stages of party planning will make your process a LOT smoother. The next thing you should get to work on is sending out the invitations. Getting the invitations out early will ensure your guests have plenty of time to make plans to come to your event! Once you’ve got these tasks out of the way, you can start working on the rest of the party details!
Establish a Budget
Party planning can get expensive QUICK! So to avoid the pain of overspending on an event, you should establish a party budget and STICK TO IT! To stick to your budget, you should think about what your top priorities are for your event. Do you want the best food? Then prioritize your food choices in the budget and spend a little less on decor. Do you want your party to be the most beautifully decorated event of the year? Then opt for creating a playlist out of your music collection over hiring a band or DJ. By prioritizing the parts of your party that are most important, you can plan out how to use your budget wisely and without stress.
Keep it Simple
Getting too elaborate and putting too many tasks on your plate is a recipe for stress and burnout! Instead of doing too much all on your own, try to keep things simple! Instead of cooking a five-course meal for 50 guests yourself, consider making 1 or 2 appetizers that you already know you’re great at and purchase or cater the rest (food that can be made ahead of time is a bonus). Simplify your party bar by either making your bar self-serve or making up a pitcher of a single specialty cocktail for everyone to enjoy. Doing these things will prevent you from having to spend the whole night tending the bar or stuck in the kitchen instead of enjoying your guests! Another way to simplify your party planning process is by keeping the guest list simple and streamlined. It’s common knowledge that the bigger the guest list, the bigger the stress. Keeping your guest list to as small a number as you can, reduces the amount of effort and stress that will go with planning and hosting your party.
Make Backup Plans
Parties, just like life, will have setbacks! The bar will run out of ice, the DJ will call in sick, or rain will pour on your outdoor BBQ bash. The best way to avoid the heartbreaking disappointment of a ruined event is to have backup plans in place! Sit down and write out a list of everything that could go wrong, and then make a backup plan for how you would handle that issue if it were to arise. This way, there will be no issues that you cannot quickly address on the day of the event! You will be a party planning rockstar without a care in the world because you’ve got a plan for everything!
Order Supplies Online
Have you ever been planning an event and you end up running all over town to find napkins in the right color, or a table cloth to fit your table, and you want to scream because you just can’t find what you need? We have too! To avoid this hassle, you should consider ordering all of your supplies online! This will require a little forethought (very little if two-day shipping is available) to ensure that everything arrives on time, but it takes the stress out of rushing from store to store looking for that perfect party item and coming up with crickets after all that time and effort is put in! Between Etsy, Amazon, and other online retailers you can pretty much find any party supply items you’ll ever need!
Have a Hands Off Activity
The number one goal of a party is to show your guests a great time, right? A simple way to ensure that everyone has fun is by planning a unique activity for everyone to get involved in! Whether that is setting up a dance floor, games, or a bonfire, give your guests something to do that doesn’t require your full attention. Doing so will provide you with a much-needed opportunity to relax and enjoy the night! One great party activity that can be an incredible addition to your event is a photo booth! A photo booth is great for getting people in the mood to be silly, let loose, and have fun! You can customize the Snap n’ Pics photo booth to your party theme so that it fits in seamlessly with your decor and event style! As a bonus, you’ll have tons of amazing photos of your guests having a blast at your party!
