Not only will you suffer a big headache, you can even get a heart attack caused by a party planning checklist. That is, if it is not well prepared. If you haven’t got a good one for a very near upcoming party, which you being a host to it is just unavoidable, anxiety alone can bring many unnecessary dangers to yourself.
So, how can we get a good and well prepared party planning checklist? The best answer to it is two words...early preparations. Only by planning early, you will have the chance to plan everything properly and make changes where ever needed.
About 2 to 4 weeks ahead of the party, you should begin to;
Create a Budget. This is really important. You have to get a realistic idea of how much that you are going to spend. It won’t be good if suddenly you realize that you must have something really important only to find out that you have spent your entire budget for the week.
And you are not being “cheap” by creating a budget. You are being smart by knowing in advance how much you are planning to spend.
Make a guest list. Since budget is in order, you party planning checklist should now include a list of people to invite. This will also involve buying and writing invitations. When you’re creating the guest list for either a cocktail party or a buffet, you can be a bit more daring in your choices. In these situations, don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit. Try not to invite only your long time trusted friends, but include the one that you would like to know
better.
Since no one is “trapped” sitting at a table next to the same people all evening long, like at a sit-down meal, people can mingle with more freedom to seek out those they find interesting.
Choose a location. If you have the budget and plan to hire outside venders, you should do a little bit of research to find venders and get their price quotes. Having the guest list previously can really help this process a lot, since you can select a more suitable venue accordingly. You might want to consider a bigger place if you plan for some kind of activities for the guest.
Create a menu. The next thing to add in your party planning checklist is to determine the foods that you are going to serve. If you are planning on making them yourself, you need to include finding out supplies and cost involved into your checklist. In the other hand, if you decide to hire a catering service, make sure you include getting price quotes from them. You also might want to set a booking date in your checklist together with a reminder to confirm with the caterer closer to the party date.
Send out invitations. The best time to send invitations is at least 3 weeks before the party date. This will give enough time for the guest invited to RSVP. It also provides you with a good time frame should you need to do any necessary changes to your planning based on your guest invitation replies. Since normally guest will RSVP promptly, you will be able to fine tune your preparation much better to suit the amount of guest that are coming.
Start cooking ahead of time. If you have decided to make all the meal yourself, create a realistic timeline for the cooking. Can you make something ahead of time and freeze it without sacrificing quality? If you can then, by all means go ahead and do it. Not only does this minimize your stress, it frees up valuable time you’ll need for other tasks as party day gets closer.
Assign dishes for potluck. If the event is to be potluck and you’re not creating the entire meal, it’s not too early to assign what guests are bringing which dishes. The advantage of doing so is you will know what to expect and there will be no duplication in dishes. And it will give the guest enough time to make preparation on their own.
Reserve rental items. Now will be a good time to add this step into your party planning checklist, especially if your party will take place during a major holiday. If you wait too long you may just find that the items you had planned on aren’t available on that date. Then you’re in real trouble. You don’t want to be out of stuff like plates, cups, coffee urns, chairs . . . need I go on?
Hire any help for kitchen, serving or attending the bar. Confirming extra helpful hand earlier would be another good thing to do at this stage, since you will have enough time to make changes should any of the helping crew suddenly have something urgent toattend or maybe unexpectedly change his mind. Depending on how big your party will be, you will need some help even in the early stage of preparations.
By: Andy B
Did you find this article helpful? You can read much more great information on party planning, especially on how to plan a perfect party anytime, anywhere and for any occasion at perfectpartyplan.info |
