There is no greater pleasure for me than planning the perfect party! Whether it is a wedding, christening 40th birthday or anniversary, I’m there! I have worked professionally as a party planner in a previous job and I also love to help my friends out with their milestone celebrations and have picked up some clever tips along the way. So here they are – my top X tips for planning the most perfect party ever…
How many is too many?
You’ll need to start with a guest list. No matter how small or big the party is going to be, you’ll need an idea of how many people you would like to invite and what sort of age group they are going to be so that you can make other decisions such as budget, venue and more! This doesn’t initially need to be a definitive list but having a rough idea will really help you to get started.
All about the venue…
Once you have decided where you are going to have the party, the rest of your planning should fall into place. Choose carefully! Scour through the venue hire options and think of the places that are ticking the most boxes for you. If you can see the venues in person, then great! If you can’t, then pay close attention to their social media and try to look at some reviews too. If you are planning the party for a different season, then make sure you envisage what the weather is likely to be like and establish whether the venue is right for this. Is it accessible? Is it suitable for your younger and older visitors and does it give you a good feeling when you think about it? Go with your gut!
Budget baby!
It goes without saying that establishing a budget will really help. Even if you have buckets of money, you’ll want to have some idea of what you are spending and can figure out how much things are in proportion to each other. For example, it probably wouldn’t be right to spend more on balloons than food. Unless you are a bit of a balloon fanatic. Divid up your budget into the different elements – venue hire, food and drink, decorations and any additional things you can think of. You may be having an entertainer? Or what about party bags? Will you be hiring a photographer or videographer? These are all things to consider…
Those extra touches
Don’t underestimate the power of the extra touches. There are some fabulous venue decorators which I think are well worth the money. Gorgeous favours for your guests go a long way too and personal decorations, whether it be photos or something else can be a lovely addition to a party. A polaroid camera with some props and a book for guests to sign and include the photo in is a lovely idea and a gorgeous memory for you to keep afterwards. The sky is the limit! Get onto Pinterest for some inspiration…
I hope you found this blog post useful? I love sharing my party planning tips and could write about this sort of thing all day. Ciao for now!