How To Plan a Party - With Ease!
21/02/2014
Organising and hosting your child's birthday party can seem a little overwhelming, but that doesn't have to be the case. Planning ahead, doing a little research and following these steps will help you plan a party your child will love and remember for years to come!
- The first thing to do is to decide on the theme. The easiest way to decide on a theme would probably be to ask the guest of honour as they will surely want a say in the matter! Get creative with this - if your child can't decide between a fairy or tea party then why not host a fairy tea party?! Your party will be as unique as your child...in all the good ways!
- Once you have decided on a party theme you will want to do some research to get inspired and gather your thoughts - this is where Google and Pinterest become your friends! There are some fantastic party decorating ideas and pictures available on the web. Shindigs have created many themed boards on Pinterest to cover a huge range of cake decorating ideas, themed parties, party games and so much more.
- Decide on your budget both in the dollars and the time sense - if you are short on time you may want to request the help of friends and family, hire a party room where most of the work is done for you. Alternatively, if you have more spare time or you party is not for a couple of months, you may have more time to DIY and attend to more of the details yourself. Once the budget is decided you will want to create a guest list that takes this into account. This will also help you decide on a venue.
- You then need to decide on the location of the party - will it be at home, in a public area like a park or in a hall or other hired location? This will help you later with writing up the invitations and with deciding on the decorating plan. If you choose to hire a hall or room, ensure that you have booked it well in advance and that you check to make sure you are aware of any conditions of hire. We have heard many stories from our customers of the various conditions of hiring rooms, some of which they were not informed of until right before their function! One thing you will want to keep in mind is the weather - either choose a venue that caters for wet weather (like a hall or covered area), or make sure you have a back up plan in case the weather turns bad.
- Now it's time to invite the guests! Handmade and personalised invitations make all the difference and they don't have to be difficult or complicated make. We have gathered some great ideas of unique party invitations on Pinterest to help inspire you. If you don't have time or the inclination to make your own invitiations, don't stress as there are some beautiful pre-printed party invitations available for a wide range of themed parties.
- Deciding on the food, games/activities and the loot bags is the fun part! Get your child involved with the decorating ideas, have them help you design and make the loot bags and then have some fun with the food! If you're hosting a themed party get creative with choosing foods that can be named according to you theme. A construction party may have cheese and bacon balls also known as 'wrecking balls', cocktail frankfurts become 'pirate peg legs', a princess and knights party serving spicy salsa and chips turns into 'dragon's teeth and fire breath'...this adds a wonderful whimsical touch to your party decorating that will delight your guests as they eat up! When deciding on the food to be served keep in mind the preparation times required for all types. Try to avoid only serving food that can only be made the day before or the day of the party or food that needs to be heated only as this can make the day quite stressful. Try to include foods that can be prepared ahead of time or even frozen to give you some breathing space on the day.
- Let them eat cake - this is possibly the most important part of the party! Decide whether you want to make it yourself or get someone to make it for you. You will need to decide on the design, how many people it needs to feed and the flavour. Shindigs has a huge range of cake decorating supplies if you decide to DIY. There are also some fantastic cake decorating ideas to be found on Pinterest!
- As it gets closer to the big day get as much of the decorations and food organised as possible, confirm with any guests who haven't RSVP'd yet and take care of any final details. Remember to put out directional signs or balloons so that your guests know where to go on the day.
- The most important thing for you to remember on the day is to breathe and enjoy yourself as much as possible! This is as much your day to share with your child, so try to make sure you are not run off your feet (too much!). Let someone else take the photos for you so that you can enjoy being their with your child on their special day. With all of these tips and your excellent pre-planning - we sure hope your day is a huge success!
Shindigs sells thousands of great party decorations and supplies for parties and occasions of all kinds. Make sure you visit us at www.shindigs.com.au today!
Related articles
© 2003 - 2023 Shindigs. ABN: 51101315502.