Top Ten Tips for Party Planning

When it comes to planning a party, what is the first thing you do?

Parties can be exciting and stressful, all at the same time! The great thing about party planning is that if you can imagine it, you can create it. At Nancy’s Concierge Services we plan parties based on our clients wants and needs. We get in their heads to understand exactly what they want, then we add helpful ideas and suggestions so together we create the party of their dreams.

Here are our top ten tips for party planning:

• After you establish what the celebration is for (example: Holiday Party), pick a place you will have the party. If you are questioning yourself by hosting it in your own home, consider some options before you say “no”. Some people think their house it too messy or disorganized to have a party, when in fact that is one of the best reasons to have a party in your home. This will motivate you to clean and get organized. Do not do it alone either. Let’s just pretend your home needs some TLC before your party. First make a plan; hiring a professional organizer to assist you with your belongings you need to keep and the belongings you are ready to part with. Hiring a professional with help move your process a lot faster and when you are paying someone, you are more serious about getting the job done. Once your home is organized, hire a house cleaner. Now your home is organized and clean. This is a great way to start fresh when planning a party. Your mind is clear, ideas are flowing, you’re in a good mood and feeling thrilled to have a party.

• How many people are you inviting? Put your guest list together. Are kids invited? If you have pets will they be part of your party? If not where they go while you have your party? Is anyone allergic to animals who is coming? It seems different when you have home parties now, before you just invited people they came over, you had a smorgasbord of food, everyone had a great time and left. NOW, it is a process and a checklist to follow before hosting a party.
• What kind of food would you like to serve? Where will you order the food? Is this dinner, graze with appetizers or sit-down party? Do you want guests to bring a dish? Do you want to use paper plates or glass plates? Determine if this will be casual or fancy? Are you going to have a game or are people bringing donation gifts?
• This is huge!! Now is the time you determine your day and time of party.
• Send out evites at this time.

• Figure out where you are going to have your party in your home. This is a good time to be open about moving furniture around in order to accommodate everyone. Do you need to rent tables, linens or chairs? Think about the flow of your party. Once your guests enter in your home, offer a beverage and show them to the appetizer table. It is importation to have something out for your guests to nibble on when the party begins (unless it’s a sit – down dinner party and that is all together different).
• Play soft music upon arrival. Once all the guests have arrived and you have set out a few more appetizers and most people have had a drink or two, you can change your music to be livelier and more upbeat. People are feeling more relaxed and more sociable.
• Hiring a Party Assistant is very helpful. They can welcome your guests, serve drinks, assist with food, replenish drinks & clean up as needed. This will allow the host to enjoy their party with their guests; kind of like being a guest at your own party.
• Having a Theme or game will keep your party flowing in a fun nonjudgmental way.
• If you want people to leave at a certain time, put a start time and end time on your invitation. Have fun and don’t worry!!

Thank you for reading our ‘top ten tips for party planning’ article, and if you have any questions or need help with your upcoming celebration, please give me a call at 941-445-0319, and I look forward to helping you make your event a memorable occasion.