Do you have a party coming up that you have to host and you aren’t sure where to begin but are already stressed?
Guest stress syndrome is real and happens to those that get easily overwhelmed and anxious while planning and hosting a party.
Planning a party can become mentally and physically exhausting, but with a step by step guide, you can throw the best bash of the year with minimal stress.
Scroll down to learn how to plan a party at home and also at venues.
1. Make Initial Plans
The first step in learning how to plan a party is deciding the day and event that you will be celebrating.
If it is for a birthday party or celebration, weekend days are highly recommended. You should also be thinking about the general time of the event and how many people you want to come over.
This step offers the time to come up with ideas before making any concrete decisions.
2. Create a Guest List
Once you have all of the general information for the party, you will need to create your guest list.
It is important to think about your budget and the size of the location of the party during this step. Many people underestimate the materials and space required when throwing a good party.
When making your list, make sure that you count parents, children, spouses, or any other people that would come along with your guests.
3. Send out Invitations
After the initial plans are finalized (the day, time, location, RSVP info, etc.), you will need to send out the invitations.
If this is an informal party, sending out a text, email, or calling your guests is acceptable. Many people also use Google and Facebook to create event pages for free. For larger parties, it is best to send out physical invitations in the mail.
Don’t wait to send out invitations, it is best to give your guests a couple of weeks in advance.
4. Make a Plan for Entertainment and Food
After the invitations have been sent, you can begin planning the fun part of the party.
Depending on the celebration you may want to hire live entertainment, or even a DJ to keep the music going. Other entertainment options could be traveling petting zoos, face painters, magicians, and clowns.
It is also important to start planning for the type of food if any, that you want for the event. Some people prefer to hire a caterer to help relieve stress while others may do all the cooking on their own.
5. Calculate Needs
Once you begin gathering rsvp responses you can start calculating expenses.
You will also need to account for food and drink costs, along with entertainment and decorations. This step is important so that you can ensure you have enough of everything for your guests.
Try to stick to your budget during this step!
6. Prepare for the Party
In the days and hours leading up to the event, you will have to do some preparation.
This preparation includes decorating, cooking, cleaning, getting drinks, setting up the party, and everything else you need to do. Starting early is the best way to avoid stress and will help you ensure that everything has been taken care of.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family and friends, they are often more than willing to help set up!
7. Enjoy Yourself
The time has come and people are here. You’ve put in all of this work and deserve to enjoy yourself.
Although you may be hosting and need to walk around to greet guests, you can still have fun. Greeting guests gives you the chance to talk to everyone and make sure that they are also enjoying themselves.
It also allows you to walk around and see what refreshments need to be filled and keep up on light cleaning.
8. Grab the Broom and Sponge
No matter how hard you try, a party is sure to leave a mess in the house.
Picking up items throughout the night can make the big cleanup, not so big. Many people start cleaning towards the end of the party when guests are leaving to make things easier on them after the big event.
Getting the house back to normal is a step that is often forgotten but extremely important.
9. Thank Your Guests
Sending thank you cards or electronic thank you notes can put a smile on your friend’s faces and keep the excitement of the party going.
If gifts were given at the party, it is a nice gesture to thank them in a note for the items. This lets your friends and family feel appreciated. Informal parties may not require notes but sending out a thank you on a Facebook group or group chat is a nice thing to do.
How to Plan a Party at a Venue
Planning a party at home is stressful, but what about when the party is at another venue?
You can follow this guide to help prevent missing any steps and just adapt to your other location. Be sure to pick a day and time that you reserved at the venue for your event. Many places offer separate rooms or sections.
Next, you send out invitations and get any materials that you may need. A party limo is an excellent option for friends to travel to events or venues together. This also allows for more partying time!
Once you all arrive, it’s time to party and have fun!
Get the Party Going
Utilizing the guide above can help you learn how to plan a party that all of your friends will love.
It is important to start planning weeks in advance to take care of all of the details. It also allows your guests some time to RSVP and helps prevent stress.
Make sure that in all of your hosting that you find time to enjoy yourself and spend time with your guests.
Be sure sure to keep browsing our blog for more hosting and entertaining tips to use for your next party!
