Do you love to host a party but dread the stress of the planning process? Do you feel like you’re running to the store every few hours purchasing items you forgot to get earlier? Have you ever gotten to the end of a birthday party you’ve planned to find that you don’t have candles for the cake?
This amount of stress can leave you sometimes wondering why you even bother in the first place.
Checklists are the way to go.
By creating a generic checklist with as much info as possible, you can then alter what details are relevant depending on the party. Birthdays, for example, definitely need a birthday cake, candles and a lighter, plus party bags for the kids. Dinner parties will definitely need the right amount of place settings plus chilled champagne or wine.
My standard checklist is saved to my computer so it can be accessed and altered accordingly depending on the event. I have the most commonly required items as follows:
EVENT – date, time, venue, theme
BUDGET – allocated for each category
BIRTHDAY CAKE – candles, lighter
FAVOURS – kids party bags, guest favours
FOOD – platters, finger food, buffet, desserts
BEVERAGES – alcoholic, soft drink, tea/coffee, water, ice
TABLEWARE – plates, cups, glasses, napkins
DECORATIONS – balloons, streamers, flowers, piñata
ENTERTAINMENT – games, sporting equipment, music
SUPPLIES – linens, tables, chairs, picnic ware
GUESTS – guest list, when invites were sent, RSVP’s, gifts received, when Thank You cards were sent
CLEANING – before and after event
TRANSPORTATION – if required
CAMERA – photographer, batteries, charger
Advance preparation.
There are so many things that can be planned in advance that is just makes sense to do this. My family love ice cream cakes – these are so easy to make in advance and can be a lot of fun making different flavours. Certain foods can be made ahead, frozen and just cooked fresh on the day such as sausage rolls, pizza, cheesy vegemite scrolls etc. A lot of items can be purchased in advance and then checked off the list so you know you have it.
Planning a party does not have to be a stressful event. Getting the planning part done right means you can relax and enjoy time with family and friends.
See you next time!
Mei x
For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.
[ninja_form id=10]
