Holiday Party Planning

What a better time to get together with family and friends than the Holidays. It is one of the best occasions to show appreciation and love for the people in your life.  Holiday party planning is very important if you want to have successful parties. A lot of preparation must go into it. Some people will even start early in the new year and it is a good idea while the just past holiday is still fresh in their mind. My wife used to start her Holiday shopping on Boxing Day because a lot of merchandise, such as decorations and even gifts go on sale and she could save a tremendous amount of money. Also, it is a good idea to think and jot down the things that needed improvement, what did not go so great, what guests really enjoyed and what you would like to do the next time around.

Christmas and New Year are not the only major Holidays. The 1st of July for Canadians or the 4th of July for Americans are also great for having large get-togethers. Many other Countries have their own versions of those special Holidays. Naturally, different types of parties are going to be thrown for these different holidays.

Many parties are quite traditional in nature. As an example, the fourth of July is often celebrated with barbeques and pool parties. Christmas usually brings cocktail parties and dinner parties while Thanksgiving is typically a dinner party. When it comes to Holiday party planning, basically it is not much different than planning other types of parties.

Here are some of the considerations you have to take into account.

• The guest list
• The quantity of food
• The number of attendees
• The venue, renting tables and chairs
• The buying of party supplies
• The decorations to create the ambiance desired
• And many other aspects depending on the type of party.

The main difference is in the amount of preparation required for Holidays as opposed to other parties. For instance, you would need to include gift shopping for a Christmas party, Holiday decorating, food preparation, getting alcoholic beverages, etc. It might be a good idea to get some help or you can hire a party planner if your schedule is too busy.

As far as choosing a theme, well that is all taken care of for a Holiday party unless you choose to do something way different like throwing a beach party in your home or venue, specially if you live in a snow Country. On the other hand, if you remain with the traditional theme, why not make it special by having unique activities to do or create a fantastic invitation. You should research what would make your party unique and extraordinary. You don’t need to be extravagant either; sometimes even small things and attentions will make a world of difference. You could change the invitation by instead of sending just a plain old invitation card, send a small party favor nicely wrapped as a gift and attach the invitation as the tag. The invitation for a Thanksgiving party could be hand written in a different dialogue, burn the edges to make it look like a parchment, roll it up and tie it with a string or ribbon. You could even make a wax seal if you wish. Your imagination is the only limit to what you can do. Don’t be shy, be adventurous, stretch your imagination and let loose. Even silly ideas or things that seem impossible can be made to occur.

Think about it this way, what are you looking for when attending a holiday party?

Everyone wants to have a good time. It’s the perfect occasion to let loose, forget about life’s pressures and have fun. That’s you main task as a host or hostess to make that happen. There’s no greater reward than to have your guests leave and yap about how much fun and the wonderful time they had. Years go by and people tend to forget about the holidays they had, especially if they are always the same old boring type. Aim to make your parties amazing, different, fun filled; by doing so, your guests will remember them and talk about the great holiday that you hosted for years to come.

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Event Planning Services

Do you want to throw a birthday party or an anniversary celebration? Perhaps you’d like to organize a fund raiser but don’t know how to go about it? You may have ideas brimming over you and now spilling through your ears. Grab a piece of paper and pencil and get your thoughts organized. There are quite a number of questions you will need to answer and once you’ve jotted those questions down, you’ll start to realize that perhaps you might need a little extra boost in throwing your party or getting your event together.

Some of these questions will range from how many guests are coming, to the type of paper to use for the invitations you need to send out, to what kind of canapés you ought to serve. Then there are also more detailed items to turn your attention to like whether your event needs a host or master of ceremony, the sound system provider, chairs and tables, etc. There are countless other things that go unseen by the guests but are essential for the event to be successful.

There is a question of getting in contact with suppliers and owners or managers of the chosen venue. If your event requires catering, your planner will also be the one getting in touch with the catering service and staff and making sure that they can get a team together for your little shindig. If you’re trying to convince yourself that you can take on all these responsibilities just to save some money on hiring a professional planner, then you’re in for quite a rollercoaster ride. Taking on the responsibility of an event planner will leave you frazzled and haggard, stealing time away from you that could be spent talking to your more important guests and making essential network connections among your guests.

You want to avoid a scenario where the head honcho of a certain corporation you have been trying to get acquainted with comes over to talk but you end up excusing yourself in order to find out why on earth the salmon and lemon dill cucumber tea sandwiches weren’t served on time to your slightly famished guests.

Unless you’re throwing a Super-Bowl-Sunday event at your home, or a Grey’s Anatomy 5- season DVD marathon in your apartment where the only gastronomic menu desired is nothing short of a bag of chips or a bowl of popcorn and some canned drinks, it is good to hire best event planner in putting your event planning services together because you will want your occasion to come out smooth, organized and polished.

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Decorations for Party

Have you felt disorderly to plan the party theme? Most of the party hosts don’t know how to prepare and decorate it. Follow our quick and easy guide and your party will have plenty of sparkle.

Preparation for party

Early days
* Set a date and stick to it. There will always be someone who can’t make it, so set a date that works for most.
* Allow plenty of time and plan ahead. Attention to details makes all the difference.
* Becomes a keeper of lists: List out your invitees, food and drink menus and decoration ideas.
* Tell your neighbors. It’s only courteous to warn them there might be noise and music on the night. Better still, invite them to join in.

Invitations
* Send out invitations two weeks before event or at least one week in advance, people usually get booked up during the festive season.
* Hand-written and personally decorated invitations are a lovely touch, but email is more tree- friendly.
* Don’t forget to specify date, time and dress code. It’s a good idea to add a RSVP so you know how many you’re catering for.

Decorations for party

Food
* Choose your finger snacks carefully, ensure they compliment each other.
* Allow 4-6 hors d’oeuvres per person, though you can never have too much food at a party.
* Try setting a themed menu.
* Don’t serve drippy sauces, especially near expensive furniture.

Alcohol
* Let guests know if you’d like them to bring alcohol.
* You can never have too much ice, stock up the freezer well in advance.
* Consider making a punch, with plenty of fresh fruit. It’s easy to make one with alcohol and one without.
* Drink responsibly and keep safe: don’t let friends drink and drive. Taxis are the better way to take this responsible.

Atmosphere
* Move furniture to the sides of the room and create groups of seating so people are invited to mingle.
* Create a festive atmosphere with decorations, scent and music.
* Use scented candles or simmer a pot of water with cinnamon and citrus fruit to create a welcoming scent.
* Avoid using overhead lights; use colored lamps or low-watt bulbs to create a softer atmosphere.
* Create your party playlist or pot of iPod on shuffle so you’re not thinking too much about the music.
* Consider unplugging or moving your TV so people aren’t drawn to huddle around it.

And finally… relax. Let your guests enjoy themselves and have fun.

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Nineties Theme Party

The Nineties were one era of the music grunge, distresses existential adolescence and XER of generation. However it was also a fast moment of change of the total community. The storm of the desert was observed by each one around the world. US president, Bill Clinton served two limits and obtained caught up with in a scandal. The Internet really inherited any power during the 90s late and almost maintaining each one access to a connection Internet has.

Thus how can you recreate the mood of the Nineties with part of decade? Initially, downwards take a way of the memory of walk. It is not important to capture all about the Nineties, which could be impossible. However, you should try to seize elements of the Nineties which were important for you and of your guests. Were you in the college? Or were you outside in work by world of day gaining a life? These two different points of view can have like consequence two completely different 90s parts.

Ask your guests to be added to the atmosphere of the part of the Nineties while coming equipped upwards in what they feel is primarily clothing of the era 90s. If you want a part directed more corporation say to them to upwards get dressed in the clothing type with businesses. If you want that the part is Nirvana grunge say to them to come in flannel and from the torn jeans.

If you always have the trouble visualizing so that resembled the Nineties advance and observe some films 90s quintessenciels. Look at the model of clothing, the kind of shown computer material, which advertisers paid with the film spots. A good series of films to be looked at is something with the shore of Paulie and films of Wayne’s World.

Industrial food is an excellent manner of promoting the part of the grunge 90s. Advance and extinguished biscuits with cheese of jet on them or the order of Taco Bell and make with that your principal meal. The guests will like it.

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Corporate Christmas Party Ideas

Planning for a corporate Christmas never is too early or too late. This is because, most companies, especially in Sydney regard, this as one of the most important occasion of the year. That means most companies will start early in budgeting, preparing and inviting guests to the party. Most people and companies will also start booking locations early to ensure they get the reservations before everyone else. Some Sydney destinations will usually have bookings done even years in advance. Thus, corporate Christmas party ideas need advance planning if it they are to be implemented successful.

In Sydney, many organizations and individuals come up with different ideas on how to throw a Christmas party. One of the important corporate Christmas party ideas that should not be left out is hiring a DJ. Many DJ services have specialized in entertaining guest at parties. Most have been doing that for years and will most likely have had prior experience entertaining a Christmas party. The high demand for DJ services in Sydney is undoubtedly one of the reasons they have gained the needed skills and experience to enliven a Christmas party. While hiring a DJ is important, hiring the right DJ should also be taken seriously. This is because many DJs in Sydney, despite having had a lot of experience in entertaining guests, some may not have the needed qualifications to keep the party going. A lot of wedding DJs will attest to the fact that they have had little experience in working in a Christmas environment.

Hiring a DJ will require one to do an interview and make sure he or she makes the right decision when it comes to entertaining the guests. Many DJs have a portfolio of their previous work experience. Many will also be willing to offer contact information of their former clients. In this way, it will be easy to find out if the client was impressed by the services of the DJ or not. A qualified disk jockey will also need to have the latest equipments and accessories. Some DJs are usually affiliated with a particular entertainment company while may be part of a wedding or funeral house that caters for all the needs of those events.

Hiring some of these companies is a good way to have all in one package. Hiring an entertainment company will greatly reduce the stress and efforts that go into arranging for a successful party. Some party throwers decide to give a party some theme or style. Since corporate Christmas parties are times to get to know the other colleague from work, it should not be concentrated on eating. It also means that a DJ service should respect one’s wishes and avoid putting an unusually high volume or wrong forms of music that would be a distraction keeping people away from talking. Dancing music should also be carefully selected so that it falls at the right time. From the above, it is clear that a corporate Christmas should be given careful thought and especially so when hiring DJ services.

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Cupcake Party Planning

So you’ve decided to a cupcake theme party. Aren’t your guests lucky! Of course we know what you’ll serve for dessert but what else can you do to incorporate the theme into your party.

You can set the stage for your party by sending out cupcake shaped invitations. In it request that they bring a short ‘ode to the cupcake’ with them to be shared at the party, such as my favorite: “small and sweet I do desire, just big enough for one. Unfortunately I eat 10 at a time and now I weigh a ton”. Make sure you give them an example. And once they arrive have everyone write down their ‘fantasy cupcake’. At some point in the party hand out pencil and paper to everyone and as each one is read aloud (by the host) ask your guests to write down who they think authored it. The one who guessed the most correctly wins a small prize. And also vote on which poem is the best and that person will also win a small prize.

Investing in a cupcake stand will not only showcase the party’s dessert in a beautiful way – but it can also serve as your centerpiece!

At the party you can have everyone decorate a cupcake to take home with them (not necessarily the gorgeous cupcakes you have planned to serve – you want those to steal the show!). Provide unfrosted cupcakes, 2 or 3 frosting choices and LOTS of embellishments (sprinkles, nuts, candies, nuts, etc.). Don’t forget to have cupcake boxes on hand so that guests can take their creations home).

If you’re not sending your guests home with cupcakes, then send them home with cute cupcake party favors. These can easily be found and can include cupcake shaped bookmarks, faux cupcake photo holders, cupcake shaped candles to just name a few. You can even present the favors in a small cupcake shaped favor bag!

Wishing you delicious fun at your cupcake party!

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Roaring 20s Party Planning

The Roaring 20s make for an excellent party theme for your next event. You just have to do a little research to really make it jazzy. The guests will love a party that has lots of music and lots of great nostalgic feel. You may even want to have a dance party so it’s important to get the right music for the party. Do get planning and you’ll have a fantastic party when the time comes.

Long before you plan on having the party you should sit down and do a little bit of research on the decade of the 20s. You can do research at the library if you like to find more on the styles of dress during the 20s, as well as the music, food and general styles so you can have an idea or two for the decoration of the Roaring 20s party.

This was the era of the flapper and zoot suit and it makes a great costume party. Be sure to let your friends know through invitation if they will or won’t be expected to dress up for the good times. Although the party can still be great with Roaring 20s decoration, music and food, having the guests dress up will add just one more dimension to the party.

Don’t forget when looking for decorations for your Roaring 20s party to look for paper supplies. These can be table covers, paper plates, cups, and napkins. The fringe look was really in during the 20s and you may find that a metallic fringe around the walls doors and tables. Silver and gold or black and white can really add to the classic nostalgic feel.

Food can be easy to find for the party. If you have a tight budget or are feeding a large group of people then you should turn the party into a potluck and have the guests bring a variety of dishes for all to sample.

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6 Event Planning Mistakes to Avoid

Mistakes are a part of life. I hate making them, we all do, but they happen. With over 16 years in business, I have seen my share of mistakes, some that I have made, and some my party planning colleagues have. The best of us make them, but they should be infrequent. The key is to learn from them as you go. But those that can be avoided should be! The common event planning mistakes I bring up below will hopefully allow you to not step in these proverbial potholes.

The Tips!

1. Cursory site/venue check. I can’t tell you how much time I spend checking a venue for a client. I don’t care if it is for a birthday blowout or a small corporate meeting. Inspecting the main room where the function will be taking place is only one aspect of a venue check. I also make sure to note what outlets are available for audio/visual, the valet parking area, the kitchen, and the restrooms (why not, if they are not taken care of, guests will notice and it will cast a shadow over the event). It is also imperative to note if there is a place where smokers can congregate. Whether or not you smoke doesn’t matter. What matters is the comfort of your client and their guests. I have heard too many horror stories where the site selected looked great, but failure to check for necessities in addition to the
“pretty things” added up to a nightmare for the planner involved.

2. Communication, communication, communication. Having all the event information in your head is fine if you are not working with anyone else, but seriously, how often do you put on an event by yourself? Even if you don’t have employees, you will have vendors that you will be working with and you must communicate with them, frequently. In addition to vendors, you also have a client that needs to know all the pertinent details about how the event will proceed. I know that we all want to look like Super Woman and Super Man, but at some point, this will absolutely backfire. It is an absolute must to bring everyone that is part of the event up to speed on everything that they need to know in order to make their tasks seamless. Treat each person as a stock broker, each having their own portfolio that they are in charge of. If they are not given the appropriate financial information, your personal portfolio can lose all its value. Why take a chance?

3. Double checking, triple checking, and then some. Don’t leave anything to chance. Why drive yourself crazy? I have checklists for 8 weeks out, 4 weeks out, 2 weeks out…you get the picture. The week of any party I produce, I check in with the venue and do another walk through. I call all my vendors and powwow with them. I go through the menus and I talk to my client almost every day to make sure there aren’t any last minute changes. And of course, changes occur, so why gamble on your reputation? Double check the details. We all know the odds in Vegas are not in our favor, so do as much as you can to limit any missteps.

4. It’s all in the fine print. When looking over contracts, no matter whom they are from and no matter if I worked with them twenty times in the past, I ALWAYS go over the entire contract, line by line. Yes, it is time consuming, yes, most contracts are standard, BUT, there could be a line or three that puts you at a significant disadvantage. I even break out my magnifying glass to read some of the fine print. If you don’t understand something, ask questions. If you don’t agree with something, try having it removed from the contract, or walk away. Don’t put yourself in line for legal troubles that will cost you a lot more than the one hour it takes to thoroughly review a contract. There have been many times where I have successfully lobbied to take out clauses that were just plain awful and could have potentially hurt me in the end.

5. Vetting the entertainment. When hiring speakers, clowns, singers, and DJs, I don’t care who it is, I always try to get a referral from a trusted source. But, I do not just stop there. I meet everyone (if feasible) before I put them in front of my client. I want to get an idea of who they are and what their true abilities are. If I can’t grab a meeting with them because of logistical issues, I make sure to see them on video, whether it is on a YouTube video or their personal promotional video. As I wrote above, I don’t want to leave anything to chance. Imagine the horror if “Rex the Tyrannosaurus Rex” showed up at your children’s party when “Bozo the Happy Clown” was expected! Since the entertainment is so important as is a key note speaker, it is imperative that you have a high comfort level that promises made are promises kept.

6. Sticking to your event timeline. You are the producer of an event. You are the leader of troops. You keep morale up and things running smoothly. You are also the warden of the clock. You have no doubt set time marks that you want to hit to keep the party going. If you are producing a wedding for example, you will have a timeline for wedding photos, first dance, band breaks, dessert, etc. A timeline is needed for every party/event you do. Just hoping that the party will start at 1pm and end at 5pm as the invites say is wishful thinking. This can be especially true when alcohol is involved. Imagine if your late afternoon engagement party featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres dragged on and guests started getting hungry for dinner? You need to be there with one eye on the clock and the other on the client to make sure food is rolling, entertainment is happening, drinks are being poured, key note speeches are delivered when they’re supposed to, and wait staff are not taking their 15 minute breaks at the wrong time.

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Your Party Planner Timetable

A to-do list that will get you ready for that memorable get-together.

To ensure your Christmas party a success, plan in advance. Whether it’s large or small, casual or formal, this timetable will help you stay on top of things.

1) Four Weeks Ahead – mail or deliver the invitations to your guests, keep a written guest list, plan the menu, check on cooking and serving equipment. You may want to buy or borrow what you need.

2) Three Weeks Ahead – buy non perishables, disposables, liqueur and non-alcoholic beverages, plan the table service, clean and iron the linens, and order any grocery or butcher items.

3) Two Weeks Ahead – cook and freeze foods such as desserts and breads, check the condition of the garden if the party is to be held outdoors, do any major house cleaning, begin ice making, order flowers from florist, call guests to confirm their attendance.

4) Two Days Ahead – set and decorate the buffet table, set up the bar, set up the music, clean the rooms where the party will be held, and rearrange furniture as necessary, begin making food or portions of recipes such as pasta or potato salad, and dips, post a last minute checklist, label platters and set out serving utilities.

5) One Day Ahead – draw a timetable of what needs to be cooked and served, shop for perishable foods, do bulk of the cooking, pick up the flowers, make the punch base.

6) Day of The Party – Finish with your cooking and enjoy yourself!

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Putting Together A Party In Three Hours

First remember that you, your family and friends are the party. When it comes to simple gatherings, folks love to chip in on short notice so long as the request made is not out of reach. Therefore your number one priority it to call your more local family and friends and invite them over. You should ask each one to stop by the local grocery store and pick up food or drink according to the number of invitees who will attend.

For those who think they can snap up a hot dish in one hour let them have at it. Although these days store bought dishes can be just be tasty, there is no place like home for good home cooking.
Create a self-serve banquet setting. It’s best to set up a beverage table a slight distance away to avoid over crowding at tables.

Here is a basic shopping list of party must haves.

Cake, cakes and more cake

Ice cream/sherbet

Chips and dip

Salad

Fruit/cheese/vegetable platters – Get the ready-made platters sold at large food markets

Shrimp, and shrimp cocktail precooked

Pizza – delivery

Drinks, drinks and more drinks

Ice, ice and more ice

Coffee and tea

Napkins

forks/spoons/knives

Plates and cups

Bottles of bubbly

Big bottle coolers

Punch bowls and ladle

Now that the food items are delegated it’s time to decorate. Your decorations need not be elaborate, just festive and fun. Put together a list of needed decorations according to the theme of the party. At short notice it’s best to keep your list short and simple. Do not challenge yourself to put together something you never have. Go with what you know.

One big banner, balloons and streamers will do. Run down to the local food market or drug store and grab balloons, streamers and 3 sheets of poster board. Get a large magic marker and glitter. Look for metallic stick on letters and stars and get back home ASAP.

Decorations Shopping List

Poster board

String

Streamers

Markers

Large Stick on Letters (at least two packs) and Stars

Glitter

Balloons, Balloons and more Balloons

Long drywall screws and electric or battery powered hand drill or Phillips screwdriver

Heavy-duty transparent box tape

Box of glitter confetti

Decking The Walls

Tape or staple your poster board together length-wise. Using a hole punch, poke holes on the side by the upper corners leaving one full inch of space. Decide on message for your banner and begin placing letters on the board decorate with stars and glitter.

Cut three to four feet of string and put string through holes on each upper end of banner.
Run screws into drywall as close to the ceiling as possible leaving half inch of screw exposed. Hang your banner tying string to screws in wall.

Tie balloons to six feet of string in grape cluster formation. Hang string from ceiling or tape to wall using box tape. Runs streamers from ceiling. Toss glitter confetti about.

Have some guests arrive at least 45 minutes early to help with decor and set up food table and drinks.

Boom! You’re ready. Let’s get this party started.

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