It’s that time of year again…the holidays…Halloween… Thanksgiving… Christmas… New Years.

Planning your own party can be stressful because of course you want your party to be the best. You want all your guests to have a great time and talk about how wonderful and fun your party was for months afterwards.

So how do you plan a great party? We’ve got a few useful tips to help you plan your best holiday party ever.

1. Start planning now.

Give yourself plenty of time to plan and organize. You need time to research vendors, read vendor contacts, book a venue…etc. Having the time to check out lots of vendors helps you to find the best vendor for the best price.
Its important when planning your party to start the planning process early so you can book the vendors you want when you need them.

Venues and vendors often times book events way in advance so planning early is critical to getting the vendors and venues you want for your party.

You’ll also need the time, if you’re booking a venue, to be able to check out the venue. You’ll want to visit the venue to see if it’s the type of venue that can accommodate the needs for your party.

For example is the room large enough for your guest count, if you need a stage for the band does it have one, does it have a dance floor, ample parking, does the venue provide catering or do you need to hire a caterer, etc.

2. Visualize your party.

What do you want your party to look like?

How many guests? What kind of food and drinks do you want to provide? Is there a band playing or a DJ? Is it formal or informal? What’s the decor?

3. Budget-Or how much can you spend.

Take the party you’ve visualized and begin to create a realistic plan. Your budget may not allow you to have everything you’ve visualized for your party so you may have to prioritize. Make a list of what you feel you absolutely have to have for your party…is it a dj…a live band…great food…a full bar… then if your budget requires eliminate those things you can do without. Your budget may require you to downsize on guests or have a buffet rather than a sit down dinner but that doesn’t mean it won’t be an awesome party.

4. Party Planner

If your budget allows enlist the help of a party planner. Planners can help you with all those tiresome little details that are so easy to overlook. Planners can help you find reputable vendors. Party planners can look over your budget and help you prioritize so you get the most for your money.

5. Invitations

Once you’ve decided on your guest list get your invitations out ASAP. Remember you’re not the only one hosting a holiday party. You need to give your guests ample time to RSVP so you can get an accurate guest count. Having an accurate guest count to provide for vendors is important to you staying within your budget.

6. Create a timeline of events. Or who does what and when.

When does the caterer arrive? What time do you want the band to begin playing? What time do those extra tables and chairs arrive so they’ll be set up when the guests arrive?

Of course this one article doesn’t allow us to discuss every thing that planning a party involves but we have given you some good guidelines.

So don’t panic use these tips to help you get your party planning started. Just stay organized and within your budget and you’ll be fine.

And remember to have some fun with the planning process after all it doesn’t have to be all work! Remember after all it is a party you’re planning and parties are supposed to be fun!

So best of luck and happy holiday party planning!

Author Bio: Gail Wise worked in the movie business for several years on such films as Jerry Maguire, Dante’s Peak, American Pie, Twister and many others. After leaving the film business she returned to the event industry and now operates an Event Vendor Referral Service www.matchmeeventservices.com

Category: Entertainment
Keywords: party planning, event planning, party, holiday party