Being in charge of organising a party can be great fun especially if you’ve got a good list of friends and family coming along. Whether the event is in aid of a promotion at work, your anniversary, or a milestone birthday, you want it to look just right and for the event to go smoothly so both you and your guests can enjoy themselves.
Hosting a party needn’t be stressful as long as you prepare the food and drinks beforehand and sort out what you’re wearing and know what time people are arriving so to ensure that all elements of the party synchronise together. You’ve probably got an idea of exactly how you want the venue to look, and you’re excited to get the festivities underway, so take heed of these useful tips for organising a party and see if you can pull off the perfect soiree you had in mind.
Keep To The List
If your party is at your home, then before dashing out to the supermarket and picking up the items you need, or least what you think you need, make a list of the necessities and stick to the list. Your party will soon rack up heady costs if you veer from the list, resultantly overbuying items that will, for the next two years, take their place on the bottom shelf of the kitchen cupboard. The price offers might look tempting, but remember to ask yourself whether you need the items you’re hurriedly sweeping into your basket.
Organise Food And Drink Nice And Early
Certain foods can be bought in advance; if your party has been a long time in planning, then you’ve likely already sourced the alcohol and a few party pieces, such as crisps and cheeses. If your party is an outside summer affair, perhaps even a late afternoon picnic, then getting the food and drink assembled may be a little more challenging especially if you have to travel with it. In this case look into getting a readymade luxury hamper that you can bring along and set up, and add extras alongside it like bread and wine.
Know How Many Guests You Have
You don’t want to underfeed your guests, of course, but there’s no need to waste food in the process. You could wait until the morning of the party to get some of the last bits and pieces once you know an exact number of who can make it and if any of your guests have had to cancel. Shop according to how many of your guests have said they’re attending, this seems like an obvious point to make, but you’d be astonished at how much food can be wasted at a party, especially if you’re providing filling drinks like fizzy prosecco, beer and cider.
Setting The Scene
Make sure you’ve taken into account the weather and temperatures, and have a backup plan just in case of adverse weather conditions. If you’re planning to have your party outside then ensure that you have a small gazebo, in case the clouds threaten your fun with rain*. If you’re lounging outside sipping champagne on the lawn in the height of summer, then you’ll want to relax in the knowledge that you can keep the drinks cool, so entertain the idea of getting a freestanding cool bag.
* in the UK this is a very real possibility even in the height of summer. As we found out when we hired a hot tub for a weekend party in July. It rained on party day! But it was all good as we had a gazebo brolly to cover those brave enough to go into the tub!
Do you have any other tips on how hosting the perfect party?
(This is a collaborative post)
