Planning a great party takes time, creativity, and consideration. Unless you’re planning to host a tiny group of people, party planning should be thought out carefully. When hosting a party (like most people will after the Covid-19 pandemic), it is best to carefully chalk out a systematic plan and stick to the steps. Doing everything last minute or throwing things together in a haphazard manner can end up being a disaster.
If you’re planning a themed party like a disco theme or a vintage one, you should consider entertainment that aligns with the whole event. Hiring a live band like rock and pop surrey is an ideal way to ensure that your guests are entertained, letting their hair down, and having a great time! Parties are meant to be excellent at getting people together to mingle and have a good few hours chit chatting and breaking bread together.
Let us look at how you can organise the perfect party. All it takes is a little time, careful planning, and a to-do list. Let us look at the party planning via a timeline.
In Advance
● Date: If you know about the party in advance, then you’re in luck. You may often only get a few weeks’ notice to organise something on a large scale. Once you’ve settled on the date and time of the party, you should check that there are no scheduling clashes with major holidays, festivals, or celebrations.
● Budget: Before you finalise the venue and caterers, you should plan the budget carefully. Entertainment, food, venue rent, and more can take a chunk out of the kitty. If you’re planning on charging guests to attend (like tickets or passes), it may be possible to offset some of the expenses to make a profit. However, selling tickets is not mandatory.
● Venue: All great parties always start with a fabulous location. Depending on the season, you should finalise an indoor or outdoor area. If it is a pub or a banquet hall, you should also check the Covid restrictions, safety measures, fire safety drills and equipment, and the number of restrooms available for guests.
● Theme: If there’s an occasion for the party, you should finalise a theme. People love an excuse to get dressed up. Also, having a theme increases the anticipation of the party and gets people excited to attend. Themed parties are excellent for clicking selfies and making videos and reels.
● Menu: If you’re serving food and drinks, you should ensure enough catering options for all guests. Doing this includes vegan, vegetarian, and low-fat foods. In drinks, you may also have to consider a range of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. If children are attending, you should plan a kid-friendly menu with themed food and drinks.
Three Weeks Prior
● Entertainment and Equipment: You should finalise all the entertainment, lights, live music, dancers, DJ, dance floor, and any other audio-video equipment you may need to make the party a success. Paying the booking amounts and finalising artists is a great idea to ensure no last-minute scheduling conflicts.
● Vendors: Now is the time to finalise all the catering, equipment rental, tables and chairs, coverings, décor, photographers, videographers, and bartenders. If you have a food delivery system or a balloon vendor, floral arrangements, centrepieces, and so on, they need to be finalised.
● Event Page: Social media is your best friend to create hype. You should start a social media page on popular sites like Facebook and Instagram and make a WhatsApp group for information about the party. Doing this will remind your guests about the details, venue, timings, and more.
● Invitations: You should start sending out themed invitations to the guests to RSVP. These invites should also contain links to the party social media pages. For this, evites are the best!
A Week Prior
● Confirm Guest List: Finalise the guest list and let the caterer know the details of attendees.
● Safety Check: Ensure there are enough masks, sanitisers, and gloves on hand for the party. If needed, you may have to purchase extras.
● Missing Items: Speak to the vendors about cutlery, crockery, service, iceboxes, edible ice for the drinks, paper napkins, table cloths and more. Reminding vendors about these things will ensure your event is perfect.
On The Day
● Setup: Ensure the vendors are there before time and oversee the setup, welcome drinks, entertainment, musicians, DJ, caterers, last-minute washroom check, safety equipment check, and that all the tables-chairs are perfectly aligned.
● Photoshoot: You should start by taking a selfie, congratulating yourself on a job well done!