Touch Essay
How to Add the Perfect Touch
He has popped the question. She is turning 100 years old. They are celebrating 50 years together. All of these events certainly call for a gathering with friends and family to celebrate, but where to begin? With a little advice and some step by step instructions anyone can create the perfect event no matter what the celebration. In this event planning pamphlet you will find all of the necessary ideas, skills, tools, and even the confidence you need to make great memories. You have truly done the hard part, you have purchased the book and now it is time to get those creative juices flowing. I have put together this pamphlet to help anyone with any budget create a fantastic party that will keep people talking for weeks to come.
Step One: Planning Ahead
I have found over my years of event planning and attending that most parties do not do well because they are not planned enough in advance. Plan ahead, it’s attention to detail that makes the difference (Dave Maskin Entertainment para. 1). Anyone can put food on a table and blow up a few balloons to tie to the mailbox, but it is the small things that mean so much more to the average guest. However, the more details you plan on adding to your party the more time you must allow yourself to plan. The amount of time needed to plan a party depends on a few things such as the type of party, the number of guests, and if you are planning the event alone or with a committee of other people. For example for a large wedding I would suggest nine months to a year, for a smaller wedding perhaps six months to nine months. You must pick an amount of time that seems to be realistic to you and your circumstances. During this first step you should also write down a few ideas that you have for a theme and an estimated number of guests to expect. After you have thought about these things perhaps jot down some ideas for food. There are so many things to consider when thinking of food for an event so this is the time to decide if you want to have just a meal, just appetizers, just desert, or any combination of the three. Finally, list a few ideas for decorations to go with each theme you wrote down before. This way no matter which one of the listed themes you choose you already have a few ideas down for a starting point.
Step Two: Picking A Theme
When you hear the word theme you might automatically think of a birthday party, but even weddings can have themes. Perhaps, in the case of a wedding, it is not so much a whole theme as it is a color scheme. However when it comes to children’s birthday parties it is a great idea to pick a theme. Picking a theme doesn’t need to be any more difficult than choosing something that your child is really interested in or really loves. For example if your little girl is turning five and she loves the classic Disney movies then perhaps a Disney princess theme would be good. If you are looking to host a dinner party you can make it so much fun by adding a theme. Maybe you and the friends you are inviting really like the book The Great Gatsby then make that the theme of your dinner party. Everyone can come dressed as a character from the story and you can plan your decorations around that theme. If you are feeling lost when it comes to planning your event establishing a theme might help to get your ideas moving. Also in this step you should determine the budget and location (Miami Wedding Planning para.1). That way if your choice isn’t available then you have plenty of time to find another location. Once you set an estimated budget try to stick to it because the first time you make an allowance for something to be over budget you will continue to do that. I can’t give you any further advice on making a budget because it will all depend on your income. However, I can remind you to look at all possible expenses and over estimate a little so that you are prepared if something costs more than you expected.
Step three: Guest List and Invitations
Now that you have started your planning and have chosen your theme and location it is time to make a guest list. Look back at your original paper with your planning notes and take your estimated number. Now make your guest list and see if you ended up close to your original estimate. Often the original number is the number of people you truly want. Now that you have a guest list it is time to send out those invitations. Don’t make the invitations too complicated. There are plenty of great premade invitations for lots of different events. If you would like to have your invitations custom made there are plenty of companies that do that. You can just type it into a search engine and choose one that fits you and your needs. Invitations can also be very creative. If you have having a boat themed party or something with the ocean you could buy small plastic bottles and type of the information. Then roll up the paper and put in the bottle so when they get the invitation it looks like a message in a bottle. If you are having a small dinner party to save on postage you can personally deliver your invitation. That also adds a great personal touch to your party.
Step four: Tying Up the Loose Ends
Alright the big issues are taken care of. Now you need to decide what caterer to use and what you would like. If you are keeping it to be a lower key party or are on a tight budget then consider making the food or have everybody bring a dish. “Make a realistic assessment of your cooking and baking skill levels, and the time you’ll be able to commit to the party.” (Busy Cooks para. 3). If you feel very confident about your cooking skills then use this party or get together as an opportunity to try out new recipes. If you are not quite sure if you have the culinary skills to do it by yourself then invite one of your friends to cook with you. If you make a day of it then it also doesn’t seem like a chore. Then there are the decorations. Since you have most likely chosen a theme it will be easy to pick decorations. You can go to any party planning store and pick out a few things that seem to work well. You can do as much or as little as you would like. There are so many other options other than balloons and streamers. A decoration idea that is classy, easy and great is getting banner. Having favors is also a great thing to do for dinner parties. It can be a small thing that your guests get to take with them to remember your party. When you get to the location be sure to set up a table for gifts if it is a birthday party. Do not be afraid to get to the location plenty early so you have time to work out any problems that might arise.
As you can see if you follow these four easy steps you can successfully plan any kind of event. If you start the planning process early anything is possible. I trust that if you listen to and try my advice you will have no problem planning parties and you might even enjoy it. Once the party has begun it is important to play the host. This might include making sure there was plenty of food out and that your guests seem to be enjoying the party. However, you also need to relax and enjoy all of your hard work. All of your planning is finally finished and it is your time to congratulate yourself on what you have achieved.
Works Cited
“How to plan a dinner party”. 15 March 2009 <http://busycooks.about.com/library/lessons/bldinnerparty.htm>.
“How to plan the Perfect Party”. David Maskin Entertainment. 15 March 2009 <http://www.partydirectory.com/guide/perfect.htm>.
“Wedding Planning Checklist”. 15 March 2009 <http://www.miamiweddingplanner.com/weddingplanning-checklist.htm>.
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