With summer creeping up on us, the party season will soon be in full swing. Garden parties, festivals and barbecues are perfect for sunny Sundays, so why not get your planners out and start getting ready now?
Whether you work for an event planning company and are taking on a huge new project, or if it’s your son’s 5th birthday and you want to organise something special, the necessities to make it successful are the same.
Venue
The very first thing that should pop into your head when you start thinking about any kind of event should be ‘Where should I have it?’. Sometimes the answer is blatantly obvious – you wouldn’t have a summer garden party indoors after all – but sometimes it takes a little more organising.
The best way to narrow down what kind of venue you want is by choosing a list of different venues within a radius, and deciding which ones would work best. There’s bound to be a clear favourite when you start looking – just make sure you don’t leave it too late to book! Whatever the size of your event, the venue should be at the very top of your list of things to sort.
Guest list
One of the factors of choosing your venue will be deciding how many people you expect at the event, which is why choosing the guest list should be on your mind while you’re looking at locations.
If you’re planning a larger event, it can be more difficult to gauge how many people will turn up compared to how many you invite, but this is why RSVPs were invented!
Catering
After you’ve got a certain number of guests, you can start to think about the best kind of catering for your private party.
The catering you decide on will depend on a number of things, from what time of day you’re having your event at, the age range (although it’s safe to say everyone enjoys a party ring) and how formal the party will be. If you’ve got a theme you’ll be able to play around with catering and find something fun to suit the party, so make sure you don’t leave it to the last minute and miss out on your ideal caterer!
Entertainment
Entertainment is a huge factor of a party, and for some, it’s the reason for going. No matter what party you’re planning, you should aim for there to be some kind of entertainment, whether it’s a bouncy castle or a string quartet.
Depending on how important the entertainment is to you, you should look for it relatively quickly after you’ve chosen the venue and the caterer. Popular entertainment acts can get booked up months in advance, so this way you’ll be able to have the pick of the bunch.
Decoration
In the week running up to the event, you’ll need to make sure you have all the decorations you’ll need to create the perfect event.
If you’re hosting a large party this may require some more planning, but you’ll most likely be able to liaise with the venue owners to help you get the contacts you need. It may seem like decoration isn’t that important, but it’s the finishing touches that will make your event that bit extra-special, so don’t neglect them!
What are your essential items for planning a party? Leave a comment below or get in touch with us over on Twitter and Facebook!