Party Ideas

When planning a party there are a few questions to ask yourself before the planning can begin. Answer these questions and your party planning will go off without a hitch. Who, what, why, when and of course where. Let the party planning excitement begin.

One of the best reasons to throw a party is for no reason at all. Just celebrating life with friends and family is a good enough reason for me to throw a great party. The best part is of course getting the chance to see friends and family you may not have seen for a while. I like to plan parties or get together often to keep in touch with friends and family because time just keeps slipping by and I don't want to lose touch with any of them.

I like to have a few different activities planned besides just eating food to keep everyone entertained. There are many things from music to sports activities you can plan to keep the restless guests at your party engaged and having a memorable time. Though most of the time the chance to just catch up with the older crowd is enough to keep everyone happy but the younger crowd needs to be active so for the most part I try to think in terms of age when I plan a party if I have a younger crowd I plan more active involvement for them.

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The best way to plan a party is to answer the question I touched on above. Here is a sample list of a party planning event to give you some ideas of how to plan in terms of size of party, activity of party and how much food you may need etc.

Who:

Who is the party for in this case it is a cookout for a few friends and family. For this party there will be around 15 guests. The number of children at this party will be 4 so I know I have to make plans for 4 children activities that will be age appropriate.

What:

The what part of planning means what kind of party you are planning. If it's a theme party you will include decorations as well as your food. The what of this party is a cookout so I do not plan of having a budget for decorations. I will be cooking hamburgers hot dogs and bratwurst. I always include paper products and a toy for the kids to play with to keep them entertained. I love to buy a bag of the big punch balloons or water toys for the kids they love that.

Why:

The why part of your party will determine weather or not you have a small or large decoration budget. Some parties may not have a decoration budget at all. For example most people do a few balloon and streamers for a party no matter what kind it may be. Some parties may include a Pinata, gifts for the guests or nothing at all. The amount of money you set for this portion of your party is up to you but it's very important you include it none the less.

When:

Fairly straight foreword is the when part of planning your party but remember to confirm the date with your guests for a larger party. If you are spending a larger amount of money and depending more on your guests showing up make sure you send out RSVP cards that guests can return to you to confirm they will be there. Now days even Face Book has an event invitation for your friends list where people can confirm if they will be there or not. This is a get high tech way to keep your budget under control. Sending emails or an invite on Face Book is a great no cost way to confirm your guest list and save you money. It goes with out saying it is much nicer for your guests to have a reminder invitation to keep handy so they do not forget the date of your event. If you have the extra money to spend on your guests it's nice to have a hard copy of the party invitation to keep. The when part of a wedding event can and will change the budget especially if it is summer instead of winter. In most places winter time is the down time but at a winter ski lodge that would not be the case. You can see how the when would effect the cost of an event. The fact is most people go on vacation during the summer so it is important to confirm the date with your guest.

Where:

The where part of your party can be as easy as in your own home or as exciting as at a theme park or even a large event center. No matter what type of party you plan the location is a big part of your experience so make sure to consider a few things when you plan your party such as number of guests, type of party and last but not least your budget.

Remember no matter how much you spend it's all about the memories we share with friends and family. If you take the time to plan your party well you will be less stressed during your party and have a much more enjoyable time. Your guests will have a wonderful memory to last a life time.