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Maybe you’re just naturally organized, but if you’re like most of us, you’ve hosted parties in the past that were more frantic than fun and made memorable by the chaotic hours leading up to the party and the frenzied last-minute shopping. You already enough work to do when hosting a party without worrying about eleventh-hour emergencies, so take a tip and use a surefire, tried-and-proven method: write out a party planning checklist that details every single thing that needs to be done, everything that needs to be purchased, and write down a date when each action needs to be done by.
The first and most important thing that you should do is to come up with a budget for your party. Decide how many people you want to invite then put a dollar figure to it. Now list everything from cooking supplies, meat, veggies, wine, paper plates, decorations, snacks, party gifts, invitation cards and postage, etc. and put a realistic cost by each expense; then tally them all. You’ll probably exceed your initial guess which leaves you with two options: one, you decide that this party really is that important to you and inform your significant other of how much you’ll be spending, or two, you cut back on some aspects of your feast and/or amount of guests you invite.
Write out your final list of guests on a separate piece of paper and at the bottom of the page write out a list of things that need to be done to get your guests to your party—and write beside each “to do” item, the date that it needs to be done by. For example:
- Buy invitation cards Dec. 1
- Send out invitations Dec. 4 (3 weeks before the party)
- Cutoff date for guests to RSVP Dec. 18 (1 week before the party)
- Party date Dec. 25
Then, beside each guest’s name above, put a check beside every person who said that they’ll be attending.
If you’re hosting the party in your home, well and fine, but if the number of guests you want to invite exceeds your available space then you’ll need to create a third page listing the name, address and contact information for an outside meeting hall, banquet room, or other venue where you can hold the party. You’ll have to shop around to come up with the best and most comprehensive deal for the best price. (For example, some halls include folding tables and chairs and some don’t.)
Next, if you plan on hiring a caterer, compare menus and prices, get quotes then write your final choice—together with your menu selection, cost and contact info—on that page. Or you might decide that, although it’s quite a bit extra work, it’s less expensive to buy and cook the food yourself. Whatever you decide, add the total food costs, including the hall rental fee, to your budget. At the bottom of this new page, jot down the date when you need to confirm the hall or banquet room rental. And if tables and chairs are not included in the rental, write contact info for a rental place and the date you’ll shop around and make your decision.
Don’t forget to write dates for shopping for party supplies like veggies, meat, spices, wine, punch ingredients, paper plates, napkins, plastic eating utensils and cups, etc. This may seem like such a no-brainer that you hesitate to even triple-check your list and set a date for your shopping trip—but remember that most frantic party preparations have to do with last-minute shopping for forgotten items.
Your party planning checklist can be modified to fit your own organizational style and skills, but however you do it, you’ll find that writing things down in checklists is a terrific way to get organized, not forget anything and get everything done on time.
About the Author:
Stacy is a Party Planning expert. For more information onparty planning checklist, visithttp://www.foodpartyplanning.com
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Party Planning Checklist Tips
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