The Art of Organizing A Party

Call it my Virgo nature, but I have always been an organizer. Sometimes my organization even HAS organization. I am forever cursed with this blessing. A person should share what they are good at, so I thought I would throw out a few hints, tips and pointers to some of my "not so organized" friends. Here are some ideas for planning a party or get-together.

Before sending out your invitations, you will want to sit down with a piece of paper and map out your event. Write down the date, time (start and finish) and location. Keep in mind, if you are having a party at your home, you will need somewhere for your guests to park, along with directions to your home. If there is a theme for your event, such as a luau, baby shower, 50th birthday, etc., you will want to note that.

You can't have an event without guests, so the next step would be to determine who should be invited. Your list should be divided into two columns, the first column should be labeled "adults" (this would include anyone who you think would consume an adult size portion of food/drink). The next column would be for the little guests who don't eat or drink much. This list will be used for your invitations, this way you will have a good idea of how many people you have invited. When you begin receiving your RSVP's, you can put a check mark by those that confirmed their participation.

In the meantime, a menu should be developed based on what theme you have chosen. Remember, the time of day your party is given will determine what kind of menu to have. Once you have decided on a menu, you will want to mark it on your event map in a list format so that you can use it to go shopping or contact caterers.

In planning for your party, there is almost always something that is forgotten, so don't stress. Take a mental tour of your party and begin another list; anticipate silverware, plates, napkins, cups, center pieces, table coverings, decorations, condiments, side dishes, appetizers and desserts. You will need plenty of serving bowls and dishes along with utensils to serve. If you are having a bar, you will need to remember the entire bar equipment needed. Don't forget to make sure you have places for your guests to sit as well as a place for them to eat. If you don't think you will have enough chairs or tables, see if any of your friends or family can help out or as a last resort you can contact a rental agency.

If you are having some form of entertainment such as a disc jockey, clown, inflatable, or a dance floor, you will want to make sure to book early as professional entertainment is popular. If you are opting to use an IPod, CD player or the radio, you will want to stage an area close to the right amount of light and outlets.

I know that the worst part of a party is the cleanup. To help with planning for this, make sure that you have several places for people to throw their trash and or recyclables. To cut down on a large amount of paper cups being used, you can provide a marker for everyone to put their names on their cups. This helps with kids not wasting and provides them a sense of ownership of their drink (not to mention this helps grown-ups too).

I am sure you will think of other things that I have left out, but I hope that this helps you to get the ball rolling with planning and organizing your party.

I was inspired by I Help You Blog's 101 Great Posting Ideas For Your Blog to write this post about organizing a party.