My little lady turns 7 at the end of the month and in this house birthdays are a big deal! We have been planning for a while now (months on R part!) and I thought I would share with you my basic schedule. I find this makes it all a little less stressful and keeps it all organised.
One month or more before the party
The first thing I usually do is think about a theme. My children have usually got some ideas and from these I search related pins on pinterest and visit my favourite party sites and my favourite supplier Party Pieces to see what they have. Then we decide on the final theme together.
Next we set the date and book the venue (if needed). I always organise this after the theme being set as sometimes this can help decide on the venue and then flexibility is often needed on a date when booking it. For example if your theme was Under the Sea; you might want to hire a local pool or a Beach Hut for your venue.
I like to send out a save the date message as soon as I can; usually just a text or email with the date and possibly the time of the party. So the guest list is the next step; this also helps you know how many invitations you need and what size cake you will roughly need.
The invitations are the next step, along with booking anything you need for the party such as entertainers, cakes, bubble machines, glass hire or food.
Three Weeks Before
Research, Research and more Research!!! Read books, magazines, blogs and continue your search on Pinterest as this week final decisions need to be made!! I like to make a clear plan of the following by the end of this week…
Decorations– How is each area going to be decorated? Do I need to make things? Buy things? Collect things? Do I need help to set up? (AKA Auntie Becky!!)
Dessert Table– How is this going to be styled? What food is going to be included on this table? What is the backdrop going to be?
Games– How am I going to keep everyone entertained? What will I need for prizes? Can the grown ups join in too?
Party Favours– Am I making them? Buying them?
Food– What do we need? Are we doing lunch, afternoon tea or just nibbles? What are we serving it on? Drinks- for the adults and the children?
The next thing I always do is sketch out the Dessert Table. I absolutely love the American Dessert Tables you see on pinterest and have been trying to create them for my two since H was one. I use to always have an idea in my head and then just go for it on the day. Then a couple of years ago I found a post about how to plan one and they suggested drawing and mapping out your vision. This really helps. I know exactly what I need to buy, what props I am going to borrow from around the house and what is going to be the centre piece!
So these are the first few steps I always make when party planning! I will share what you need to do the two weeks before the party next week. I hope this helps and makes the planning an exciting experience rather than one that fills you with dread!! Happy Party Planning.
A Cup Full of Glitter 