How to plan for a birthday party you might be wondering.
Planning a major event like a birthday party can seem overwhelming. There’s so much to think about! Where to even begin?
We’re here to guide you through planning a party for yourself or a friend with minimum fuss and bother.
We’ll show you how to plan for a birthday party in five simple steps for an enjoyable, stress-free experience.
We’ll make sure that you can spend your energy on having fun at the party, rather than dealing with last-minute disasters.
Here is the first step of planning for a birthday party.
Step 1: Set a Budget
Before anything else, you need to sit down and plan a budget. This will inform how lavish you can be with the food and decorations- and your wallet will thank you later!
There are four main areas that you need to think about when budgeting for your party; the venue, food, drinks, and decor. If you are hiring a venue, ensure that you have enough money squirrelled away to cover the deposit plus the cost. If you are looking to party on a budget, why not look into some free venues, like your neighbourhood park, or the beach?
When planning the food, think about the guests who will be coming. Does anyone have any major diet restrictions? If you have a melting pot of guests, it’s always a good idea to ensure that there is a gluten-free, kosher, vegan meal option, just to cover your bases. Also, make sure to include the costs of the birthday cake!
Drinks can get a little pricey if your guests will be drinking alcohol. Looking to lower your costs here? Put a bottle of wine on each table, and then each guest picks up their tab on the rest of their drinks.
Finally, think carefully about your budget for decorations. How lavish do you want to go? You can budget by using items that you already have at home.
Step 2: Choose a Theme
Everybody loves getting dressed up for a good-themed party. You’ll want to ensure that the theme is meaningful to the birthday boy or girl in some way.
It’s also important to think about the venue when planning the theme. If you are having a beach party, perhaps black tie and ladies in heels wouldn’t be the right theme for you.
You also need to consider your budget here. If your budget for decor is low, why not throw a party in the garden and find a theme to match? This is the fun part of planning, where you can get really creative.
Step 3: Decide an Invite List
Guest lists can be a bit of a nightmare if you need to create a seating plan. In this case, we recommend writing down all of the names of your guests and then arranging them at each table. This will help you to visualise the space and avoid any major clashes of personality.
If your party is more laid back and people are free to mingle, try to make sure that there are a couple of connections for each person at the party so that you are not stuck babysitting and making introductions all night.
Step 4: Plan Activities
Activities will make or break a party, so this is a very important stage of the planning. Think carefully about the types of fun activities that will fit in with your theme.
The key here is to find a balance- you don’t want a strict itinerary of games that will have your guests rushing from activity to activity and take all the fun out of it, but you also want to keep the energy and enthusiasm high.
If you want to plan for a birthday party that hits the right note, why not create a mixture of activities that can be self-led, like lawn games, and group activities, where you as the host will guide your guests.
Step 5: Plan For Food
As we mentioned above, it is a great idea to take your guests’ preferences into consideration. While it is a great time saver and more affordable to plan for a birthday party with one main meal, like a large helping of curry or pizzas, you might want to consider having a few dishes to ensure that there is something for everyone.
Finger foods are a great option if your guests will be mulling around. Think skewers, crackers, or hand-held snacks.
If you’re planning more of a sit-down affair and don’t want to plan multiple meals, try to think of something that will work for most dietary restrictions. Vegan food often covers most preferences, but it’s a good idea to check if any of the guests have allergies or religious restrictions.
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