When you are hosting an anniversary party or other significant events in your home, you need to start planning early to make the event the best it can be.
Follow these tips from Junk Holler to stay organized and reduce the stress involved in planning a large get-together or party.
Several months in advance, begin with a brainstorming session and jot down ideas about your event’s theme, food, music, decorations, invitations, and so on. Whatever you do, get your big ideas down on paper so you don’t forget them. After you have determined the basics, create an outline to fill in all the details and specifics of what you want at the event.
Because this is an important event, there are probably a handful of people you’d love to see attend. Therefore, it’s essential to get your invitations out as early as possible. These days, many people use e-vites rather than paper invitations. Online invitations are more eco-friendly and allow you to track RSVPs very easily. However, some people consider paper invitations more traditional and classy. The choice, of course, is up to you.
If you are hiring a band or a DJ, you’ll need to book them early. Popular musicians get snatched up very quickly, especially during the summer months or near the holidays. To appeal to the largest number of guests, look for a band that can play a wide variety of music, rather than just one specific genre. This way, you keep all of your guests entertained.
Even if you have a large circular driveway, you still might not have enough room for all your guests to park. Check with your neighbors beforehand about available parking in front of their homes or investigate other parking possibilities.
As you begin purchasing decorations and other items for the party, store it in your home in one centralized location, perhaps a spare closet or a shelf in the garage. You don’t want to scramble to remember where you put the supplies and other necessities at the last minute.
If your event is during a traditional mealtime, you’ll want to provide guests with a full meal, including appetizers and dessert. However, if it’s mid-afternoon or late in the evening, you can get away with an appetizer-only event. According to TheKitchn.com, conversation is key to a memorable party. Therefore, consider hiring a reputable catering service to do the cooking, serving, and cleanup, so you will have a chance to mingle with your guests rather than spending the whole party doing chores in the kitchen.
Use an online drink calculator to determine how much liquor you need to buy for the event. Whether you are purchasing cases of wine, tapping into kegs of beer, or serving up signature cocktails, shop around for the best deals on liquor. You may find that you can get much lower prices at places such as Costco or Sam’s Club compared to your local liquor store.
When the weather cooperates, an outdoor party can be a lot of fun. If you don’t have enough outdoor seating, you can rent tables and chairs to accommodate your guests. Consider making the party more casual with BBQ and games rather than an elaborate spread indoors. You’ll also want to clean up your lawn both in the front and back to ensure there’s plenty of open and attractive space for your guests. Save some time by using a local lawn care services list to find a highly rated lawn care company. In addition to mowing, these pros can prune and trim back trees and bushes. Remember, when planning an outdoor event, be sure to have a backup plan, in case the weather turns bad.
In the weeks leading up to your big event, you’ll want to have a plan to clean up and declutter common areas. At least two weeks before the event, start decluttering the spaces you plan to use. Now is also a good time to rearrange furniture. Many people often find that decluttering leads them down a rabbit hole, and you could easily end up decluttering your whole house. If you end up having a fair amount of junk, the pros at Junk Holler can come and pick up your junk. For a small load of household items, you’ll only pay around $149.
The week leading up to the party is when it’s time to clean. Start from the top, and work your way down. Clean off the tops of cabinets, your refrigerator, wipe down ceiling fans, and get the cobwebs out of ceiling corners. Then it’s time to dust, clean and polish everywhere else. Should this be too much of a time suck for you, consider hiring a local cleaning service to help. They can do this more quickly, and in a shorter amount of time.
Whether you are hosting a family party, a wedding, or a fundraiser, your home can make a wonderful event venue. Planning a large gathering can be nerve-racking. But if you start early and stay organized, you can pull off a fabulous event in your own home.
