I really enjoy throwing parties and have hosted quite a few, whether it's children's birthday parties, my traditional carnival party, or our birthday celebrations every 10 years, just to name a few. Therefore, I know that it is very important to plan and check everything well and in good time. For our last celebration, we really went all out and had a big party. With good planning, many great helpers, and good contractors, our party became an unforgettable event that suited us perfectly and, in my opinion, was also enjoyed by all the guests. Here I would like to help you if you also want to plan a party:
Planning a party: Step by step to a successful celebration
Step by step, we will work through some important points that need to be considered before the party.
Determine the occasion and framework
At the beginning, there is the question of what kind of party is to be planned. A birthday party often requires different preparation than a garden party, an anniversary, or a casual evening with friends.
Important questions are therefore:
- What is the occasion for the party?
- How many guests should be invited?
- Do the guests all get along well?
- Should the celebration be cozy, elegant, or lively?
- Is the party taking place indoors or outdoors?
- Is there a specific theme?
- How long should the celebration last approximately?
A clear framework helps with all further decisions, for example, in choosing the location, food, music, and decoration. I also think it is important whether the guests fit together; e.g., for a birthday party, I would rather have friends and family celebrate separately, as they are different types of celebrations (cozy vs. lively!).
Plan the budget
A realistic budget prevents unpleasant surprises. Even before concrete planning, it should be determined how much money can be spent in total.
Typical cost items are:
- Rental costs for the room, furniture, or tableware
- Food
- Beverages
- Snacks
- Decoration
- Music or technology
- Invitation cards or digital invitations
- Games, entertainment, or small gifts
- Cleaning
- Additional helpers during the party (waiters, bar, food service, etc.)
First, request quotes and offers. It is practical to create a list of all planned expenses. This way, you can see early on where savings can be made and which things are really important.
Create a guest list
The guest list influences almost all further steps. The more guests come, the more space, food, drinks, and organization are needed.
When creating the guest list, you should consider:
- Do the guests get along well?
- Are there children, elderly people, or special needs?
- Do partners or family members need to be included?
- Are there guests with allergies or special dietary habits?
- How many people can realistically be accommodated?
Once the list is set, the location can be determined. Depending on the size, you can celebrate at home or in a rented location.
Organize the party room
The location of the party should be tailored to the number of guests. Guests need space to sit, eat, talk, and move around. If you want to celebrate outdoors, it would be important to clarify whether a Plan B is possible in case of bad weather (tents or an alternative option).
Before the party, you should check:
- Is there enough space for the number of guests?
- Are there enough tables and seats?
- Are there high tables?
- Is there enough space for jackets and bags?
- Are the toilet and sink easily accessible?
- If planning outdoors: is the outdoor area weather-resistant? Is there an alternative option in case of bad weather?
- Are there heaters, blankets, rain protection, or sun protection if needed?
- Is there space for music, a band, or DJs?
- Is there space for a dance floor?
- How is the lighting?
- Is there enough space for a buffet?
- Is there a way for smokers to get outside?
- Is there a kitchen or access to water or a dishwasher?
For larger celebrations, it is worth dividing individual areas, for example, seating, drink station, buffet, dance floor, and music station (DJs).
Plan food and drinks
The food should match the type of party. For a casual celebration, buffets, finger food, or simple snacks are suitable. For a more festive event, a menu or catering may make sense. If you have the option outdoors, you can grill.
Suitable finger food for parties includes:
- Sandwiches
- Wraps
- Salads
- Vegetable sticks with dips
- Cheese and sausage platters
- Small pizzas or quiches
- Chips, nuts, and salty snacks
- Cakes, muffins, or desserts in a glass
For drinks, different preferences should be considered.
A good selection of drinks includes:
- Water with and without carbonation
- Juices
- Soft drinks
- Coffee or tea
- Beer and wine
- Possibly cocktails or long drinks
It is important to also provide enough non-alcoholic drinks. On tables, you can, for example, provide jugs of water and matching glasses in advance.
Plan music and entertainment
Music contributes strongly to the mood. A playlist can be put together beforehand so that you don't have to constantly search for songs during the party. If you want, you can hire a DJ and discuss your music preferences in advance.
For music, you can choose depending on your budget:
- Laptop with playlist
- DJ
- Solo entertainer
- Singer
- Band
Possible entertainment ideas are:
- Dance floor or free area for dancing
- Party games
- Quiz or small competitions
- Photo booth or photo corner or instant camera
- Guest book (have pens ready!)
- Foosball table or dart machines
- Karaoke
- Barbecue together
- Campfire, if allowed and safely possible
Not every party needs a big program. Often, good music, good food, and a relaxed atmosphere are enough.
Decoration and atmosphere
The decoration doesn't have to be expensive. Even small details can have a big effect. Lighting, colors, and a tidy environment are often more important than many individual decorative items. Nowadays, there are already cheap decorative items to buy, especially online.
Extra tip: ask friends or family, sometimes you can borrow really great things and don't need to buy everything extra.
Suitable decorative elements are:
- Fairy lights
- Disco balls
- Table lights
- Candles or LED candles
- Flowers
- Balloons
- Garlands
- Tablecloths
- Napkins matching the theme
- Name tags or small place cards
- A photo or memory wall
- Gift table
- Guest book
For a themed party, the decoration should match the theme but not look overloaded.
Organize helpers for the party
The bigger the party, the more help you need. Possible tasks for helpers:
- Bring drinks
- Prepare and bring cake or sweets
- Prepare and bring salads
- Manage music
- Manage buffet
- If grilling, appoint a second grill master
- Serve drinks
- Refill snacks
- Help with decorating
- Take photos
- Help with cleaning up after the celebration
Send invitations in time and with information
Invitations should be sent early enough so that guests can plan. For smaller celebrations, two to three weeks in advance is often enough. For larger parties or celebrations with a long journey, you should invite as early as possible.
The invitation should include:
- Occasion of the party
- date and time
- Location and address
- Dress code or theme, if applicable
- Note if something should be brought along
- Request for RSVP by a certain date
- Contact option for questions
Digital invitations via WhatsApp or email are practical. For special occasions, such as a wedding, printed cards seem more personal.
Schedule to organize a party
6 months before:
- Create guest list
- Write to locations and reserve a date
- Write to and book caterers and drink suppliers
- Music: book band or DJ
3 months before:
- Send invitations
- Plan and buy decoration (possibly ask friends!)
- Possibly buy paper cups, paper plates, and plastic tableware
- Buy napkins
- Buy tablecloths (e.g., made of plastic or paper)
- Organize helpers
- Inform neighbors in advance
2-3 weeks before:
- Buy non-perishable food (drinks, snacks, etc.)
- Buy or make place cards yourself
- Make cards for the buffet
- Buy or make table decoration yourself
- Check or buy power strips
1 to 2 days before:
- Prepare food, bake cakes, prepare desserts
- Prepare knife for cutting a cake and cutlery or cake server
- Prepare tableware, plates, cutlery
- Corkscrew, bottle opener
- Cleaning agents, cleaning supplies (cloths, sponges, small broom and dustpan, etc.)
- Trash bags
- Scissors, utility knife
- Prepare laundry baskets or bags for gifts or dirty dishes
- Provide decorations or put them in bags
- Tape, glue, ribbons, scissors – everything you might need to hang up the decoration
- For balloons: inflation aid
- Prepare everything in bags so that you only have to take it to the location
- Accessories for music (laptop, speakers, cables, etc.)
- Prepare power strips
- Prepare lighting, lamps, fairy lights
1 day before:
- Prepare room, set up tables and chairs
- Distribute tablecloths and decoration on the tables
- Cool drinks,
- Set up decoration
- Hang up fairy lights, set up lamps
- Prepare music
- Baskets for dirty dishes
- Put out trash bags
- Provide cleaning utensils
- Prepare party clothes (possibly take a 2nd pair of comfortable shoes!)
On the day of the party:
- Prepare food
- Test music
- Provide tableware and glasses
- Take care of final details
After the party:
- Clean up
- Store leftovers
- Return borrowed material
Extra tip:If you don't want to do everything alone, definitely distribute tasks.
Conclusion
Planning a party means thinking about and organizing many things in time. Anyone who clarifies the important cornerstones first, such as budget, number of guests, location, food, drinks, and music, creates the foundation for a successful party. If you don't want to do everything alone, definitely organize help; the point of a party shouldn't be that you are just working yourself. Definitely ask friends or family if they can help with the party; often they are even happy to help. Here in the district, there are good caterers and drink suppliers. Some locations are also suitable, so you can easily celebrate your party away from home.
For our party, it helped me to start planning in time. I love lists and have always noted everything well so that nothing can be forgotten. This way, you avoid stress and being overwhelmed, see step by step what needs to be done, and can work through it bit by bit. As soon as the date and guest list are set, you can continue organizing the location, food, and drinks. For our birthday party, we decided to order drinks and a salty finger food buffet. I made the cake myself with Lara and friends. Furthermore, we celebrated externally in a room.
For a party in an external location, you have to plan even better, because here you can't just go into the kitchen and get trash bags or a corkscrew. Here you really have to think through exactly how the bottles can be opened, where to put the trash, where to put the dirty dishes? But perfection doesn't count here; even at our party, there were small things we had forgotten (e.g., a corkscrew), but that is human and just happens. It was great that many friends and our children with their friends helped us, so we birthday children could also really enjoy the party. Also, the companies we ordered for catering, drinks, and machines (we ordered a foosball table and dart machines) made our party a truly unforgettable experience.
I hope I have helped you with this list and the information to make planning your party easier and that the party became a wonderful experience.
Read also: Catering and drinks for an event in the Gänserndorf district
Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
