Thread: Party Planning question

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How do you guys go about planning your parties? I tend to put way too many details to the end and then don't get everything accomplished. Do you make a time line? Sketch out areas? When do you plan the menu? Make the menu? Contests? Prizes? Games? The list goes on and on. I'm looking for suggestions how to NOT get hurried with last minute details and actually enjoy my party.

This year is my first year so I haven't done much planning - I know for my friends, they're expecting to turn up in costumes, get drunk and maybe end the night playing cards. So anything I do above that, like providing stuff to do and how awesome the buffet is, is just added bonus!

I am rubbish at planning but I suppose I generally try to get things that are time-consuming out the way, and mentally prioritise. Like I know there's no point buying food and drinks till a couple of days before as we need storage space. And I know I want a few hours the day before to carve some pumpkins as decoration, so I'll do the bulk of the decorating on the day before that.

If it helps you, I'd write down everything you know you have to do, and then list them in order of 'needs to be done soonest'.

I make lists to keep myself organized. Lots of lists - menu, shopping, decorating list for each room, weekly to do lists and on & on....When I get overwhelmed it's gratifying to see how much I have accomplished by looking at what is already crossed off.

Try to get as much stuff done as you can in advance. This weekend, I bought the liquor and candy for the party and the treats for the tots. Next week, I'll buy the nonperishable items, so that the last week all I have to buy is the perishables. (my party's on the 23rd).

Test all lighting (at night) the week before. Aim for low lighting. You don't want it too bright but not too dark where people can't see.

Set up food table, bar, punch area, dessert table the day before, including serving spoons. This way you know what is going in what bowl/platter, how many spoons you need. Make as much food as you can in advance (dips/spreads, cut up cheese/vegggies and keep in plastic bags). Only have a couple of items that need to be made or reheated before the party.

Do a full dress rehearsal, including makeup, a week before; it makes it much easier and faster to apply your makeup on the night of your party. The day of your party try to keep it as stress free as possible. Give yourself plenty of time to apply your makeup and dress in costume. Be fully ready to go at least 1/2 hour before the party begins. There are always those annoying guests who show up early and you don't want to be running around half dressed. Have drinks ready to go for any early arrivals and have them help you put the food platters on the table.

RELAX and enjoy your party!

I agree with the lists! And start as soon as possible! I would have a list for: TO DO and a list TO BUY. Also a Menu list....with which dishes/pans/crock pots, etc. that I plan to use for each item. I also make a SCHEDULE for the party day in 1 hour or 30 minute increments....counting down to 15 minute increments for the last couple of hours before the party. Then start backwards, from the time the PARTY STARTS.....writing everything that needs to get done on the schedude. Try allow a little extra time in your schedule, as things will go wrong, or take longer than expected. Leave room at each time slot, to list more than one thing.....and be flexible on party day.....if you finish somthing in 15 minutes that you scheduled to take 30 minutes, find something else on your list that you can do now, instead of later, because you will probably need the time later!

I used to also include a list of every decoration that had to be turned on, battery-operated, electrical, and even candles too. (I would list them in order....around the house....so that I could turn everything on without having to run back and forth....and still, I would usually forget to turn on something). But last year I finally got smart and got timers for all the electrical decorations, it's marvelous! Found cheap timers at Home Depot $3.49 each and bought a bunch of them. They work great for Christmas decorations too. Now all I have to remember is candles and jack o lanterns. If you're not going to have little kids running around, you can put some matches and a sign by your candles (LIGHT ME Please), in case you forget.

I also put small post-it notes on all of the pans and serving dishes that will be used. If someone comes early, they'll be able to see what goes where. If you've got room in the fridge, it helps if food items are already in the serving dishes, as much as possible anyway. Of course it makes clean up easier, if everything is left in dishes that can go straight back into the fridge instead of having to go into a different container, so sometimes I sacrafice "looks" and leave things in storage containers for serving, just to make things easier. But if it's your first party, you'll probably want to go all-out with your fancy serving dishes.

Lastly, remember.....most likely, things will NOT go as planned....but try not to worry about it...and you'll enjoy your party a lot more that way. Your guests will have fun whether you forget a dish that you worked on for 3 days and leave it in the fridge, or if you run out of time for your make-up, or if you forget to turn on the fog machine, or if no one follows the rules for the game you made.....it's a party....relax....and enjoy it!

I always use an ice chest for bottled water, sodas, beer, extra ice for punch, etc, (remember to BUY ICE). I also set up a COFFEE STATION with everything guests will need to help themselves to tea, coffee, hot chocolate....including extra stirring spoons, napkins, mugs, coffee supplies, etc. I try to put most things on a tray, so they can be moved easily if needed.

I use an Excel spreadsheet.

* First tab - "Schedule"; Simple schedule that has all of the days up until the party, and two columns of to-do tasks (one for me, one for hubby ) I block out dates that I know will not be available for party chores, and then fill in the rest with party planning to-do.
* Second tab - "Tasks"; Jotting spot for tasks as I think of them, but have not yet added to the schedule; when they move to the schedule, I remove them from here.
* Two tabs for the menu - one tab is for when I'm researching ideas, and the other tab is for the Final Menu... As I'm researching ideas, I capture the Website link; Under the Final Menu, I have the Name, link to recipe, Notes (e.g. ideas on how to serve), and the number of servings. I color code all my recipes in the Final Menu - one color for recipes that can be made ahead, and one for recipes that I'll be making the day of the party. This helps me plan my schedule.
* Tab for Decorations - Each room gets it's own column, and then I just enter my decorating ideas beneath
* Tab for the Playlist
* I have two shopping list tabs - one is the grocery list, the other is for everything else
* I have a Character Assignment tab because we do murder mysteries, so I need to track who gets what character

And that's what I've found works for me. Everything is in one place, and without the schedule I would get completely lost and not get everything done, or be running 90 to nothing right through the party.

I didn't do it this year because my spreadsheet just really works and no reason to reinvent, but I also use Evernote for other projects. Huge benefit of Evernote is the synching - if I'm at work and have an idea, I don't need to email myself or otherwise put a reminder to self, I can just add it to Evernote and when I get home, there it is. Same as if I'm on the road - as long as I have my iTouch with me.

So.... yeah. That's what I do lol

I wish that I could do mine on the computer too.....I've tried it, but always end up with paper lists instead.....I need to be able to pick it up and carry it around with me....although I do like to print out my SCHEDULE, since my handwriting has gotten so sloppy, and I hang it on the fridge. I like llondra's idea of the color-coded recipes, never thought of doing it that way. I could use different colored recipe cards. I do the same thing too....with a schedule that shows the whole month, so that I can plan which days I'll be able to work on different things, but I usually do that more for Christmas parties than Halloween parties. And my TO BUY list is divided also....the grocery list and the other to-buy items. I also like the idea of linking to the recipes.

Everyone here has covered what I do when I'm planning. Lots of lists and a schedule of when you need to get stuff done. It really works. I even make a list of when I have to start cooking and when to start cooking certain things. I find that the last two hours before a party FLIES like crazy, so you really need to have a plan in place to get everything done in time. Good luck!

When I do have a party...I go a little crazy..here's what I do

1) I reproduce the space I will be using on grid paper. I then mark where all the outlets, fixtures and switches are.
2) I then pull out all my decorations and do an inventory.
- What batteries do I need
- What kitchen items do I need - party supplies
- Plan my menu and make a shopping list
3) I map off and plan how each corner, area is going to be decorated.
- Time to think invitations and plan what supplies are needed.
4) plan lighting and sounds according to outlet locations and figure out how many extension cord are needed.
5) move furniture around. (Sometimes I take furniture out and put in garage or spare room.)
6) Cover floors with clear paint tarps
7) Cover walls with black plastic or scene setters

Eventually all my planning ends up in pandemonium...go figure!

I can't thank you guys enough for helping me out with all this info. I realized why I get so overwhelmed. There was a lot I wasn't considering. Thanks so much!