I hope that the moderators make a sticky out of this thread or create another thread that is devoted exclusively to party planning. I know there are have been numerous threads devoted party menu etc but I am hoping people list their ideas specific to planning a party ( big or small). There was a great post by binte Naeem on how she planned and executed her daughters 1st bday party. I found those ideas to be excellent.
I’ll start:
the first step in doing a party is COMMITTMENT. Once you give out the first invitation…you essentially lock yourself in. I like to use fb ir the website evite to send invitations. It’s free and I can keep a head count.
Creating a balanced menu & prepping ahead as much as possible without taking away from the quality of the food. Noone likes a stressed out host- I am speaking from experience! lol
select, iron and hang clothes - with accessories for each member of the family beforehand. Time passes by too quickly day of party.
please make you give clear directions to your venue/ house beforehand. trying to plate, greet guests, and give directions to lost guests is a very daunting task.
for party planning - organization is KEY and must. Make sure you give each person helping RESPONSIBITIES.
CHINA / silverware / drinkware - after all the hard work of making food, it should be served in china and not paper plates / plastic spoons, if possible. If there’s way too many people and not enough china, quality disposable plates should be used and not them flimsy plates that soak through, or those from which shorba spills from the plate.
presentation/decor is everything for me. if i’m having dinner at my place, i set my dining table in advance with the serving dishes and plates, and glasses i’ll be using. it helps me visualize if any extra dish is needed or if i have too much on the table.
I also empty my dishwasher. that way when everyone is done with dinner, all i have to do is put it in the dishwasher and not worry about my kitchen becoming a mess or me having to do dishes in the middle of the party.
keep your cameras charged and have ad cards. Buy fresh batteries. If you use your phone to take pics keep it charged. There have been times when I couldt take a single pic. It’s pretty bad when you can’t capture your hardwork on camera. make sure to upload pics from phone beforehand to make room for new pics. If possible designate one person to take pics.