Party Planning Timeline

Let’s face it; while there are people who find party planning the most natural thing in the world, the majority of us struggle a bit with bringing all of the details together.  The best way to get around this, and to ensure that the party is a success, is to practice proper planning.  Creating your very own party planning timeline and checklist is a great place to start.  And, as you set out to do so, keep in mind the following tips for each step of the way.

Two Months Before The first thing that you must do is choose a date and find a venue that can accommodate you and your party.  A great venue will be able to offer some tips and suggestions for putting on a successful event. You may also want to look into catering expense, if you intend to hire food services.

One Month Before About a month before your event, be sure that you are ready to send out your invitations.  While weddings and other formal events may require this to happen even earlier, for most parties, a month is plenty of notice. Once you have a date and time set, choose the invitations and the method of delivery and get to work getting them out to the invitees.

This is also a good time to start considering what sort of desserts you will be serving.  If you intend to have them made by a professional, you will need to get those orders in with plenty of time to spare.

Two Weeks Before It’s time to start thinking about decorations.  If you are putting on a big event, you will likely need quite a few elements to get the space ready for your guests, so it is good to plan early.  In addition to the decorations, be sure that you have adequate seating for everyone attending.

Two Weeks Before If you haven’t received those RSVPs yet, it is time to check in with guests to find out, roughly, how many will be attending.  Create a music playlist, make a grocery shopping list (if necessary), and prepare party favors.

Day Before And Morning Of Get the food ready to go (if you are preparing any of it), be sure that the venue, musicians, caterers, and anyone else hired has all of the necessary information.  Check to be sure the bathrooms are guest-ready, set up garbage cans in convenient locations, and put drinks on ice.  You should feel good, now, because you are about to have fun!