Surprise Party Planning

What is it about a surprise party that makes hosting one a bit more fun? Is it seeing the astounded and jubilant look on the honoree’s face? Or maybe it’s the fact that so many people are in on the top secret surprise? One thing’s for sure, surprise party planning can be one of the most rewarding and unforgettable events that you can do for somebody. To successfully host one is not out of your reach. You just need to stick to some essential guidelines.

4 Surprise Party Guidelines

1. Create the Actual Party Plan

Right off the bat you should start to plan the “real” or top-secret surprise party. I say “real” because you’ll also want to plan a decoy party, and I’ll discuss more about that in a moment. It’s time to start planning things like…

Party Date (plan 5-6 weeks in advance)
Location
Party Theme (surprise birthday, anniversary)
Supplies & Decorations
Food & Beverages
Entertainment

2. Guests List and Invitations

Your guests list is obviously vital to the party. As a result, you should invite a good mixture of people you feel will make the party a success. Invite the guest of honor’s best and closest friends. As a real “shocker”, try to get any old or long distant friends to come. Do not invite anybody you believe could embarrass or ruin the party.

Proper handling of the surprise party invitations is critical to your parties’ success. To help to keep your surprise party hush-hush, adhere to these simple, yet effective tips when inviting your guests.

Create two guest lists of people to invite. One list is for the “normal guests”, and the other is for people you simply don’t trust, or who have “big-mouths”. You want these people to come; you just don’t trust them to keep the party secret. Handle these people by informing them about the party as late as possible, and make them take a vow of secrecy.
If doable, eliminate any “paper-trail” by sending e-mail invitations. The more paper invitations floating around, the more the chance of a blown surprise.

The information you provide on the invitation should contain at least the following:

Honoree’s name
Location & Directions
Date & time. Have guests show up no less than thirty to sixty minutes before the guest-of-honor arrives.
Ask for late arriving guests to wait till after the surprise has been sprung. Indicate an “after-surprise” arrival time. This will eliminate guests from bumping into the honoree as he or she arrives.
Your contact info
A deadline RSVP date
Anything else you feel is significant

3. Create the Decoy Party Plan

A successful decoy plan is another vital element that needs to be handled just right. The honoree needs to be 100% convinced they have actual plans. To add to your efforts, employ some of these party decoy techniques.
Pick the right person to carry out the decoy endeavor
Pick the correct decoy activity that won’t raise suspicion. It needs to be something fun, consist of a small group of people; but not be more fun than the actual surprise party
Plan for your decoy party to end thirty to sixty minutes after guests arrive to the actual party. Try to time things correctly so the “awaiting party guests” aren’t waiting around too long for the “surprise!”
To really throw off the guest of honor, have the surprise party at somebody else’s home or another location.

4. Execute the Real Surprise Party

As the decoy party is coming to an end, stay in contact with someone from the decoy team as to their status (text or phone). You should now know their ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Now is the time to hand out noise makers, party hats and drinks. Inform everyone to find a good hiding spot and to keep quiet; then turn off any lights. When the honoree enters, everybody jumps out and yells “surprise!”

At this point it’s time to relax and enjoy a job well done. Give yourself a pat on the back if you surprise party planning went according to plan. If for some reason the party was blown, don’t have regret because there is still at least a terrific party to enjoy.

Kids Party Planning

Kids party planning isn’t just about preparing for the children. You may also have to plan for their parents and other adult relatives to attend. The question is how do you plan a party that is fun and entertaining for the kids, and at the same time is engaging for the adults? Below are some helpful tips that should assist you.

Provide Details on the Invitation Your party invitations are your chance to provide any instructions you feel are important. Let parents know they are invited to stay, or if they prefer, they can drop off their child. List the type of food(s) you will be serving; maybe it’s a full meal, snacks or cake. Indicate whether they should bring an additional change of clothes; in case of swimming or getting dirty. Anything you deem “important” should be indicated on the invitation.

Get the Birthday Boy or Girl Involved Your party will be much more memorable for your child if you involve them in the planning. Let them help you decide on things like the party theme and party decorations. Take them shopping to help you pick out items for goodie bags or special treats. By involving the child in these party planning decisions will make for a much more special occasion for them. This is what it’s really all about!

Plan How Long Based on How Old The time of day to hold a kids party is simple when you go off their ages. For instance, parties for kids under 4 are best held during mid-morning while they’re fully rested and should last about an hour. For 6 year olds and up, 1:00pm to 3:00pm is a well accepted time and should last up to a couple of hours. For kids that are older, you can even take the party to the next level by having a sleepover.

Recruit Some Help You want to enjoy the party as well don’t you? To make this happen it may be wise to enlist the help of others. All you need to do is ask a few people to co-host the gathering with you. Give each co-host a small list of duties to be responsible for. This may be to help with drinks, food or other organizing tasks. It can be extremely helpful to have an additional set of eyes when children are involved.

Be Prepared for Everything Don’t be afraid to expect the unexpected when planning a kids party. Things can happen that are simply out of your control. Your entertainment may not show, rain might roll in or parents might show up late. These things happen. You can be ready for some of the most common things that can occur by doing the following:

Prepare extra goodie bags so nobody leaves empty handed
Have additional party games and activities planned so you’re not rushing
Have fun and interesting movies available to keep kids occupied
Take plenty of deep breaths

Safety First Providing a safe and secure environment for a kid’s party should be first and foremost on your list. You can keep things safe and sound by…

Getting the phone number of every parent that drops off a child
Inquire about food allergies
Be prepared with a first-aid kit for bumps and bruises

You will be surprised on how a little planning can go a long way. By following the above guidelines, your party will go much smoother and you’ll be able to enjoy the entire process a lot more.

Luau Party Planning

What is it about a luau party that makes people want to let loose and party? It could be the colorful nature of the celebration, or maybe it’s the great food. Whatever the reason, a successful luau party has a tranquil atmosphere that makes people want to have fun from the very beginning. Your luau party planning can create this type of atmosphere as well; you just need to understand some fundamentals.

5 Luau Party Fundamentals

1. Invitations – Your invites are great for setting the luau theme and mood. Make them as fun and interesting as you can. Lure guests by listing the luau feast you will be serving, and persuade them with talk of Hawaiian games, activities and hula-girls! You can have your invitations professional done, or create them yourself on your computer with clip-art images or other photos you may have.

2. Luau Party Decorations – For many people, planning a luau party is all about the decorations. There is a great variety of unique and interesting decorations to choose from for luau parties. Here are some basic decorating supplies you should concentrate on if you are throwing one of your first luau parties.

Inflatable palm trees & parrot outside your entry way to your home
A personalized luau banner to welcome your guests
Island music CD to play during the party
Enough colorful leis for all guests
A tropical scene setting & luau lights in the primary gathering area
Tropical table decorations and place setting (napkins & plates)
Luau themed balloon bouquets

Keep in mind that bold, bright tropical colors are a key ingredient in creating the right Hawaiian luau atmosphere.

3. Luau Party Music – The music you pick is very important, because the mood of your party depends on it. It’s a good idea to have at least two luau music cds on hand to listen to; and more if possible.

4. Luau Party Food – The typical food attraction of most luaus is a roasted pig. This of course is dependent on how traditional you want to be. Many people opt for a different and simpler main course which is fine as well. Some other luau party food ideas include:

coconut drinks
tropical goldfish crackers
macadamia nuts
fresh fruit bowl consisting of grapes, pineapple chunks, watermelon, strawberries, bananas etc
pineapple upside-down cake
tropical punch (spiked?)
coconut cream pie

5. Luau Party Games & Activities – Providing fun games and activities is a vital ingredient for your luau party. Doing so will help keep your guests entertained and make them feel involved. Here are some luau game ideas that might work for your party:

Throw a hula-hoop competition for the men where they wear grass mini-skirts and coconut bras. The winner gets a prize and is crowned “hula king”.
Set up a limbo stick contest where everybody tries to go as low as possible. The winner gets a prize. You might want to have a separate kids and adult contest to make things fair.
A great one for the kids is to have a surfing game to the song “Wipe-Out”, where the adults judge the best and coolest wipe-out.
Hire or invite professional hula-hoop dancers to coach your guests on how to properly hula.
Do a hula-hoop contest, where the winner gets a prize for the best hula dance
Announce a prize to the winner who wears the loudest and most outrageous luau clothing
Have a lip sync game to an easy Hawaiian luau song such as “Tiny Bubbles”

If you enjoy planning parties, then a luau party is an event that every party enthusiast should host at least once! Just stick to these luau party fundamentals and you’ll be just fine.

Home Party Planning

Home party planning can either be an extremely rewarding experience, or an event you’d rather forget. The choice is really up to you. If you want to learn to host a successful home party, where the guests leave with fun positive memories; you’ve come to the right place.

4 Ingredients for Planning a Successful Party at Home

1. Plan with a Budget
Because your budget is what “drives” your entire party, it only makes sense to pay particular attention to it. After determining the maximum amount you are willing to spend, it’s time to prioritize where the money will be spent. Ask yourself how much you’re willing to allocate to certain things such as food, beverages, music, rental equipment etc. On your party checklist put a star by the things you can’t do without. Seeing things written down in a prioritized fashion will give you a great overview of your budget and where the money is going.

2. Plan Your Party Timeline

4-6 Weeks Prior to Party – This is the time to do some party brainstorming. How many guests to invite? Think about their ages; will there be infants or seniors with special needs? What will you put on your invitations? How about the food you’ll be providing; appetizers, a meal, buffet, beverages, maybe dessert? Do you have a party theme? This is also the time to consider recruiting a co-host or helper(s) if you think you’ll need assistance.
2-3 Weeks Prior to Party – It’s time to send out your party’s invitations. Sending them now will give your guests an ample amount of time to know whether or not they can make it. It’s also common courtesy to give people plenty of notice.
2 Weeks Prior to Party – You really need to start planning out all your home party details. By now you should know the approximate number of guest that will be attending, so you can move forward with planning your food supplies. It’s wise to keep things well organized by working off your party checklist. Things on your checklist would include things like party decorations, food supplies; and miscellaneous items like renting a tent, extra chairs & tables or hiring a band.
3-4 Days Prior to Party – This is the time to review all your party planning preparations. Did you accomplish everything on your checklist? Make sure to double check, and re-calculate your food and beverage supplies to be certain you have enough. If there are important unresolved matters, now is the time to get them done.
1 Day Prior to Party – Now it’s time to really firm up all the details. You do this by adding any special touches to your decorations, food & beverage or room layout. This is also the time to give your home a really good cleaning, and don’t forget the bathroom(s)!

3. Creating Room for Your Party
Providing a roomy and comfortable environment for your guests should be among one of your top priorities. Here are some tips on how you can evaluate your party-space needs.

Focus on the rooms that will contain guests and determine what items in those rooms might need attention.
Do you need to remove any furniture? Add furniture?
Where are good spots for party decorations?
What areas contain unnecessary clutter and need removed?
Will you need a childproof room for children or toddlers to play?
Be ready with your party cleanup kit; stain removal, bucket & towels

4. Plan Your Party’s Atmosphere
Your theme will help to determine some of your party’s atmosphere, but there are still things you can do to encourage a fun and enjoyable ambiance.

Use your invitation to help set the mood by announcing a game or contest that will be played at the party
Structure your seating and furniture in such a way that encourages conversation
When providing food, place it on several smaller tables instead of a single large table.
Get creative with your lighting; will people be dancing?
If the mood calls for it, use your fireplace
Use unique scents or potpourri to spice up your home
Keep the heat or air conditioning at a comfortable level

It’s important to remember that you’re the party leader and host. Make yourself visible to your guests and encourage conversations between them. Make introductions between people who don’t know one another, and point out common interests they might have. You set the tone for the party’s atmosphere; so make sure to be upbeat, positive and energetic.

Conclusion
To put together and host a party at home doesn’t need to be complicated. You just need have a little vision, and use the right party planning ingredients. If you do this, you will pull off a triumphant party your guests will truly enjoy.

Food Party Planning

Are you afraid of feeling overwhelmed when it comes to food party planning? Executing a successful “food to guest” ratio might not be as hard as you think. When it comes right down to it, it’s mostly about simple math. You just need to know the answers to some simple questions.

Simple, yet important party food questions

How much food should I prepare?
How much alcohol / liquor to provide?
How much ice will I need?
Should I grill-out or create a buffet?

Providing the correct amount of food for your party, without having to go way overboard, mostly comes down to your planning, organizing and paying attention to the details. Here Food Party Planning are some tips to help you get the ball rolling.

Plan as far ahead as you can. Begin with a guest list, budget and location
Remember, the bigger the guest list, the simpler the menu
If hosting the party somewhere other than your home, make a list of everything you will have to transport

In many cases, the food you choose for your party will be based off your parties theme. For example, if you’re hosting a fourth of July party, you might go with traditional hamburgers and dogs. A cocktail party on the other hand, would require something more sophisticated.

What type of party are you having?

Thanksgiving
Easter
Fourth of July
Halloween
Formal dinner
Cocktail party

Who’s Coming to the Party?

You should take a moment and reflect on the type of guests that will be coming to your party. Will there be toddlers? What about teenagers? How about seniors? This can be important in determining your food and beverage supplies. For instance, a teenager can eat up to 50% more than an average adult, while a senior will consume much less.

Food Party Calculating

Estimating the amount of food you will need doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a couple of techniques you can use to help in your planning.

Hors d’oeuvre – Your guests can consume up to 5 appetizers in a single hour depending on how light or heavy the starter food is you provide.
Buffet Guidelines – a simplistic, yet reliable method for estimating party food quantities is that an average person will eat 1 1/2 pounds of food per meal.
RSVP Invitation & Food Choice – if you are providing a choice of entrées, you can have your guests RSVP their food choice ahead of time. This will allow you to really zero in on your necessary food quantity.
Beverage Calculating
Punch Drinks – you can figure on one gallon for every ten people. It might be wise to have drinks available that are “pour ready” vs. having to mix things together.
Cocktails – a typical guest will consume about two drinks per hour depending on the type of drink. Consider whether or not you will have enough glassware for everybody, or if you will be using disposable cups.

Just Remember!

Be realistic about your food party planning. How much can you handle yourself? Do you need to enlist the help of others? Maybe recruit a co-host? To help with your party time management, delegate specific duties to your helpers along with a date for completion. This is a great way of getting multiple party planning tasks done quickly, and a surefire way to make your event more enjoyable for you and your guests.

Bachelor Party Planning

When you really think about it, a weddings main focus is typically about the bride. She is of course the center of attention, beautiful and glowing. Most brides are satisfying their childhood dreams of walking down the isle and marring their prince charming. Don’t get me wrong, many men take real pleasure in their wedding as well, in finding and marring their true and only love. But let’s not forget the main party he is anxiously awaiting – the bachelor party!

Think of bachelor party as his time to be the center of attention. When you think about it, this is the only event during the whole wedding procedure where it’s all about the groom. That is exactly what bachelor party planning is all about; providing him with the evening he is entitled to. Typically the best man will plan the bachelor party although the ushers are usually included, but with the best man leading the way. Usually the foremost thing a best-man will do is discover what the groom wants for his final night of independence.

Having a near nude woman dancing on his lap is a fairly clique thing to assume, although this type of thing is a popular bachelor party tendency. Many men feel the need to “go out with a bang” to enjoy their last night being a single man. Once more, it’s completely dependent on what the groom wants. By all means, if he wants to indulge himself in this manner, then it’s the job of the best man and the ushers to bring his dream to life. However, if you are in need of another option(s), there are many additional things to consider.

If the groom is a bit more conservative and is only interested in having his upcoming wife dance for him naked, then that is alright. As an alternative to a strip-club, try planning a night to a grown-up arcade where you can purchase alcoholic beverages, food in addition to playing games. You can even begin the day by going golfing or even to batting cages. If you want to get really creative, plan for everybody to go paint-balling; this is a great way to release pent-up energy. You might want to employ a limo and driver as to remove any issues with a designated driver. This will allow everybody at the bachelor party to have the same amount of enjoyment.

Putting together the guest list and deciding how things will get paid are issues that many men have difficulties with. Another question is who to invite to the bachelor party. A couple of necessary invitees should be the father of the bride, the groom, any male relatives to the groom, and of course all the ushers. You may need to talk with the bride, as she will be able to provide you with any additional invites that should be made as well. You might also want to take this opportunity to talk with her about anything she wouldn’t appreciate her soon to-be husband being involved with. You need to be a buddy and protect your friend from any problems in the future.

Figuring out how the night is paid for is another issue. If you’re fortunate, a father or father-in-law might pony up for the night’s festivities. If that is not the case, you should add up and estimate how much the entire evening will cost and divide that by the total number of men going (excluding the groom). Be sure to include any tips that will be paid out as well. Let everybody know what the expected cost will be ahead of time so there’s no surprises; and to be sure everybody is alright with it.

Just remember, the bachelor party is supposed to be an event where everybody relaxes and enjoys themselves. Take the right steps in your planning, and you’ll be the best man everybody expects you to be.

Dinner Party Planning

Wouldn’t it be nice to sit down to a tasteful and elegant dinner and take pleasure in the company of people you enjoy? There is just something about getting out your finest plates, china and silverware and having a dinner party to show the people you invite that you truly enjoy their company.

Dinner Party Planning is uniquely different when compared to a having a standard party. You will normally find fewer guests are invited to a dinner party, and the mood is a tad more personal and intimate. With a typical party or gathering the focus may be socializing, laughing or playing a game. With a dinner party, the center of emphasis is mostly about the food.

Do you know how many guests you’ll be inviting? This number will most likely be based on how many people you can seat comfortably around your dinner table. Will all the guests be couples or will you have an “odd-man-out”? Also consider how your guests will get along, do they all know each other?

What’s your reason for hosting a dinner party? Is it to bring mutual friends together to meet one another? This can really help to develop some quality and long lasting friendships. Or, maybe you’re truly passionate about baking and cooking, and you want people to try-out and experience your food.

How about your dinner party planning supplies and equipment? This is definitely one of the fun aspects to the whole planning process. Dinner parties are all about using your best china, silverware and associated condiments. If you prefer not to use your own plates or supplies you can always rent some for the evening. To help create a more upscale look, don’t forget to use a center piece; preferably one with candles and fits nicely on the table. It is also advised to use a corresponding linen table cloth and napkins – remember you can always rent them if you need to.

Most dinner parties begin by the guests being served drinks as they intermingle with one another. When at the table your company needs to have plenty of room for their place setting, and enough space between other guests so they don’t feel cramped. This is important because many dinner party hosts dish up several courses during the evening which means guests are seated longer. A nice touch following your excellent dinner is to direct your guests to a comfortable and relaxing seating area to enjoy a cup of coffee. Your living room will probably be ideal for this.

In some aspects planning a dinner party is simpler than other kinds of party planning. Because you are the host, you determine the mood for the whole evening. If you notice lagging conversations, it’s your duty to spark something interesting to discuss. Since your guests are usually your close friends this shouldn’t be a problem for you. Just enjoy every aspect of your dinner party and have a great time!

Planning a Graduation Party

Are you planning a Graduation Party? Graduations can be as simple as a preschool graduation into elementary school, or maybe it’s that time of life where they have matured out of high school and is ready to tackle the real world. You might even be having a college graduation to celebrate the hard work and achievements of your beloved child. No matter what phase of life they are entering into, you want to be sure to host a great graduation party to commemorate their accomplishment no matter how big or small.

Graduation party planning does not really differ from that of other types of party planning. When looking to host a graduation party, most of the thought will go into the guest list. It was probably much easier when they were children in figuring out who to invite. As young adults, with many more friends, it may be a bit more difficult to throw together a guest list. Because of this, you may need to consult with the person you are throwing the party for. If by chance you will be having a surprise graduation party ascertaining the guest list can get even more complex. If that’s the case you may want to recruit some people to help you with the guest list, such as their friends or classmates, because don’t want to accidentally leave somebody out.

After you have a refined guest list, it is time to mail out your invitations. If you are having a surprise graduation party, make certain to point this out definitively within the invitation. Many surprise parties get ruined because the invitee did not recognize the fact that it is a surprise, and ultimately slips up and mentions it to the guest of honor.

The only difficult thing about graduation party decorations is that there is such a huge variety to pick from. Because there is so much to pick from, you should not have any problems finding specific items for your particular graduation. To make things a bit more personalized, a good idea is to use the school colors throughout the graduation theme. Also be sure to include the graduation year throughout the decorations. Another great idea is to add another theme to the festivity. For example, you can do this by combining the graduation party with a luau theme, or incorporate it with a masquerade ball. You can even do a “flashback” party, where you display and celebrate all the years of hard work that has led up to this moment.

Just keep in mind that your graduate simply wants to celebrate their accomplishments. This is a time for them to bask in their glory and leave behind all the pressures that they battled through to earn this achievement. With the help of supportive friends and family you should have no problem hosting a graduation party that the “guest of honor” will surely love.

Holiday Party Planning

Holiday parties are a great way to bring people close together and celebrate the relationships you have in your life. Hosting such an event takes plenty of preparation, so it’s wise to be fully prepared for your holiday party planning.

With so many great holidays to choose from you shouldn’t have any problem throwing a memorable party. What holiday party are you considering? Maybe you’re considering a Fourth of July party and pool bash; or a Thanksgiving party (a dinner party). Christmas parties are ideal for close gatherings and cocktail parties.

Holiday planning can be very similar to how you would plan for other kinds of parties. You’ll have a guest list to think Holiday Party Planning about, and you will need to supply enough food to accommodate all the guests that are planning to attend. Where will you be hosting from, your home or will you be renting a venue? Will you need to rent any holiday supplies like tables and chairs?

Throwing a holiday party will require a bit more planning and preparation. For example, a Christmas party will require you to plan for gift shopping, holiday theme decorating and other Christmas planning provisions. If you require some help with your holiday party you can ask a friend for some help or even hire a party planner.

Your holiday party theme is obviously already chosen when you decide to host a gathering. It’s a good idea to include some fun and interesting activities for your guests to do throughout your holiday party. It’s the little things that make a party memorable. Maybe you can send out a marvelous invite, instead of the typical plain invitation that most people send. You could even go all out and send every guest a wrapped present with their invite on the gift tag. For throwing a Thanksgiving party you can send an invite written in ink pen dialogue just like the pilgrims would have used. Then roll up the invitation and tie it with a piece of string. Let your ideas run wild with your holiday planning because you are only limited by your imagination.

One thing to always keep in mind about your holiday party is that your guests are simply looking to have a good time. They want to relax and forget about the pressures of everyday life. Your duty as host or hostess is to provide this atmosphere for your party guests.

Your goal end result should be to have your guests leaving happy and remembering what a terrific time they had. If you provide a pleasant and enjoyable holiday party experience, people will retain this information, and good fortune will come back to you in future holiday events.

Party Planning Checklist

Planning a party can be a rewarding endeavor for the one hosting the party, but make no mistake about the work and effort that goes into it. One critical step that can’t be overlooked is putting together a Party Planning Checklist. This would consist of everything that you have to accomplish and a date when you need to complete them by. How else do you go about planning a terrific party where everybody enjoys themselves and leaves with happy pleasant memories?

To start your checklist, begin with a budget for the party. You will then work off your budget allowing you to determine many things, including how many guests you will be able to invite. After compiling the guest list on your checklist you need to make notes on how you were going to handle the invitations; we’ll let you buying them, writing them or e-mailing them? Write down the date of when the invitations need to be sent Party Planning Checklist out by. A good rule of thumb is a three week notice before the date of the actual party. Give your guests two weeks to RSVP whether or not they will be coming. It’s also a good idea to make a second checklist containing a list of the people who will be attending.

The next section on your checklist should pertain to the location of where the party will be held. If you are considering renting a place, and it’s in the budget, create a spot on your checklist for researching venders and for getting quotes. Ask if they will be providing the food and exactly how much it might all cost. If you have already chosen to host a party at your home, then you might want to consider hiring a caterer, be sure to jot down the estimate for doing this. If you already know that you will be preparing all the food yourself you will need to explore the costs of food and supplies and write this particular information down your checklist.

Some miscellaneous items that you will be putting on your checklist might include party supplies, such as utensils, napkins, plates, drinks and any other important items you deem necessary. Don’t forget to write down additional tables or chairs, or possibly even a tent if the party is outside. If you’re hosting a themed party, brainstorm and jot on your checklist all the unique items that will go nicely with your party.

Planning and executing a memorable party is made much simpler by the use of a well thought out checklist. Think of your checklist as a business plan, giving you an overview of your future party. It is the only method to keep things organized and properly planned, and to keep within the time frame you desire. You will be amazed on how much simpler, smoother and enjoyable the whole experience will be. So now it’s time to get to work and start creating your very own party planning checklist today!