Your Party Invitation

In most cases, the invitation to your party is the first glimpse into your celebration for your guests.  For this reason, your invitations should match the occasion in both style and theme.  Your invitation is meant to invite and inform your guests about your event by giving them a small glimpse into what is to come, at your party.

  

You will want to send out your invitations at least four weeks before a smaller party, and exactly eight weeks prior to a larger celebration event like a wedding.  You will also want to make sure that your party or event is not held over a holiday weekend where many of your friends and family may already have other plans, or who may not want to deal with holiday travel.

  

The wording that you put on your invitation should be done in a very standard way.  What I mean by this is your invitation should include the following:

* All phrasing should always be in the third person style

* Punctuation is never used at the ends of lines on an invitation, only on names and addresses which require them

* Try not to use any abbreviations on your invitations.  Spell out names, addresses, etc… fully.  The one exception to this is the use of Mr. And Mrs.  Both of these abbreviations are appropriate for an invitation.

  

* Days, dates, and times should all be spelled out completely.

  

* If you have a husband and wife who you will be inviting who happen to both be doctors, you can simply address your invitation to “The Doctors “Last Name” and it will be correct

* It is always socially unacceptable to write “no children” or refer to gifts, or even no gifts, on any invitations.

  

Each invitation should have the following information contained on it:

* The name of the host or hosts

* The purpose of the event

* The name of the guest of honor

* The day, date and time of the event

* The location of the event

* The address of the event with the street address only, never the zip code as this is considered tacky

When you feel your invitation is completed, then it is time to get a friend to read over what you have written for you, and let you know if you have any mistakes in your text.  This is very important because the last thing you want to do is send out all of your invitations with the wrong date or time on them.  It is so much easier to catch and fix mistakes before the invitations are ever sent out.

When it comes to your budget you might be surprised to learn that these days invitations can be printed at a very reasonable cost online.  In addition, if you have a good graphics program and a printer, you can do them yourself.  For a small event, it is perfectly acceptable to purchase a package of the hand-written invitations from your local store and simply write in the information on them.  

If you will be having a very informal party, you can have some fun and informal invitations.  If you are planning a much more formal party or event such as a wedding, then you are best to stick to professionally printed invitations.

Preparation for hosting a party at your home

When it's time to host a party at your house, you will find that it always seems like no matter how much you clean, or how much you organize; there is always more which you could do.  The key to effectively preparing your home to host a party is the cleaning and de-cluttering some very vital areas.  You should understand that as long as those areas are clean and clutter-free, your guests will feel comfortable and welcome in your home.  

Before I get to that though let me say that planning a party in your home can be lots of fun. Just keep in mind that even the most seasoned hostess can be intimidated by trying to prepare their home for guests.  So, for that reason, here are some tips from professional cleaners and organizers on how you can best prepare your home to host your party:

1 – Do a quick sweep, take a look around your home and decide what you need to do.  Take along a pen and paper and make notes for each room of your home.  You will want a closet for your guests to hang their coats in and a place to store personal belongings like a women’s purses.  While you are doing your home walk-through decide where these two locations will be and write them down.  

2 – The first place you will want to start tidying up and cleaning is the entry area of your home, and then work from there cleaning the living room, bathroom, and kitchen areas.  In addition, if there are other areas in your home where your guests will be, perhaps a game room or similar, that area will need a good cleaning and de-cluttering as well.  

3 -  While everyone has some clutter which they treasure; understand that clutter can give an even spotless home the appearance of being messy and unclean.  You want your guests to be able to move freely in your home and not be knocking things off of tables or shelves.  When you are cleaning for a party be brutal and get rid of as much clutter as you can bear – even if you just simply box it and place it in the garage for the night.  

4 –  If you have a spouse and family, now is the time to enlist them to help you with cleaning and de-cluttering your home.  You can easily assign a room to each person and have them be responsible for cleaning and removing anything in the room that does not absolutely need to be there for the party.  

5 -  If you have children with messy rooms, but are having an all-adult party, it is fine to simply close your children’s bedroom doors and not make a big deal about them cleaning their rooms for the party.  This can help relieve some of your pre-party stress.  In essence, stick to cleaning rooms which you absolutely must clean because guests will be in them.  

6 -  If your party is informal, consider using casual serving dishes and casual eatery as well.  You may even want to purchase some good quality paper plates for the event if it will be a pot-luck or BBQ type event, rather than a sit-down meal.  

7 -  It is important for you to know that where there are people with food and drinks, there will be spills and stains.  The easiest way to deal with these issues is to be completely prepared to deal with them before they ever happen.  Have a small box with cleaning supplies that you can use to clean up any messes that might occur during the party.  

8 – Once your home is clean and clutter-free, go around your home and add back some small, personal touches you feel will make your home feel more inviting for your guests.  Flowers, photographs of your family, candles, or anything you feel will add that welcoming touch.  To deal with any musty odors your home may have, you can burn candles, or simmer some cinnamon and cloves on the stove. If only there was a candle that smelled like fresh-baked bread, or even better fresh-baked cookies! 

9 – Once your home has been prepared and you have a back-up plan to deal with any unforeseen stains or spills, and what you need to deal with any unpleasant odors, if any, then it's time for you as the hostess to sit back and enjoy the smiles on the faces of the party guest at the party that you planned.  

 

A Guide to Children's Parties

Party Planner’s Guide to Children’s Parties

Planning a birthday party for children is always fun; children have such an amazing sense of fun and imagination that they are both fun and easy to plan a party for.  If you are the one in charge of planning a birthday party for your child, take the opportunity to have some fun with party ideas, and plan the best fun-filled party experience you can.  You can bet that your child, and all of their friends, will love you for making the extra effort.

The number one consideration for any child’s birthday party is to understand that the goal of the entire day, and the event itself, is to make your child feel like they are king or queen for the day.  On that day it's all about them feeling special and nothing more.  The most successful child’s party is one where the child is happy, their friends and family are happy, and no one ends up crying.

The second consideration for a child’s birthday party is what the child wants to have as a theme.  If you sit down with your child and ask them you might be pleasantly surprised at the simple wishes they give you.  A lot of children want only very basic things such as a particular color or special food choice.  Take your queues from your child and try to develop a party around their wishes which fits into your ability and budget.

If the party you are planning includes little guest that are very young, you will need more adults present to help you.  You cannot be everyplace at once, and by having other people at the party things will go much smoother and with much less stress.  If the parents ask if they can stay for the party you want to invite them to do just that.  You will need the extra help and you might even make some new friends in the process!

If you will be inviting the children your child goes to school with, you need to either invite the entire class or plan on distributing your invitations outside of school.  This rule is meant to keep from hurting children’s feelings and is generally in effect at most schools.

Before the party discuss manners with your child and explain to them about duplicate or unwanted gifts. Tell them to just say thank you if they receive more than one particular gift. If the gift is accompanied by a recipe it can be returned for something your child likes. Instruct them on the need at other times when it is appropriate to use good manners. Also, insist, gently, that guests use their best manners as well while they are in your home.  This will make the day a lot better for everyone.

Planning crafts or games for a young child’s party is essential.  There is nothing worse than ten young kids with nothing to do.  By keeping their active imaginations and party time excitement channeled/occupied everyone will have a much better time.  However, it is always good to plan extra activities just in case something doesn’t as planned.  This way, you can switch to doing something else without too much hassle or complaint.

It is also important to remember that a child’s birthday party doesn’t have to last all afternoon.  A simple party that lasts a couple of hours or so is plenty long enough so that by the time the little guests are likely to be getting cranky and restless, you can send them on their way home. 

Special Considerations Party Planning

Entertaining the Disabled

Whether you are a veteran of the Galactic Empire or an everyday earthling like myself there are people who are disabled, in one way or the other, in just about everyone’s circle of friends and acquaintances. In my own immediate family, I have one person who must use a wheelchair and another who is allergically challenged when it comes to peanuts.

Whenever I entertain with a party that involves either of those relatives, I know I must consider both of their special needs, and I’m okay with that.  I realize that for many people, this is a very daunting proposition which they usually answer by simply not inviting their disabled friends and relatives, or simply by choosing not entertaining with a party at all.  How completely sad is that?

It is very important to remember, in my opinion, that as you move through your daily life you understand the fact that disabled people are just like you and me when it comes to social gatherings and parties.  While they have additional challenges in their lives, they still enjoy many of the same things you and I do, and a good party is no exception!  I think it's important when you plan your party not to forget about those who are either temporarily disabled wearing a cast or forced to move around with crutches, or permanently disabled. You might be surprised at the smile generating power a party invitation can have on someone often overlooked by so many others because of a disability.

The first thing you can do when you're planning a party is to plan on inviting your disabled friends and family to the party.  Don’t let their differences scare you away from having them to your home or event.   However, you should also not be shy about asking these friends and relatives if there is anything you can do to help them navigate your chosen party venue, or if there are any dietary restrictions they have which you can plan ahead for.  Simply asking these two questions, will make disabled friends and family feel appreciated and included in your plan.  In addition, they will have respect for the fact that you asked the questions that many in their alliances don’t bother to.

The next thing you can do is to take a moment to view your home or other party location as other people will who attend your party.  Try sitting down in a chair, or sitting on the floor, and have a good look around.  Look at obstacles like clutter and see if it would be necessary for you to move some things out of the way for the party time.  This is especially important in tighter spaces such as bathrooms and hallways.  Look for tripping hazards like stairs and see if you can highlight them better to make sure that even your visually impaired granny can see them and be able to navigate them without falling.

If you would like to invite someone to your party with a more physical disability, ask them if there is someone they would like to bring along as their caregiver?  Most people would be happy that you were considerate of the fact that they may need someone available to help them.  Some people need help in places like the restroom and would prefer to have someone there they can feel more comfortable with.

If your invitee has never been to your home before, you can simply ask if they would like to come over before the event and the two of you can work on any accessibility issues together.  This can be a great help and make both you and your guests feel as comfortable as possible.

One of the best things you can ever do when entertaining is to invite those around you with disabilities.  Especially during the holiday season, people can be very lonely, and it only takes a nice gesture such as an invitation to a party to start to feel better about yourself and the world around you.  If you feel uncomfortable about the person’s disability, then try talking to them about what challenges they face and what things you can do to make their stay nicer at your home.  Through some simple communication, both you and your disabled friends and relatives can have some great party memories to share.

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Little Princess Party

If you would like your little girl to feel like a princess for a day, why not throw her a princess party?  This party is excellent for little girls aged pre-school through about fourth grade, depending upon the maturity of your child and their friends who will be in attendance.

A princess party is a perfect time where your child can enjoy being treated like royalty and for you to indulge her in her every wish, within reason of course.  A princess party is one she is sure to treasure and remember for the rest of her life.
The first thing you will want to do before the party is to decide on the decorations, activities, and food that will compliment your princess party theme.

Take out a pen and a sheet of paper and start taking brainstorming ideas, go over your notes to decide which of your little princess party ideas meet your own home and specific needs.  This will help you to create a shopping list for your party and a timeline to get everything accomplished.

As for décor, just about anything goes to decorate your castle, also known as your home.  Using lots of pink and purple is always a good choice for a princess party.  You can use pastel pink and purple streamers and balloons along with a matching tablecloth and napkins.

For a nice added touch you can use complementary colored plates and cups, and also tie your napkins with a nice fancy ribbon which is only fit for a princess and her castle.  If you have pink or purple fabric on hand, you might want to cover your party room chairs with it and tie it into big bows at the back.  If you do not have any fabric, check your local thrift stores for a sheet in the right color which you can cut up and use for the day.

For your princess party invitations, you will want to ask your guests to come dressed in their best outfits and ready to be pampered for the party.  Or, simply let them come in their everyday clothing and add to their outfit when they arrive.  You can purchase inexpensive feather boas which the girls can wear around their shoulders for the party and then take home afterward.  Also, readily available are simple tulle skirts that can transform their outfit into one fit for a princess.  A good idea is to have each guest in pink while the guest of honor is in purple or vice versa.

Once your guests arrive you can have them decorate their own princess cone party hats with such items as gems, confetti, and feathers which you have purchased from the local dollar or discount store for that purpose.  Once their hats are decorated, then you can staple on streamers or ribbons to the top of the hat so that they flow out when the party guest move or twirl.

A fun game to play is “Princess May I?” which is a version of the old traditional game “Mother May I?”  Have the guest of honor be the princess and allow her to play the role of the mother in the more traditional game. Once your craft project and game are done, then it is time to seat your princess on her own thrown to enjoy a nice tea party.  The best foods to serve are sandwiches cut into hearts or stars with cookie cutters.

The beverage of choice could be a pink lemonade served in either fancy plastic glasses or in teacups.  Your cake design can be either a princess, or a castle, both options are fairly easy to make, or they can be purchased. If your local stores carry piñatas, you can fill one with candy such as gold chocolate coins, ring lollypops, and candy necklaces to help round out the party theme and give the girls something fun to do.  They can take home the candy from the piñata in their very own princess goodie bags.


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Planning a Preschool Birthday Party

Usually, around the time that children get to be in preschool, they discover that there is a whole new world of birthday parties out there which can be just for them.  It usually starts with one child having a party and inviting her entire class.  From there the party invitations start to come in by the droves for the rest of the preschool year.  When it's your child’s turn, there is no need to panic; you can plan a fantastic preschool party even on a low budget or without a lot of time commitment on your part.

The best way to start to plan your preschooler’s party is to ask them what kind of party they want to have?  This is important because he may want, or not want, a party similar to the one which they have attended.  By asking them what they want, you are on your way to being able to start your planning.  You don't need to be fearful that if you ask what your child wants that she will tell you they want expensive options; most children have pretty simple wants such as a specific theme or color scheme they desire.

The next decision you need to make is the location of the birthday party.  For young children, who are prone to being messy, you might want to have their party at a local fast-food restaurant or similar venue.  This can have the effect of the kids having some fun, and you not having a large mess to clean up after the party has finished.  Another good option, if the weather in your area permits, is a local park.

If you dread the idea of spending hours with a pack of preschoolers on your weekend, you might choose to have the party in the evening or for just an hour or two on a Saturday afternoon.  Preschoolers can only have a limited amount of fun before they become stressed out and start whining and crying.  You can use this to your advantage by planning a relatively short but fun party.

If you plan to have more than a couple other children at the party you will need other adults to help you.  Because preschoolers need lots of help and attention, you should have an adult for every three or four children in attendance.  This will be a great help when children need help using the bathroom and other things as the party goes along.

When you are distributing invitations to your partiers, it is very important to remember that if you will be sending them to preschool to be passed out, you must invite each child in the class.  To do otherwise is prohibited by most schools and just simply rude as well.  Nothing is more hurtful than a group of preschoolers all taunting another child for not being invited to a party.

On the day of the party, you will want to have as much for your partiers to do as possible.  While you do not want to overwhelm the children, it is important to keep them busy and occupied the entire time they are there with you.  This will keep them out of trouble and having fun.

It is very important that you insist on good manners from your birthday party guests as well as your own birthday boy or girl.  Everyone should use the words “please” and “thank you” as well as being courteous to others.  In addition, you should go over how your child will handle opening presents and what is, and is not, appropriate to say to other people about gifts.

For more party planning ideas see some of the party planning choices offered on my Pinterest boards.

Your Party Timeline

One of the best things that you can do when you are planning a party or event of any size is to have a written party timeline and a master shopping list.  By creating a good solid timeline and a comprehensive list for shopping, you can ensure that your party goes off without any unexpected hitches. The following is a list of seven tips professional party planners use to get you on the right track in planning your shopping list and timeline:

Tip 1, Whether you are party planning for children, adults, or a wedding or a simple birthday celebration and whatever the size of your event, you must have a master shopping list as well as a good timeline.  With a pen and paper decide on how long things will take you to do and start filling in your timeline.  While you are going through the process, is the time to start a shopping list as well.

Tip 2, Before you can start to build your timeline and shopping list, first you must decide on where your party or event will be held and how many people you will be inviting.  If you will be using an event location like a restaurant, you need to secure your space before moving along to do anything else.

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by peanuts

Tip 3, Once you have secured your location for your party, that's when to start your shopping lists.  To start building your timeline think about the things you will need to do before the party, such as send out your invitations.  If you will be having them custom printed you will need to allow extra time for the printing before you can mail them out to your guests.

Tip 4, Once you have your date and location secured, and you have ordered your invitations, if necessary, then it is time to think about what you will be doing at your party, what type of food and drinks will be on the menu, and how long you want the party to last.  Dedicate a single sheet of paper just to your party day and list everything you will need to do, in order, by time.  For example, preparing food before guests arrive would be at the top of the sheet of paper, while giving out party favors may be at the absolute bottom.

Tip 5 In addition to your timeline for the day of the party, you will also want to formulate a timeline for the two weeks or so leading up to the event.  Here you will need to block out time for cleaning, shopping, decorating, etc…

Tip 6, As you do each of the steps above, you will start to develop a good timeline and a great shopping and supplies list of things that you will need.  This will be a great help to you and can even help you to remember to pick up things that you might otherwise have forgotten.  In addition, you will also start to see if there will be any conflicts in your timeline where you might need to move a few things around or enlist the help of others.

Tip 7, Once you have your lists generated then it is time to stick to them and make sure everything gets done.  If you are finding that you have more work to do than time to do it in, it is perfectly acceptable to ask other people to help you with various parts of the event.  In fact, most people you will find would be happy to help you.

If you will be hosting a party or event, the best thing you can possibly do for yourself is to follow these tips, and if you're like me (not a first-time party giver) then don't be afraid to add lots of ideas of your own, and develop yourself a good timeline and master shopping list.  By writing things down, you will much more clearly see what you need to do and what you will have time to do yourself.