A Few Starting Points for a Party Planning Checklist

When you plan a party, you are going to face a lot of work and there is always the potential to miss something if you are not attentive enough. A proven way to avoid this problem is to have a comprehensive party planning checklist. Monitoring what needs to be done, when it needs to be completed and when it is completed is the purpose of such a checklist. This will help you better manage your party planning.

The top issue on any checklist will likely be budget. This is the most important factor because your budget will determine almost every aspect of the party you are planning to throw.

Once you have hammered out a budget, it is time to think about the party guests. Assembling a guest list, getting and mailing invitations, keeping track of RSVP responses are all things that will need attending. It is appropriate timing when it comes to invitations that you distribute them no later than three weeks before a party and give the invitees two weeks to respond. You can also call those people that have not responded to the RSVP to get a more accurate count of those who are planning to attend.

Other aspects of a party planning checklist are the location, and related issues. Firstly, you need to determine if the party will be held at home or at a remote location. Logistics like tables, chairs, food, and other things need to be considered. This will normally entail calling around and finding the best price for the rental of these items if needed. If you are having the party at a remote location, you will also want to confirm the venue a few weeks before the party and again about a week prior to the event. Menu planning is also important. Buying the food, hiring a caterer, renting the dinnerware, and planning the menu are just a few things that you will need to add to your list.

As you would expect, there are a host of other issues that you will need your consideration. Will there be party favors and what will they be, for example. If you decide to do party favors, this will need to be added to your party planning checklist. Music is an important part of any party and is another thing you will need to consider. You will either need a list of CD’s or you can add hiring a DJ to your checklist. These are just a sampling of what will make up a typical checklist; but these examples can help you when you need to make a checklist of your own.

Lael is a party enthusiast who helps people plan the perfect party. She is the author of The Perfect Party Lists ebook.