Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
– Winston Churchill
Plan a Party
Summary for Party Checklist
Plan a Party Sress Free
Decide when to hold the party (date and time)
Decide the theme
Decide the location home or elsewhere
Decide the number of guests
Invite enough time in advance [image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”809″ align=”right” size=”medium”]
Specify the Dress code
Make a menu
Plan what drinks to serve
Decide if you’re cooking or catering
Buy food and drinks in advance
Plan time for shopping, cooking, cleaning and setting up for the party
Plan the decor and entertainment in advance (music, decorate the house, table or party area…)
Make sure you have ice, soft drinks, juice and bar accessories
[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”811″ align=”right” size=”small”]Give yourself time to get ready
Have a designated area for guests coats, bags, shoes
Plan A Party; Detailed Checklist
- What type of party are you planning, in the home or outside (Casual Dinner Party, Buffet Party, Semi Formal Dinner Party, BBQ, Garden Party, Birthday Party, Tea Party, bridal shower for a friend, dinner for family…)
- Decide the date and time, for a formal party you should plan a little more in advance and be a little more formal, you can do the invitation by mail, give yourself a couple of weeks to a month in advance to invite and prepare
- Decide the venue for the party; to be held in your home or in a restaurant or catering hall
- How many guests (write a list of people you are going to invite)
- Make the Invitations; for casual by email or by phone for formal send an invitation card
- Choose a menu (theme menus like Chinese, Indian, Italian, French, vegetarian… or a more classical formal sit down dinner with different courses; soup, salad, appetizer, main course, dessert… or a more casual dinner potluck, buffet, BBQ or cocktails and drinks, or afternoon sweet table, Sunday brunch….)
- Decide what alcohol you will serve and how much you will need, do not forget to get ice, and chill the beer and white wine or champagne
- Do not forget to prepare or buy bar and drinks accessories: ice bucket, thongs for ice, napkins, drinks umbrellas for cocktails, plastic or wooden drinks stirrer, cooler for keeping bottles cold
- Always have soft drinks and juice on hand for people who do not drink alcohol
- For a home party you will need to make a list of things to buy for the party (the list will differ for casual and formal affairs)
- If you are using paper plate and plastic cutlery/glasses assess the quantity needed, depending on the number of guests, always include extra just in case of unexpected guests or if people use more
- choose a color or theme for your paper plates and buy matching color or theme tablecloth and napkins
- Dessert plates should also match by color or theme, you will also need decoration for the table; candles, flowers, napkin rings, bottle holder
- For a semi formal sit down dinner in the home you will need to assess what you are missing; do you have enough silverware, dishes, wine glasses, coffee cups and saucers, soup plates, salad plate, water goblet, bread plates, dessert plates, serving dishes and serving utensils
- For large parties you should consider hiring some help or ask a friend or two to help during the party (but make sure ahead of time that you will have the necessary help on hand)
- Are you planning to cook or cater (or a little of both)
- If you are cooking write down your menu and set a time of preparation for each item on your menu (it will simplify your planning by knowing when and how long in advance you will need to prepare)
- When your menu is ready make a list of food items you need to get and set a time of when it will be best to get the items (some items are best when really fresh so buy at the last minute)
- For dessert do not forget to prepare the coffee and tea urn in advance, sugar, cream, milk, tea bags, lemon wedges and tea spoons should be placed on a tray and ready before the party
- For a catered dinner in the home; make your menu, call the caterer in advance, do not wait for last minute, make sure the food can be delivered if no delivery service available you will need to pick up
- Make a schedule for delivery or pick up, give yourself time to set the food in a buffet or on serving plates and to arrange the party area or set the dinner table (do not wait for the last minute, there are always unexpected things to take care of)
- Do not forget to make a note to take out in advance prepared food and cakes that need to be at room temp
- Are you planning to have music; DJ, band or a musician to entertain, plan ahead and do not look for CD’s or music just before the party is starting and guests arrive
- Set the lighting to go with the theme or the mood of the party, for formal dinners you can prepare name cards (so no chaos among guests to finding a sit at the table) and print your own menu cards for an elegant touch (to be placed on top of dinner or charger plate )
- If serving cocktails and appetizers prepare in advance, place on serving trays and have some ready when the first guests arrive
- When guests arrive greet them personally and try to have some fun (do not look like you do not have things under control)