How to Plan the Perfect Party

**Interested in the lawn sign above? If you’re in the Bucks County, PA area, head over to sassysweetsigns.com.

Party planning can be a bit overwhelming, I know it. There’s so much that goes into a party. From the invitations, to the food and everything in between. Well, you’re in luck because a few weeks ago, we celebrated Archie’s first birthday. Let me tell you, the smile on Archie’s face, the joy I felt seeing my family and friends together for the first time in what seemed like forever and the memories we now have from Archie’s first birthday party make all those overwhelming moments totally worth it. My goal for this blog post is to help you put together the most amazing get together. Whatever it may be, graduation, birthday or just for fun because life is all about celebrating and I want you to have amazing memories to look back on as well!

I’m going to be sharing with you my timeline. What I ordered, when I ordered, what I would do again and what I would change for the next party.

Timeline

• 2-3 months in advance
  • Put together your guest list. Before you take this party planning business any further, create a list. Family and friends etc. This list does not have to be set in stone, BUT you do need a general idea of how many people you plan on having. This step is important for booking your venue, catering and for your budget as well. For us, we knew we were having Archie’s birthday party outside in my parent’s backyard. The guest list helped me figure out the layout of the backyard including tents and seating. I created an Excel spreadsheet with names and addresses for the invitations and at the end of the spreadsheet, a tally of everyone invited total (creating the spreadsheet is great for the thank you cards as well. So, make sure you save it!).
  • Create your budget. Write out your budget and break it down by expense. You can create a note on your iPhone and share it with the family and friends who are helping you plan the party OR write it up in an email and save the email as a draft. Figure out what’s most important to you and keep it at the top of the list. This helps you figure out where you want to spend and where you will save. For us, the food was the most important item on the list, full disclosure – this is probably where you will spend a good portion of your budget. However, we saved in other areas like decor. Being outside, we didn’t need much. Most decor items I purchased through Amazon or Etsy (more on that later).
  • Theme. You know I love a good theme. If you’re having a themed party, you want to plan this out now for future when you’re ordering your invitations and decor. We themed Archie’s birthday party “One in a Cocomelon” and ordered Cocomelon themed invitations and watermelon party decor. I’m glad we decided this in advance because this also helped me narrow down my search for party purchases.
  • Invitations. About 2 months before the party, figure out HOW you’re going to tell people about the party. Will you be sending out invitations by mail or personally handing them out? Could you create a virtual invitation and send it through email or text? Or will invite be word of mouth? You decide, but I would suggest getting the invites out about 4-5 weeks prior to your party. If you’re ordering the invites online, you want to be sure to give yourself a bit of time just incase something goes wrong. Take it from me. I waited a bit too long to order the invites and when they came in they weren’t really what I had expected. By the time the invitations came in, it was a bit too late to order new invitations. Put an RSVP date on the invite. I usually suggest about two weeks prior to the party. Get a final head count for yourself personally and for the caterer.
• 5 weeks in advance
  • Mail Invitations. Get those invitations out! This gives your guests time to check their calendar and make arrangements if need be. Also, this gives them a few weeks to RSVP as well.
  • Decor. Start scoping out decor. Are you ordering gift bags from Etsy or anything personalized? If so, you’ll need to order these items in advance.

• 4 weeks in advance
  • What are you wearing? Are you going on theme or just wearing something already in your closet? Plan it and put it aside. And depending on time of year, have a plan B for inclement weather or just incase. We ordered Archie’s FIRST BIRTHDAY ONESIE from Etsy and it was just the cutest. I was so pleased and would honestly recommend to anyone with a little one that needs a personalized onesie outfit! You can check out my COLORFUL ROMPER which was light and comfortable for the party.

• Cake? Are you baking the cake on your own or are you ordering from a bakery? Are you having cake at all or another dessert? Start to think about this and call the local bakery if you’re ordering. We ordered from CRAMER’S BAKERY in Yardley, PA. They did such a great job! We discussed over the phone that this was a “Cocomelon” themed birthday and they sent over several images for the cake via email. I picked from the images and just included to add color/ rainbows. I would have probably gone with a smaller cake for next time though. I ordered a full sheet cake for 60-70 people and it was wayyy too much. Next time I’ll go with half lol.
• 3 weeks in advance
  • Plan the menu. At this point, even if not everyone has RSVP’d, you should have a general idea of who is coming to the party. Think about if you’re cooking or are you having the party catered? Plan the menu and order the food if you need. You can always adjust after you have a number of guests set in stone. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, we ordered from AL’S CORNER DELI. Everyone absolutely raved about the food. We ordered the meatballs, roast beef, sausage and peppers, string beans and potato wedges and it came out to about $12 per person. They gave us a TON of food. Start thinking about what you’re drinking too. Alcohol, juice, water, drinks etc.
  • Order the decor. Now that you’re coming to the end of your party planning process, you’ll want to start ordering the little things. I’m going into full detail below so keep reading, but party favors, entertainment for the kids, tables, chairs and tents! We ordered a bouncy house from JUMPING JUBILEE BUCKS COUNTY and they were excellent. They come to set up and take down the bouncy house and you just guide them on where you would like it. You can make reservations and pay all online.
• 2 weeks in advance
  • Finalize guest list. Get your final count for your caterer and just for yourself.
  • Create a last minute check list. What have you done and what still needs to be done? What needs to be done last minute? Whatever it is, make sure you write it down or create another note to share with the people helping you plan on your phone. This will help tie up any loose ends and help you figure out what still needs to be done. With so many factors going into planning a party, it helps to write them all down so you have everything in one place.
• 1 week in advance
  • Party Favors. Are you putting together bags of goodies? Set time aside one night to do this so you’re not rushing and doing this the night before the party.
  • Go through that check list one last time. Mostly everything should be done by this point! You rock! Get some R&R before the celebrations.
• The night before
  • Set the scene. Put what you can out. Set up decor, balloons, party favors etc.
  • Order Balloons. We ordered our balloons from Party City. Their website is great because you can order everything online and pick up within an hour of ordering. Just google your local Party City and the website will tell you what they have in stock.
• Morning of
  • Rally the troops! Get some help from family and friends. Delegate tasks and don’t be afraid to ask for help setting up for the party! Make the decorating fun for you and your helpers. After all it’s a party isn’t it?!
  • Enjoy. You did it. You’ve created the perfect party. Relax, enjoy your company and make some great memories.

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