I love giving parties. Lots of people think I am crazy. They mistakenly believe throwing a successful party is difficult and requires a lot of work. While there is some work involved, what a privilege it is to be able to share your home with friends and family especially during the holiday season. I will give you my simple, step-by-step guide to planning and successfully executing a party. I will give a few steps each day so I can share tips I’ve learned over the years.
1. Pick a date. You won’t be able to accommodate everyone’s availability so pick a date that works for you.
2. Guest List. To me this is the single most important aspect of party planning. With the right mix of people a party will be fun even if the weather is bad, the food is cold and you run out of liquor. When planning your guest list feel free to include friends from different areas of your life, but I like to think about what people that don’t know each other may have in common. Example: I have a friend whose brother is an officer at West Point. I have another friend whose husband is a West Point graduate. They don’t know each other but could easily find common conversation.
3. How many people? The number depends on what type of party you want to have. Will it be a sit down dinner? A Christmas Carol sing-a-long? A Wine tasting? Dessert sharing?
4. Invitations. I am still a believer in old-fashioned sent in the mail invitations rather than the on-line versions? Why? The invitation sets the tone for the party and receiving an invitation in the mail (for me) marks the occasion as special. You can buy invitations, print or make them yourself or have them custom made. Just search the internet for invitations.
*Make sure you have correct addresses for each guest.
*Since I have found it is almost impossible to get people to RSVP, I have begun stating something on this order, even if its
not correct etiquette, For planning purposes please respond by XX date. It is the only way I have found to get my guests
to respond.
Tomorrow: Now that you’ve got your guest list, date, party theme and invitations decided upon what are the next steps?
A Fresh New Life 