When planning for a Holiday Party, I always start with decor. It's important to enhance your current space with festive items. Before you buy a bunch of decorations, take some time in your space to brainstorm. What color schemes are already in place? What holiday colors would work best? What colors would not work at all? In the interest of planning within a budget, I always make a decor wish list before I commit to anything. Once I make the wish list, I sit on it for a little while, which helps you prioritize. I love crafting, so sometimes the items on my wish list involve some type of creation and/or assembly. Waiting to purchase helps me realize what I have the time and energy for, and what is most important. One decor item I made last year literally took me weeks. But it was something that I really wanted, and had been wanting to do for a very long time. So it was worth it! Not everything is. When choosing your decor items, incorporate them into the setup of your space, utilize things you already have. This will not only help on cost, but will make setting up much easier.
When you have a Holiday Party, remember that you are not the only one that wants to have friends and family over for fun. It's important to plan ahead so that you can invite everyone in time. It's competitive out there! My rule of thumb for parties is to send your invitations one month out, but during the holidays, it doesn't hurt to get them out a little earlier. I figure once Halloween has come and gone, it's practically Christmas already, so get those invites in the mail! When choosing your date, I recommend you don't get too close to the actual holiday. If you do, you may run into problems with guests that are traveling, or have other commitments. If you put the effort into planning for a party, you want to have guests there! Some of my favorite places for invitations are Tiny Prints, 123 Print, and Vista Print.
An important part of any party is food and beverage. Just like you are enhancing your space with decor, you want to plan for appropriate food and beverage. If you choose to have your party during a meal time, people will expect to eat there. If you want to save on food costs, choose a time that avoids a meal time, such as mid-afternoon. It's easy to get carried away with having tons of different food options. Consider having a handful of items, but plenty of each. This can help on cost, and it will definitely help out with your preparation. Here is a great resource from Martha Stewart, it has party themes with coordinating menus. Some of her menu items are quite labor-intensive, so if that's not your style, just use her ideas as inspiration for your own creations. I am frequently asked how to figure out how much alcohol you need to have for a party. A rule of thumb is three drinks per person, but that doesn't always apply. I found a little tool called a Drink Calculator from Evite a while back, and it has come in handy more than once. Check it out!
You may want to have games or activities at your party. Consider your space when planning games. Avoid activities that require everyone to be in one room if your space doesn't have the room to do so. Here is a good resource for game ideas.
I hope these few tips are helpful to you in planning your holiday party! And remember, if planning isn't your thing, give Charlotte Event Style a call!
~Alisa
info@charlotteeventstyle.com
704.960.2262
