Dinner Party Planning-Dinner is Now Served

Your table for 10 is ready now Madam. Please follow me. Surely that sounds familiar? What about the seating for 10? This may not, but what you are planning may need to accommodate such a number. Dinner parties are normally smaller parties and easier to prepare for than most. This is not to say you can just go ahead and wing it. This would not be an ideal way to plan any party, even if it is of the smaller variety. To ensure your parties success follow the simple advice outlined below.

A great way to get started with your dinner party planning is to plan ahead. It makes little difference if you are planning for a party of four or a group of ten. Staying ahead will ensure you have everything in order for the night or day of the party. Consider your guest list early. Who are you going to invite and what are their eating habits? This should be a question you ask yourself. Do not be afraid to inquire because by asking ahead you will be eliminating any mistakes. A common mistake at dinner parties is when the host forgets to ask beforehand and ends up finding out the hard way that so and so is a vegetarian and so and so is allergic to seafood. Don't make this mistake. Plan ahead, ask beforehand and eliminate a potentially embarrassing situation.

With your guest lists needs in mind, you can go ahead and plan your menu. This is the second most important aspect of your party. Why second do you ask? Well during your guest list planning did you make the proper invites? Will everyone get along? If not, reconsider the list. You don't want an argument ruining your dinner party. With your revised guest list, make preparations for the menu. Do you know what you will be serving or are you still undecided? If undecided write out a list of different things you might like to prepare and ponder over them. What would fit the mood you are trying to convey? Is this a business or a family function? Are your guests younger or older? Do they prefer wine, cocktails or beer? These are all questions you can ask yourself. If you can think of more, do so, then make a decision in a day or so.

If you would rather buy out for a deluxe gourmet meal, your guests certainly wouldn't complain. There is also no rule against ordering take out if your guests love Chinese, Indian, Japanese or some other famous take-out. However, pizza might be over doing it.

Creating your meal should be done in advance, if possible. The reason for this is you want to have plenty of time to attend to your guests once they arrive. You don't want to be running in and out of the kitchen an hour after the last person made their way through your front door. Of course, the main dish would probably require your attention, the other aspects of your meal should be in a state of readiness. This means they should be ready to go at a moment's notice. The appetizers, the dessert and anything else you can prepare for in advance you should definitely have sitting in the refrigerator waiting their turn. This is good practice, by abiding by it, you will have more time for your guests. In turn, you will be fulfilling the number one rule of dinner parties and that is a good host makes for a great party. Enjoy your meal.

Holiday Party Planning-Create a Joyful Holiday Experience

The holidays are a time for fun, family and friends. Every holiday has its own party experience. Whether it's Christmas gift-giving, Fourth of July BBQ's or Thanksgiving turkey, you can probably expect what the party nearest you has to offer. However, if you don't want your party to be predictable then read on because there are ways to put a spin on your holiday party planning that your guests will never forget.

The basics still need to be covered. You should approach your holiday party planning as you would any party. The best way to do this is by creating a checklist. A checklist will prevent the mishaps which create chaos for the host before and after a party begins. List everything you need, purchased, the guest list (names, phone numbers, and addresses), budget, venue, menu items, decorations and anything else you feel is relevant to your party. With a checklist in hand, crank up your imagination for the twists you intend to create that will make your holiday party stand out from the crowd.

The main thing to keep in mind when deviating from the norm is to create something that will be accepted and appreciated. You don't want to have a Thanksgiving dinner and serve steak and potatoes and have it resented by everyone. When adding a twist keep it simple, yet different enough to be memorable.

A good way to keep things simple are to make a change in the color scheme. You can do this by having all your decorations devoted to a certain color or colors. The decorations are not the only thing you can change. You can also have your glassware, dishes, cakes, cupcakes and other finger foods delightfully arranged with frosting from the favored color choice.

Another way to change the way a party is to be remembered is by changing the menu. This can be done smoothly at Thanksgiving if the guests are notified beforehand. There is no rule against making a change to the menu by adding your best recipe, but it is best to make it known. Otherwise, your twist could backfire and the lasting memories you want to create could turn ugly. A good holiday to add something new to the menu is the Fourth of July. Instead of going with hot dogs and hamburgers have a seafood boil. The one thing to keep in mind when having seafood as the main dish is there is always someone amongst your guests who is either allergic or just plain hates the taste. With this in mind, always have the basics on hand, just in case.

The holidays can be a stressful time for the person who has taken on the responsibility of being host. It can be even more stressful if you've decided to make a change from the norm. To keep the stress contained be open about what you are planning. Simple changes can be adding games to the event or having everyone wear specific colored clothing. There are many things you can do to add a twist to the holidays, you just have to use your imagination. While being creative, be thoughtful to your families feelings, you want them to have a great time and have something different to talk about from last year's party, not anything negative.

Above all, you must always be a fun host. Surely you can create lasting memories by doing something different. This is your party. To stand out from the crowd and make this year's holiday party extra special, you must have fun doing it. Your guests will surely notice and appreciate all the added trouble you went through, even if it took you only a few extra minutes.

Have a great holiday.

Party Planning Checklist-A Party Planner's Bible

You're about to start planning a party, but don't know where to start. You run to the grocery store, looking at this and that, deciding on a few things you may need, knowing the whole time you've forgotten something. Now it's time to head over to the local department store for some decorations. You follow the same unguided principles you went through at the grocery store. Then once again you missed a few things at the liquor store. You've also forgotten to send invitations to so and so and a few others and the party is only a few days away. Suddenly you find yourself scrambling back to all the same stores trying to find the items you missed the first time around. Then out of nowhere the night of the party arrives and you realize you don't have enough food for all the invited guests. Then the worst possible thing happens, you hear a knock at the front door. It's as if a new and frightening nightmare has blossomed out of thin air. You feel the shakes coming on and your stress level is reaching new and incredible heights. I could go even further, but I think you get the idea. If only you had begun your planning by keeping track of all that you need, every purchased item and menu dishes prepared. If only you had made a party planning checklist none of the awful party mistakes listed above would have happened. Now that I've gotten the point across about how important a checklist is I will now inform you about what it needs in order to make it work.

A party planning checklist should consist of the type of party you plan on having, it's budget, the guest list, venue, decorations, food and beverages and the time and date of your party. Start by writing yourself a header. Something like, 'Luau party planning checklist', will do just nicely. The reason it's a good idea to create a headline is it will make it more difficult to deviate from your parties theme if you keep reading it over and over.

The next aspect of your checklist should definitely be your budget. Creating a budget and keeping track of all your spending is very important. Your budget will be the key reason for many of your up and coming party decisions. The checklist is a way of keeping everything in order so you don't overspend in one area and leave another area short.

The item listed after the budget on the party planning checklist is usually your venue choice. If you are planning to have the party away from home the venue choice will cost money and will come out of your budget and a time will have to be arranged for decorations and so forth. If your party is going to be at home, and you have to hire a professional to come and clean some unwanted stains out of your rug the parties budget will be affected, making it an important listing in your checklist. Of course, if your home needs nothing besides some freshening up you may leave it off your list for now.

The checklist is about to be hammered with information and the reason for this is you're about to create your guest list. Here you should write out the invitees names, phone numbers and addresses. You will be needing this information for the invitations and it makes it much easier than trying to look through your address book and try and remember who was invited, what their numbers are and where they live.

The menu should be added once you have completed the above. Now you will have a clear idea as to what you need and how much. List the items you need, then check them off the list once purchased, while also keeping track of prices. The same goes for decorations.

The information listed above should help prevent problems created by trying to 'wing it'. If not, there is plenty of available information out there, you just have to know where to look.
Good luck on your up and coming party and have a great time.

Party Planning Information-The Party Starts Here

The days of your youth are at an end. Back then party planning was so simple anyone could do it. Unfortunately things must change. You've grown up and things no longer come as easy. Actual planning must be strategized in order for your party to produce a success. The best way to insure a great party today is by examining the possibilities. The party planning information you will discover here takes you bounding through time to the here and now, gleefully leaving your childhood behind, into a world of alcohol, great food and variations of intense partying that'll fit any mood or personality.

This strategy of party planning is for those looking to create a more formal affair. If you want to revert back to your youth, you can certainly make some phone calls and tell your friends to bring the beer and the chips because the party is at your place tonight. Otherwise, read on, because the party planning information you are looking for starts now.

There are 6 basic steps in planning that you must consider.

The 6 basic stages of preparation are:

1) Checklist: The creation of a checklist is a vitally important tip for anyone who plans on having a party. It is imperative to keep track of all your party preparations. In order to eliminate the inevitable stress, create a checklist then use it.

2) Deciding on the type of party: For most people the idea for a party developed long before the date for the event was scheduled. This is true in most cases but not all. There are many different types of parties, including: theme, luau, surprise, baby shower, wedding, bachelor, surprise, etc. If you've decided to have a party, but don't know what type now is the time to make a choice. Once you've came to a decision write the name down on a piece of paper and entitle it your checklist.

3) The Budget is a major step: This is the step that has a direct impact on most of your coming decisions. Your budget size decides the size of your party, where it will be held, what type of food and beverages you will serve and whether or not you will be adding decorations.

4) The Venue is next: Where you want to have your party should be next in your party planning. This decision is not always an easy one. If you have a large guest list and the accommodations will in no way be adequate, renting a space may be your only choice. However, if your budget is limited, don't be shy in asking for help from relatives and friends. Remember this is a party you are having and your guests will more than likely be willing to help.

5) The Guest list should now be formulated: Now that the other big decisions have been covered you can begin the actual guest list. You should now know whether or not your party will be big or small, at home or abroad. With this information in hand, the who and the how many on your guest list should be jotted down on your checklist. The invitations should now be sent. The partying is soon to begin and the excitement should be building.

6) The Food and Beverage Menu: With all the other planning accomplished the menu should now be sorted. Take great care in your food planning. This is an area where people tend to make mistakes and find themselves either running short or running out at the last minute to grab something they've forgotten. Don't let this happen to you. Plan accordingly.

Those are the basic steps in party planning. With the information listed here you will be well on your way to having a party that will far surpass the days when making a phone call was all you needed to do.

Luau Party Planning-Bring the Tropical Islands Home

Luau party planning is an excellent idea to move forward with. If you love the idea of flowers, bright colors, Hawaiian music, grass skirts, tiki torches and luau or hula dancers you are in for the time of your life. It's the ultimate tropical illusion set perfectly in your home or yard and would make you the hit of the neighborhood. So go ahead and take your planning to the next stage because this article is dedicated solely on how to make your tropical island dreams a reality.

Party planning is best if taken one step at a time and luau party planning is no different. Your first step should be in creating a checklist to keep track of all the key factors, including: budget, venue, guest list, food and decorations. Once you have created your checklist, you must decide on a budget that is workable. You can keep the price tag relatively cheap, if kept at home and your guest list is under 25. If you plan on having a large party you might want to consider defraying some of the cost by asking some of your guests to bring some of the party items, i.e. food and drink.

A luau calls for a creative invitation. You may want to think about having them professionally made, giving you the choice between some already prepared invites. Or if you had something special in mind, have them created per your imagination. You could also go online and have them sent out via e-mail. There are some great services that provide excellent choices for any type of party. If you decide to craft them yourself go with bright colors and maybe a picture of a hula dancer. Try and create the right mood. This will certainly catch the interest of those you are trying to invite.

Once you have the invitations sent out and the parties venue picked out, start choosing your decorations. You are going to want to have the right ambience set for the party. In order to create that festive atmosphere and Hawaiian feel use a lot of candles, balloons, and tropical adornments. Hawaiian music is an awesome mood setter too.

When choosing your food, go with the tropical variety. Some choices to consider are; pineapples, mango, coconuts, fruit drinks, tropical drinks, wine coolers, roast pork, veggie kabobs, rice and salad.

An important factor in making your luau party planning a success is by having the right entertainment. There are many ways to make this work. If you have the funds, hire a hula dancer for the evening. A Hawaiian band would also be a great choice. If you can't find one in your area you could always hire a DJ. There are also many other things you can do to bring the Big Island home. There are outdoor games you could play. A favorite would be crab football. The rules are similar to soccer except you use a large inflatable ball and everyone walks or tries to run like crabs. This is done by placing your hands down in front of you and scurrying around. It is fun to play and even more fun to watch. Another cool thing you can do is add body art. The kids will absolutely love the idea of having their faces painted and maybe some of the adults will too once they've had a few drinks.

Luau's are definitely a great time. You can expect a lot of playful fun and laughter. When the time comes and the guests arrive at the door give them the added surprise by wearing a grass skirt and a ring of flowers or lei around your neck. The cameras will surely snap. Then take it a step further and place a lei around their neck. It'll be your turn to take pictures and it'll be the beginning of a party long to be remembered.

Theme Party Planning-What is Right for You

There are so many different types of theme parties to choose from, it may become overwhelming if you don't know what you would like to do. Fortunately for most people, when the urge for a theme party presents itself the decision has already been made for you. Theme party planning is a lesson in patience. The more you have the better prepared you will become time for the actual party.

The number one time of year to have a theme party that includes dressing up is Halloween. Halloween in itself is not an actual theme party, because the guests will arrive in many different types of costumes. For it to be an actual theme it must be based on a specific idea or subject matter. For instance, pool parties are considered theme parties because everyone invited usually comes prepared to go swimming. Therefore by bringing bathing suits with the idea of entering the pool acts as a theme. If this year you would like to make your Halloween party a theme party have everyone invited stick to a particular form of dress based on your favorite monster movie or perhaps a cartoon. With only these two ideas the possibilities are endless. Think about it.


Theme party planning can be a challenge compared to many other types of party preparations. If your theme is not attractive to people on your guest list they may decide not to come. So when sending out your invitations, it is always a good idea to ask for confirmation a few weeks in advance. Some people may change their minds at the last minute and decide to make the trip, so by using a good party planners technique you should have enough food and beverages to cover the unexpected guests by adding 15% to the number you expect. The difficulties in planning also can be found in decorating and in the menu.

When coming up with a menu for your theme, try and have it relate to the actual layout. What I mean is if you are planning a star trek theme you may want to create recipes based on Klingon food. This could include gladst ousus bal or broiled karada legs. Hmm, sounds delicious doesn't it? You could easily find the actual recipes by surfing online or maybe you're from Klingon and it's an old family recipe. The point I'm making here is the food should play a role. To create a great theme party you must take your planning a step further than you normally would and have the patience to see it through.

Decorations can be purchased just about anywhere and require the same attention to detail. Deciding on a particular color for your theme works well, unless it's a masquerade party your planning, requiring flamboyant costumes and bright colors.

To know what is the right choice of theme party for you, requires dipping into your imagination and pulling out what you know and love. If you have children and want the party to include more than just the adults pick one of their favorite cartoons for your theme. The children would have a blast and the pictures would be forever precious. But if the party is strictly adults, plan on something that perks your imagination. It makes it much easier to create something that you love than not. Plan your theme with the patience of an artist who makes the painting come alive and do the same, creating a vision from out of this world.

Surprise Party Planning-Don't Tell it's a Secret

Suddenly the cat is out of the bag, the surprise is no more and your left shaking your head. The question keeps arising, "Who told?" The answer to that question is simple. It doesn't matter at this point, for your preparations for a surprise went for naught. However, everything else is still in place, so don't let yourself get down, surprise yourself and have a great time anyway.

Countless times people have gone out of their way to throw that special someone a surprise party and have it blown by a slight slip of the tongue. This is why whenever you decide on a surprise, your surprise party planningshould hold a backup plan. Let's say the party was to be held at a restaurant and the guest of honor knew days in advance of what was in store, but what he didn't know was that a very old friend from out of state was going to be there. Something small such as this is always a great way to ensure your surprise party still held some surprise even after it was discovered.

There are not too many parties that say, 'we care', as much as a surprise party does. It illustrates to the guest of honor that everyone, especially the host went that extra mile to make the arrangements and actually keep a secret. It is a great feeling to know people care so much and go out of there way for such an involved surprise. Most people love to be shocked in such a way, and when there is beer, wine and food they love it that much more.

As it is with most parties, the best place to start your planning is by picking the venue. It is obviously much easier to create a surprise if it's done from someplace besides home. Trying to make a success out of your surprise party planning when it is being planned for home is much more difficult. There are many things to consider when making preparations for a home based surprise. The food must be stored elsewhere, preferably at a neighbor's house. By keeping the food close by ensures it will still be hot when the serving takes place. The decorations, beverages, amongst other things can be hidden, but why take any chances in spoiling the arrangement.

After all, you must go out of your way to send out the invitations, either by phone, personal invites or by communicating directly. When planning a surprise party a direct invitation gives you the best chance of creating the air of secrecy you want all your guests to feel. This is a party where everyone is involved, even if it's only to make a stir when the guest of honor arrives on scene. So if you know of someone on your guest list who loves to chatter and can't keep a secret, pay closer attention to them. By singling them out, you can easily make them feel like an important aspect of the party's coming success.

For the most part you can go about your surprise party planning like you would any party. The venue may be different and it probably should be if you plan on succeeding with your shock and awe. The key is to keep the cat locked up. You don't want him jumping out of the bag long before the lights are switched on and everyone yells and screams out that magical word. This is an honor that will keep for the rest of his/her life. And if there is something more, like a marriage proposal or a huge bonus in pay, the surprise would be so much greater.

Cocktail Party Planning-Drinks Before Dinner

The definition of a cocktail party hasn't changed. It is still considered an early evening or late afternoon party where drinks are served in a socially active atmosphere. The picture is clear. There are no real hurdles to cross, making it fairly simple to prepare for. So take the bull by the horns and make your cocktail party planning a success.

A good cocktail party can be a lot of fun. The guests are bursting with energy, crackling with conversation and slowly sipping their drinks. The scene is all so familiar. The night is young, the appetizers are delicious and so is the taste of the alcohol. Everyone is either laughing or deep in conversation, whilst the host is preparing another drink. The crowd shifts towards the deck, where a group is bursting with laughter from some old joke. These are good times that create fond memories. Whether it be between family and friends or the more common cocktail party for business or corporate gatherings. It matters little, because the actual cocktail party planning is the same. It is fairly simple and easy to prepare for.

There are a few decisions to be made pertaining to the type of cocktail party you would like to have. It normally depends on who you plan on inviting. Such as, if it were to be mainly business associates you may want to have everyone arrive in formal attire. If it were going to be family, the decision on how to dress is best left up to them, unless you had other plans where the party itself was a prelude to a long night out on the town. Whatever your choice of dress, the rest is your basic pattern of cocktail party planning.

The best place to start is with your guest list. From there, send out your invitations. Once you have a rounded number of approximate guests, you can figure on the amount of food and drink. Of course, it is always best to have more instead of less, so when doing your shopping make sure you spend more than what is needed, while not breaking your planned budget. Also while you are out shopping, you may want to purchase some flowers to match the table cloth and add some other decorations, if you are so inclined. Flowers are always a nice touch to any table and I highly recommend adding them.

Now that you have the desired ingredients or readymade appetizers to go along with the wine, champagne, booze and/or beer you may begin getting the living room ready for some heavy foot traffic. If not the living room, then maybe the deck or the pool house would be ideal. Wherever you choose be sure you are able to provide ample seating for all the guests, along with glassware. Since you will be serving a large amount of drinks you may want to hire a bartender for the evening. It isn't good practice at a cocktail party to have everyone pour their own drinks, so the job would ultimately fall on the host. If you would rather spend the night laughing and giggling, mingling and bouncing from one conversation to the next it would be a headache saved and a good time made by hiring out. You could easily find someone to work behind the bar for a fair amount or you may get lucky and have one of your friends opt-in for the job. Although this would be my preference it is not to say you would not enjoy serving drinks. The bartender is surely very popular at all occasions and gets plenty of attention, but as host more than just drinks must be served.

The appetizers are an important part of any cocktail party. So make sure you get it right by having enough to last. If dinner is not in the plans for the evening, expect more to be eaten and faster. If dinner is planned, then figure on just the opposite.

Cocktail parties are great social events. If you are making plans, don't plan on having fun. It just happens!