Making A Fabulous Party That Everyone Will Love

Graduations, weddings, Father's Day, and Mother's Day (Affiliate Link) are coming up soon! Are you planning on having a bash? These parties can range from small gatherings at home to a significant events where you rent out a hall. But, every party has some standard basic steps that you need to go through to make it a success.  Don't forget that planning a party should also be fun. I know it's a lot of work, but my goal is to help you set up simple steps to apply to any size party. It usually takes weeks to plan a party, so be patient through the process, and you will see it all come together on the day of the event.

Jump to:

• Ask yourself these questions:
• Decide on the color theme and type of party.  
• Decide if you will have flowers and what type of flowers.
• Decide if you want balloons and what other decorations you want.  
• Pick and send out the invitations.
• Plan the menu. Don't forget the drinks. 
• Set up a timeline for what needs to be picked up and made the week before the party.
• Plan and create the music playlist. 
• Plan the activities that you will be doing.
• Set up sit-down dinners appropriately.
• Lastly, activities to do on the day of the event.

Ask yourself these questions:

What is the purpose of the party, and what is the theme of the event?

I find that asking these questions helps me get on track with what I need to do next.  I usually like to do this about a month before the event.  If the party is a larger one, I recommend two to three months works best. If it is a wedding, it could be up to a year or more.  Remember that weddings are a huge event, and we aren't going to focus on them for this post.

I find that asking these questions helps me get on track with what I need to do next.  I usually like to do this about a month before the event.  If the party is a larger one, I recommend two to three months works best. If it is a wedding, it could be up to a year or more.  Remember that weddings are a huge event, that we aren't going to focus on them for this post.

Decide on the color theme and type of party.  

Picking colors for a party can be fun. For graduations, you can use the school colors.  For Father's or Mother's Day (Affiliate Link), you can use blues, greens, pinks, yellows, or your father's or mother's favorite color.

Decide if you will have flowers and what type of flowers.

If you choose, you can pick a particular type of flower as a theme for the party. Don't just look at real flowers. There are lovely silk or dried flowers you can also accessorize with at your party.

Decide if you want balloons and what other decorations you want.  

This could be one-color latex balloons or a variety of different colors. Check out these 22 Awesome DIY Balloons Decorations. My favorite is the balloons with glow sticks inside for a nighttime pool party.

Tip: I find that going to a party store for inspiration also helps me determine the theme. 

Get a Free copy of our large party planner checklists. You will only receive emails from me regarding party ideas or party planning tips.

After you have decided on the theme and what colors you will be using, it's time to find invitations. Send out the message around 4-weeks before the big event.

Pick and send out the invitations.

NOW the invitations! Here's the fun part.  If you want, you can choose more affordable invitations to handwrite. Or you can buy printed invitations like the ones below.

Tip: To make sure there are no errors in the event's details, write the information on a separate piece of paper. If you decide to write out the invitations or create ones online, you have all the information you need as a reference.  Include the following on your sheet of paper: Who is the event for; The event location name and address; The date and time of the event; the hostname; RSVP name of the contact person and phone number/email address.   

Plan the menu. Don't forget the drinks. 

Yes, it's time to set up what you are planning to serve at this bash.  Picking one or two main dishes and adding sides work nicely.  A vegetarian dish and a meat dish work great.  I also like to make a salad something like this one: Cucumber Tomato Chickpea Feta Salad.  In the past, people enjoyed my blueberry iced tea made with real blueberries. We also make iced tea from scratch and lemonade.  It saves a lot of money when you don't have to buy drinks for the party.  Making them at home is easy and tastes great!

Tips: Leave a permanent marker (Affiliate Link) near the drinks so people can write their names on their plastic cups. 

Set up a timeline for what needs to be picked up and made the week before the party.

Create a schedule like the one below and determine what needs to be done each day until the event starts.  There may be some activities that need to be done during the event, so make a note of them. Don't forget the paper products, cups, utensils (Affiliate Link), serving plates, and where the food and drinks will be at the party, and if you will have a buffet or sit down. 

Plan and create the music playlist. 

Are you planning on having music? I find that jazz music works nicely for adults.  But, if you have a kid's party, create a playlist that the kids would enjoy.  If you have a theme party like a Hawaiian event we had for my daughter's birthday one year, we purchased Hawaiian music to play at the party.

Plan the activities that you will be doing.

For kid's parties, we played various games like painting with water pistols, and then we created a massive painting with all our friends. Here's what the kids made. Each kid took home their water gun painting as a favor gift. My daughter then added a quote (Affiliate Link) to the top of hers and still has it in her room to this day.

Set up sit-down dinners appropriately.

If you decide to make a sit-down dinner event, make sure you review your list of people and place people in common.  Ensure that you have enough seats for everyone.  If you don't have enough seats in your home, ask a neighbor or family member.

Lastly, activities to do on the day of the event.

Relax, and follow your timeline sheet. Because you have the list of activities detailed, you can delegate different tasks to make your day easier. You deserve to enjoy yourself at this beautiful party you planned.

One more thing: if you are looking for specific party tips for your next party, here are my other posts on the subject.

Organizing a Large Party
Organizing a New Year's Eve party

While researching this topic, I found these beautiful articles.  Feel free to visit them for more tips.

Party Planning Checklist

9 Ways to Simplify Party Planning

Well, there you have it.  I hope these tips help you make your next party fabulous! Please share.  Do you have any suggestions that you want to share about party planning? Please leave a comment below.