10 Tips for an Easy New Year's Eve Party

Here are a few quick tips to make your New Year's Eve party planning easier this year.

1. Set your budget. This will help you when determining how many people to invite and what your party options are.
2. Save time & money on your invitations. Email or phone invites are your cheapest options, and with so many options for email invites you can go all out. If you prefer to mail your invitations; save a stamp by including your New Year's Party invite in with your holiday cards.
3. Choose a theme. You can choose anything from Western to Aliens! You can also go with a more subtle theme such as a color. Metallic colors are always fun, but we also love an all white New Year's Eve party.
4. Are Children Allowed? If your party will include children, make sure you have food appropriate for them as well as activities planned to keep them entertained. A quiet area where they can go to rest is always a smart idea for those who cannot make it until midnight. You can even arrange to let them have their own separate sleepover party and hire a babysitter to mind them for the night.
5. Unique Menu Ideas. Since a New Year's party will start later, guests will not expect a full meal. A variety of hors d'oeuvres is the best way to go. A dessert buffet and drinks is another great option.
6.  Always have extra. Be prepared for the unexpected guests or extra-hungry, super-thirsty crowd. Add a couple of bags of quality chips, extra crackers and cheese, and even an extra roll of cookie dough. Make sure these items are something you will eat if you don't break them out for the party. Ice you may have to take a loss on, but it is better than having to little.
7. Keep you liquor cost under control. Guests will usually have 2 drinks in the first hour, and one drink each hour after that. Many places will allow you to return unopened alcohol, so you can overbuy and return the excess if you worry about running out.
8. Rent. Local rental companies are a great source for glassware, linens, flatware and more. I find this to be a great alternative to purchasing (and then storing) all of the extra items for entertaining.
9. Create a great soundtrack. Depending on your theme or personal tastes, you may have different ideas for music. Time is always a great theme for a New Year's playlist. Here are a few fun songs to get you started:
             1999 - Prince
             Celebration – Kool & the Gang
             Rock That Body – The Black Eyed Peas
             In Da Club – 50 Cent
             All Night Long – Lionel Ritchie
10. Don't forget to have fun! Try to prepare food ahead of time and set up a self serve drink bar to cut down on the work you need to do throughout the party. That way you can have to time see your guests and be a good host or hostess! If you are planning on having more that 50 people, enlist a few close friends to lend a hand throughout the night or hire a party planner so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the party.

Holiday Party Planning Tips

It's that time of year again…the holidays…Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Planning your own party can be stressful. You want your party to be the best and you want all of your guests to have a great time and talk about your party for months to come.

How do you plan a great party?  We've listed a few useful tips to help you plan the best holiday party ever.

1. Start You Planning Now!

Give yourself plenty of time to plan and organize. You need time to research (vendors, venues, etc.) It’s important when planning your party to start the planning process early so you can book the vendors you want when you need them.

2. Visualize your party

What do you want your party to look like? Is it formal or informal? What's the décor?

3. Prepare a Budget

Take what you've visualized and begin to create a realistic plan. Your budget may not allow you to have everything so you may have to prioritize. Make a list of what you feel you absolutely have to have for your party, then based your budget eliminate those things you can do without.

4. Hire an Event Planner

If your budget allows enlist the help of a party planner. Planners can help you with all those tiresome little details that are so easy to overlook. Planners can help you find reputable vendors, great venues, help you establish and maintain your budget and help you get the most for your money.

5. Send Your Invitations

Once you've finalized your guest list get your invitations out ASAP. You need to give your guests ample time to RSVP so you can get an accurate guest count. Providing accurate head counts to your vendors is vital to help you stay within your budget.

6. Create an Event Timeline

When does the caterer arrive? What time do you want the band to begin playing? What time do those extra tables and chairs arrive so they'll be set up when the guests arrive?

These are just a few guidelines on how you can start your holiday planning process.

Remember to have some fun with the planning process, after all it is a party you're planning and parties are supposed to be fun!

So best of luck and happy holiday party planning

Planning A Themed Wedding



Masquerade Themed Wedding

When making plans for a wedding many couples may choose to go with a theme of some sort. A wedding theme is a great way to share something special about yourselves with your guests. In a way you are letting your guests know a little more about what you like and your personal style. Your theme can be anything that is special to you, whether it is a fairytale theme or a chocolate theme. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. The theme that you choose for your wedding can be incorporated into every aspect of the ceremony from the colors, to the decorations, to your wedding attire.

The first step in planning your theme wedding is to decide on the theme. A helpful tip in this process is to sit down and make a list of different things that are important to you. In that list you can include activities that you like to participate in, as well as colors and holidays that you like.

Once you have your list, you want to create your wedding budget, as this will play a big role in what type of theme you are able to go with. With your wedding theme list and budget in hand, you can now begin the process of narrowing down your list. The date of your ceremony also plays a role in which theme you decide on. Do any of the themes on your list require items that are seasonal? If so, you may end up paying more for certain items that are out of season.

Some popular themes for weddings include; fairytale weddings, tropical weddings, and holiday themed weddings. Below are some tips on how to plan weddings with the above themes.

Fairytale Theme Weddings

Fairytale weddings are beautiful, and can be planned for almost any location. Think about the classical fairytales like Cinderella and Snow White for a little inspiration. Pretty much anything glamorous will work with this theme. Bubbles and confetti are fun to add to the reception. If your budget allows, you may even want to check on renting a carriage to take you and your groom to the reception after the ceremony.

Tropical Theme Weddings

Tropical weddings are extremely fun to plan. There are so many options as far as color and floral arrangements. Almost any bright, vibrant color will work. Tropical weddings do work best for the summer time months, and if at all possible outside ceremonies are the best choice. Butterflies and leis can be fun additions to the reception as well.

Holiday Theme Weddings

Holiday weddings are great, and can easily be done on a budget if you start planning well in advance. Christmas and Valentines weddings are very popular among this group. If you start planning a year in advance you can usually find all of your decorations, and even things that can be used as favors at the after holiday sales. Although holidays are usually a busy time of year, they do work well for weddings.

Whatever theme you may be considering, remember to keep an open mind and an open eye. You never know when you may run across something that will work wonderfully in your wedding.