At Home Party Tips From The Pros

Stress and anxiety always come with having an at home party. Just getting everything ready can drive a person crazy, and worrying about last minute details can be the push right over the edge. Planning and throwing a party doesn't have to be stressful and dreadful. This is a list of tips put together by the pros that will relieve you of all the pre party stress and jitters.


Tip #1 Start off my making two master lists, one for shopping and the other for things that need to be done. Decide how many days that you will need to do the shopping and cleaning. Mark these days on your calendar and don't give in to cutting yourself short on time!

Tip #2 Give your spouse and/or children things to do to help with the cleaning. The job that they do may no be exactly the way you would have done it, but you can do a quick once over the day before the party.

Tip #3 You need to think of a place where your guests can hang their coats and put their purses. If you have a closet by your entry, just clean everything out of it for the day. Put everything from the closet into boxes or find it a new home until after the party.

Tip #4 More than likely there will be food leftover. You need to decide if you want to send them home with your guests. If that is what you are going to do, you should get some styrofoam or some other disposable containers for them to take the food home in. This way you won't have to be rounding up your containers later.

Tip #5 Even if you send the extra food home with your guests, keep enough for yourself so that you don't have to cook the next day or two after the party. That is one plus for an at home party. The day after the party you and your family will be pretty tired out. If you save some of the leftovers, you can reheat the food instead of making more.

Tip #6 After you do your grocery shopping, leave all the non-perishables in the bags and hide them. If you don't, the food will get eaten and you will have to go shopping all over again. Double check what is in your bags the day before the party. You may discover that you have forgotten something or that someone has found your hiding place! Either way, you will have time then to run to the store for last minute things.

Tip #7 If your party is near the Christmas holiday season, you should have a cookie exchange with your friends. This way you only have to make one kind, but you end up with a wide variety.

Tip #8 If your are serving wine it is a good idea to invest in some inexpensive drinking glass charms. This will help your guests keep track of their drink so they don't have to keep getting another glass. You can put the charms on the glasses ahead of time or lay them on the table where the drinks are being served and the guests can pick out their own.

Tip #9 If anyone asks if they can bring anything, don't turn them down! This will lower your overall spending and you will have less food to make. If you are having a theme or want certain foods for your at home party, tell the person what to make. If you don't care what they bring at least give them a category like salads or desserts.

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Throw A Party And Enjoy It!

Throwing parties is a lot of work and that is why many people don't throw them. They don't want to be doing last minute things or stuck in the kitchen the whole time. Throwing a party doesn't have to be that way! Believe it or not, you can be the host and enjoy yourself at the same time. Being organized is the trick You can have a party without running ragged if you are organized.

Having fun at your own party should be your goal. It is possible to organize it so you can have fun right along with your guests. Getting organized before the event is time consuming, but it is worth it.

Consider these suggestions:

Tip #1

Sit down and make a list of all of the things that need to be done and bought. Use this list to make a timeline leading up to the party for cleaning, getting rid of the clutter in your home, shopping for food and decorations, decorating, and preparing the food.

Tip #2

Look at your budget and decide if you want to make the food yourself or buy it already made. If you check stores like Costco, for example, you may find that veggie and meat trays and sometimes cakes cost about the same as if you made them yourself. Choosing early on whether to make the food or buy it pre-made so you can place orders if necessary.

Tip #3

If anyone offers to bring something to the party, don't turn them down. Each dish that is made by someone else, is one less you have to make. When someone offers to make a dish and asks for suggestions, have them bring something that they like to make or that they are known for.

Tip #4

Start shopping for non-perishable items right away. You may be able to save money by watching for sales. Buy things like fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, pastries, or anything freshly made, on the last day before the party.

Tip #5

Top bed sheets work very well as alternatives to table linens if you don't have them. Don't forget to put a piece of felt or heavy material between the table cloth and the table so your table top won't get damaged by heat or moisture.

Tip #6

Treat yourself and have your home professionally cleaned the day before the party. Make a space in your basement or a closet for items that clutter up shelves and other surfaces.

Tip #7

Take advantage of your spouse and your children and assign them tasks. Double check when they are finished to make sure that everything was done. Take a deep breath and remember that your guests are attending your party to spend time with you and your family, not to inspect the cleanliness of your house.

Tip #8

Keep pets out from underfoot during the party. If you know that someone is allergic to small animals, you may need to relocate them for the day. Cats can usually be closed in an out of the way room and be perfectly comfortable. Dogs are the same unless they bark. Barking dogs are very annoying to most people.

If you are running behind the day of your party ask a friend, your spouse or your children to help. If you try to do everything yourself, you are going to want a nap just as the party is starting. The "secret" is simple, get organized early on, do the best you can, and delegate responsibility for the things that you won't have time to do. Last of all, just relax and enjoy yourself!!

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Professional Looking Party Invitations That You Made

Party Invitations Done Like The Professionals
The invitation to your party or event will provide the first impression for your guests. You will want to impress your friends and family and make your celebration appear to be well organized. In order for this to happen it is suggested that your invitations have the same style and theme as the party itself. The invitation is meant to give a little teaser so that guests will be more inticed to attend your event.
The best time to send out invitations is four weeks before a smaller party, and eight weeks prior to a wedding or any other large event. You will also want to check your calendar so you are sure that your party or event is not during a holiday weekend or other big event that many of your friends and family may already be attending.
The standard way of wording your invitation makes it easy to read and be understood by most people. The standard way includes the following:
* Phrasing should in the third person format
* Punctuation shouldn't be used at the ends of lines, except for names and addresses which require them
* It is best to spell out names, addresses, etc, fully instead of using abbreviations. The exception is the use of Mr. And Mrs. These particular abbreviations are fine for an invitation.
* Days, dates, and times should also be spelled out completely.
* The correct way to address a husband and wife who are both doctors is, “The Doctors Last Name”.
* It is not acceptable to write “no children” or refer to gifts, or even no gifts, even if you don't expect them on any invitations.
Make sure that your invitations contain the following information:
* The name of the person(s) hosting the event
* The reason for the event
* The name of the guest of honor (if there is one)
* The day, date and time of the event
* Where the event is being held including the street address and city for out-of-towners

Start out by making a rough draft of your invitation, then get someone else to read over it so you can correct any mistakes that you didn't catch yourself. This is very important because having the wrong date or time on them can really mess things up. It is so much easier, and less embarrasing, to catch and fix mistakes before you send the invitations than calling everyone to clear up the error.

One thing that is really nice, is that you can have your invitations printed online. If you look around there are places that do it at a are very reasonable price. If you happen to have a good graphics program and printer, you can also do them yourself. If you will be having a smaller event, it is much easier to purchase a package of the pre-written invitations from a local store and simply write in the information on them.

Fun and informal invitations are appropriate for a small or informal event. If you are having a formal party or event such as a wedding, then you are best off to use professionally printed invitations.


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Professional Advice And Tips On Party Planning

Professional Advice On Party Planning

When planning a party or event, it is very important that you have a written time line and shopping list. When you have a time line and a list for shopping, you can be sure that your party will go off without a hitch.

These seven tips are from master party planners and they start off by having you construct your shopping list and time line:

Tip #1 Whether your party is large or small, for children or adults, a wedding reception, or a birthday party, you must have a list for buying food, decorations, and other necessities as well as a time line. Jot down a list of everything that needs to be done and how long you expect each thing will take to do. When you feel that your list is finished, you can start filling in your time line. This is the best time to start your shopping list as well.

Tip #2 Before you start your time line and shopping list, you will need to decide where your party or event will be held and how many people you are planning on inviting. If you want to have your party at a hall or a restaurant, you must call to reserve your time and date and to make sure that it is available.

Tip #3 After you have booked the location for your party, you can start to make your lists. When making your time line think about the things that need to be done ahead of time. If you will be using custom printed invitations make sure that you plan for extra time, since they will have to be ordered.

Tip #4 By now you should have chosen your date and location, have them secured, and, either made or ordered your invitations. Other things you need to think about are what the guests will be doing at the party, what type of food and drinks will be served, and when you want the party to start and end. Make a separate list for things that need to be done the day of the party, and list everything in order, by time. For example double checking your location reservation would be at the top of the list, while thanking your guests for coming may be at the bottom.

Tip #5 You should also create a time line for the two or three weeks before the event. Set aside blocks of time for cleaning, shopping, decorating, etc.

Tip #6 After you are finished with these steps, you will have an idea of what your timeline will be, and have a shopping and supplies list. These lists will help you to remember to pick up things that you may have otherwise have forgotten. In addition, you will see if you will need to ask others for their help.

Tip #7 It is very important that you stick to your lists and make sure everything gets done. If you are finding that you need help, ask other people to help you, most people are thrilled to help.

The outcome of following these tips, and others you hear from friends, will be a party that seems effortless to you and your guests. Developing a good time line and shopping list are an absolute must. When writing things down, you will have a much clearer idea of what needs to be done, that way you can decide what you will have time to do yourself and what you will need help with.


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Planning A Potluck Party With Ease.

The thought of having potluck party may bring back memories your grandma or the old ladies from church having a party. Nonetheless, with everyone being so busy having a potluck pary is convenient for all because no one person has to do most of the work themselves.

Most of your friends and family have the same job commitments that you do, school activities, work, grocery shopping, running errands, practices, games, or anything else the kids may be participating in. When you and your friends and family want to get together, relax and socialize, having a potluck party might is a great way to do so. A potluck party makes a get together easier to plan and allows the work divided between many guests.

In ordert o make your potluck party a success, you need to take the time to plan ahead so that there is a variety of food instead of a bunch of the same type of food. Some of your guests will know exactly what they want to bring while others may have no idea what to bring. If this is the case you can give them a category and let them choose something from there. Categories such as drinks, the main dish, dessert, or side dish will guarantee that you have lots of different foods and everyone will be sure so that everyone can enjoy their meal.

There are a few other things to help can make your party go without a hitch.

They are:
1. Have everyone make their food ahead of time so all they need is to be reheated.
2. Let everyone know that they should bring their food in containers fit within the table space you have.
3. When you have a potluck party where lots of people are envited, let each person know that they don't need feed everyone, a 4 or 6 meal-sized portion of their food will be enough. People usually take a small amount when filling their plate so they have a chance to try everything before they get full.
4. Your guests may think that they have to make a dish that will impress everyone, but assure them that even something simple. People love to try other family recipes and these are great for a potluck party.

Since you are the host, you need to set up a table for all of the food. You should have a table cloth as well as potholders for the hot dishes. It would be a good idea to have extra serving platters, bowls, baskets, and serving utensils because not everyone will bring their food ready to be served.

As the host it is up to you to decide what to do about beverages. You could One important thing which you do not want to forget is the beverages. You can either supply them yourself, everyone can bring their own, or you can delegate one person to bring the drinks.

As the host you can choose whether to provide a dish or if you are having a party with a lot of people, you may feel that by having the party at your house that providing the plates, glassed and eating utensiles is doing your part. Most of the time the host takes care of the main dish, and has their guests brings foods that compliment it.

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