Make Holiday Party Planning a Snap

The holiday party is one of the biggest events of the Holiday Season. A holiday party gives you the opportunity to get your friends, family,
co-workers or employees all together to celebrate this festive time of year. Taking the time to pre-plan your party will ensure the success
of your holiday party.

Formatting a plan is the best method of ensuring an amazing party. Careful organization is a must to creating a fun and exciting event.
Careful planning will eliminate the stress that is generally associated with such occasions.

The first thing you need to do when planning your party is to make detailed lists. For example when creating the guest list make sure
you have all the guests listed with a check off area for invitations that have been sent, RSVP’s, invitations returned etc. For each
guest include any special needs or requests made by the guest. Another important list is items you will need to buy for the party.
Make this list as detailed as possible and check and recheck until you are sure you have everything you need. You don’t want to
waste your limited and precious time by having to make extra trips to the store to buy those items you forgot.

Before making any decisions whether its what decorations to buy or the menu for the party give some serious thought to your budget.
Decide beforehand what you have to spend and then plan your party around your budget. To help make your budget stretch
don’t just hire any vendor for your party. For example if you’re planning on a caterer call several caterers let them know your budget
and then hire the caterer that can give you the best menu for the best price.

Take the time to decide on a menu for your party. Holiday party goers count on having some good things to eat at the party they attend.
So take the time to decide on the best menu at the price you can afford. You don’t have to have a sit down meal for guests to enjoy
your party faire you can offer a great buffet or just appetizers and desserts. What’s important is that the food you have to offer is really
tasty and good.

There are a variety of foods to consider when planning a holiday event. Bite size foods are always popular. Try items like
vegetables with dip, assorted cheese and crackers, stuffed mushrooms or meatballs.

Provide guests with an assortment of drink options such as sodas, water, alcoholic beverages, eggnog, hot chocolate and cider.
Desserts for the event might include pies, cakes, cookies and homemade candies. Don’t forget to set out special dishes for people
who are vegetarians or those who have allergies. Every guest should be able to find something good to eat.

Pre-planning means you do as much prep work before the party as possble. Depending on the venue you’ve chosen for the party
decorate the night before if you can if not get to the venue as early as possible the day of to avoid not having everything ready.
Anything you can do as early as you can is the smart way to go. If you are hiring outside vendors make sure they have plenty of
time for setup. You don’t want your guests arriving with the room half decorated the dj setting up after the party has started.

Planning a holiday party does not have to be an impossible task. With careful planning and lots of organization your party can be amazing.

Copyright [2010] by Gail Wise

Gail Wise worked in the movie business for several years on such films as Jerry Maguire, Dante's Peak, American Pie, Twister and many others.
After leaving the film business she returned to the event industry and now operates an Event Vendor Referral Service Match Me Event Services.
www.matchmeeventservices.com