Stress Free Home Entertaining

By Jane Heacock –

Some people are born great organizers others are not. Holiday entertaining, birthday celebrations and dinner parties can be stress free with a little bit of planning. Recently I organized a 60^th birthday party. The planning of this party was put together in just four weeks. Here are my party planning tips that can be applied the next time you are hosting a party.

Invitations

For this particular 60^th birthday party I sent out the invitations four weeks in advance. If you are inviting out of state family or friends be sure to give them more than the four weeks notice. There are many options for invitations depending on the occasion. Evites is a popular way to get the word out about your party and a great way to keep track of the number of people you can expect. Send an email reminder when the date is getting closer for those that have not sent an RSVP.

Planning a Family Gathering

Depending on the type of party you are having attendees sometimes offer to bring appetizers, wine or their favorite party food. For our family gatherings the host puts a menu together and sends an email out listing what is needed. Family members select what they would like to bring and let me know in advance. If I am hosting I supply the main part of the meal as well as all the condiments, drinks and party supplies. My family then brings appetizers, side dishes and some of the desserts. This gives me time to get the house in order and set everything up before the party day. Not having to prepare all the food takes the stress off my shoulders. I usually start setting up tables, set up party supplies and have the house cleaned at least three days before the party.

Formal Parties

For business parties, holiday socials, a theme party or a special event party I start planning at least two months ahead. I start organizing my lists earlier because I order some of food from local specialty shops. If you will be ordering a theme cake it is good to put your thoughts together earlier rather than later, as the party date comes closer you will have other details to attend to. Start a detailed computerized list that way you can update each area of your party planning as time goes along. List the pricing for each area of your party planning to stay within your budget.

Finally enlisting some assistance for set up and clean up is a smart way to keep your party planning stress free- Arrange to have your home cleaned and hire a personal assistant company, this gives you time to concentrate on other areas of your party organizing. Have your personal assistant pick up your decorations, party platters, cake etc. When you are at the two day mark before your party you will have lots of other details to attend to. Do yourself a favor and enlist some assistance!

Last but not least, give yourself at least one hour before your party to sit back and relax. You deserve it!