Being a Wedding Photographer for years, I went to A LOT of parties. Every weekend for 20+ years. Sometimes 3 to 4 a weekend. I saw it all. Good parties, and bad parties. I now realize there are a few elements to having a great party. No matter what kind of party, from a kids birthday to a wedding and everything in between. All it takes is a little planning.
First is logistics. When & where
When planning a party it is crucial to keep your guests in mind. Think about when you are going to a party. How you have to plan on traffic, eating before? (you don’t want to show up starving). Get the gift, have it wrapped beautifully, etc, etc. So if you are planning a meal, like lunch. Then you want to have the party start around lunchtime. If your doing hors d’oevres then you may consider starting the party after everyone has had time to have a proper lunch.
Same with dinner, if you are serving a meal. You may consider having cocktails and hors d’oevres before. Most of the time you will have an hour of cocktails before dinner. This will allow staff to get the seated meal ready. (If you have staff.) If not consider making something that can be prepared before, so you can enjoy your guests and not be cooking the whole time. There are lots of fun and creative dishes that can be prepared ahead of time. More on this later in the food section….
Next, is where? are you going to have it at your place? or are you going to look for a venue? If you’re looking for a venue, then this is where you start.
If at home, where are you going to seat everyone? Are you going to have seats? Do you need shade? Do what feels right. For example, you may consider having some tables with shade, some in sun. Keep in mind that older people want to sit the whole time, while younger sit much less.
If planning a more formal event, you do need a place for everyone invited. And speaking of inviting, get those invitations out early! At least a month in advance. If a wedding, some even send out “Save -the-Date invitations at the beginning of the year, especially if the event is in prime party season, SUMMER! E-vites are very popular and some even make websites for weddings, complete with an invitation section. Keep in mind that your location to a certain extent will dictate how many to invite.
Next is Timing
If planning a formal event like a wedding. Take time to think about all the elements involved. What is the most important to you? The sunset? The Reception or party? Or the ceremony itself. I used to tell people to plan a timeline. Start with the most important and work backwards. Then on the day of the event, go with whatever happens, remember no one knows exactly what you planned. Have fun! Also crucial is how long to have a formal event. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen an awesome party go totally south by going too long. Think about that party that people started crying because they had too much to drink. Everyone wants their special day to last forever, guests can only to 5 to 6 hours max! Any later you hit the Prom Phase. Which is what we in the industry used to call the end of a reception that went a little long.
For a child’s birthday party don’t forget that kids need naps! Start with the cake and work back. If you are having an event such as animals or bouncy houses, check with vendors on timing…Some will offer better prices if not at peak times. A successful children’s party no more than 3 hours. Many will put the start and end time on the invitation. Brillant!
Theme Party / Color
Ok, still with me? Next is how? How are you going to go about this? Are you planning a theme? Are you going to have coordinated colors? What about music? The best parties have some songs for everyone.
Will the food be part of the theme?
Do you need to make a photo-booth (which are big fun with everyone doing selfies these days).
There are many great party themes to choose from. Some I have done in the past are Children’s Butterfly Party, Tiki Party, Alice in Wonderland Party, New Year’s Eve, Burlesque Bacchlorrette Party, Super Hero Birthday,
There are so many to choose from. One of the best parties I shot as a photographer was a Doctor who had a 007 party, he had the best entrance ever! He came in standing on the runner of a helicopter with Bond music blaring. AND he had all his staff dressed as bond girls.
Once you have a theme, or color scheme. Now comes the fun part. Make stuff! You would be surprised how easily you can make props to help make a party fun! Something as simple as using jars for glasses and incoporating drink tags to go with your theme.
Food
My aunt who is a caterer and had a Wedding House called The Whitmore Mansion for several years says that having a veggie tray, a fruit tray and a cheese and cracker plate is appropriate for almost every party. This takes a lot of pressure off you as the host. Lots of people have special needs for food. Vegetarians, LactoVegatarians, and the list goes on and on. For most of my life, I did not eat meat. These plates were my meal. She and I both make big trays to make sure! If doing a formal event, most will offer multiple meals for their guests to choose from. Ask your caterer for advice. Or call the Taco truck! Hehe. Remember if doing it yourself to consider making something ahead of time, so you can be present and not in the kitchen. Or ask for help from friends and family. Many love to bring something to help out. Don’t forget your theme if doing one. I did tea sandwiches for the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party. And Kalua Pork for the Tiki Party! Yum!
Drinks
First have lots of ice, more than you think you need. Have water and Lemonaid ready to go. If you are doing soda or cans have them on the ice at least an hour before guests arrive. Try having some kind of labeling system in place to cut down on all the waste. You can get fancy and paint glass jars so your guests and write their names on them. Or you can do stickers and a sharpie.
You may consider doing 3 or 4 different cocktails in glass jugs ahead of time. Then have garnishes displayed to complete your cocktails. For smaller parties a DIY bar can be fun. For larger parties it may be dangerous!
Please remember plastic when party planning! Go with paper plates and look for fun options to plastic staws and red cups!
