Creating the perfect party takes a deliberate effort from the host. To really nail a party there is actually a heap to organise to ensure your guests leaves talking about it for weeks to come. If you are currently asking yourself, what food do I organise? Or even where do I start planning a party, you’ve landed in the right spot. We’ve had a heap of requests to put together a simple checklist to follow when planning a party, so here it is! Consider this your party planning bible with a heap of resources to help you along the way.
- Select a date and time: first things, first – when will this incredible party occur? Run this one past some of your closest mates to double-check the core group can attend before locking anything in.
- Plan your guest list: how many people are you thinking of having? Sometimes it’s best to create the list first before you decide on a venue so you know what numbers you’re working with.
- Budget: once again, before diving into venue planning – how much money do you have to play with? What are the essentials? Is it top food and drink or an epic view? Create a spreadsheet with some key items on it and assess the amount of money to allocate to each section (just as a guide). Its also good to rate each element based on importance, which can help you prioritise when trying to cut costs if need be.
- Theme: are you wanting people to dress as dynamic duos? Or is it more of a cocktail party? Think of your theme as that will flow straight into item 5 on the list. If its simply just a smart casual dress code, it’s always best to communicate this in the invitation so people are aware of what to expect.
- Location: are we thinking this party will be in Perth? Or maybe down south or a day at Rotto? Maybe you want to create a destination event to get everyone out of their normal routines. If this is you, here are some locations to get you started.
- Venue: ok so now you’ve established how much cash to splash and a general location, it’s time to think of the venue. This is an important one. What is the theme? How many people can it hold? Can you customise the space to suit your needs? We’ve actually created a list of top-notch venues to consider which you can use to start brainstorming. Or, if you are thinking a restaurant with a private room will do the trick, use this one for our take on the top restaurants across Perth.
- Food and drink: this is one of the top things to consider when planning a party. What will the guest eat and drink? Are we pairing wine? Or are we rolling with canapes? Our hot tip for this one is if there is an open bar that guests are taking advantage of, always bring out some larger share dishes in the evening to help them out!
- Entertainment: including entertainment on the night can really elevate your event. If you have it in your budget, consider live performances which team with your theme.
- Invite your guests: are we thinking simply a Facebook invitation? I mean it does work! However, nothing goes past some old school invitations printed invitations. Most printing agencies now offer packages which include both digital and print versions for those moments where you need to email guests, too. If you are looking for strictly digital versions, Evite or Canva are simple solutions to create very affordable designs.
- Create a seating plan: a crucial and often overlooked element of the perfect party. Who will sit with who? TOP TIP: try and seat people with people they know and also don’t know.
- Transport: how will your guests get there? If this party is not in a central location you may need to organise a group transport solution. We are here to help with that one, with buses to suit almost all group sizes. You can check out our list of services here.
- Music: are we thinking DJ decks or live bands? Or even it may be as simple as a sound system and a Spotify playlist. If Spotify is your go-to solution, there are SO many playlists out there.
- Decor: If your venue is allowing you to customise the space, adding personal touches will really elevate the experience for the guests. Think things like flowers, photo walls, drinks stations, photo booths, present tables or digital slide shows.
- Helpers: for the most part, the venue staff will be pretty good at sourcing staff to serve drinks and food etc, but how about smaller things like setting up decor or collecting things up at the end of the night. It’s always good to enrol a few close friends in this too so you’re not alone at the end of the night cleaning up.
- Digital elements: in the 21st century, there are also digital things to think about such as a hashtag for the night. You’ll want this one to be pretty obvious for guests so they can tag photos for social media platforms such as Instagram.
- Parking: inevitably there will be a few that will be driving so it’s always a good idea to communicate where you can park.
And there we have it. 16 key elements to consider when planning your next party. There actually is a heap to think about. If group transport is on the cards, we’re happy to take that one of your hands. All we’ll need is your destinations, pickup times and passenger numbers and we’ll take care of the rest!
Also, if you are chasing a quick and easy checklist, you can download this Party planner template.