Planning an event, as I have found out, can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. I have lost count of the number of times I have been stressed over planning a party only to have it go one of two ways.
My advice don’t stress too much, you will only make yourself unhappy by trying to please everyone and you can’t please everyone!
I think this comes down to me being a little older now and not being too concerned about what might happen. If anything is going to go wrong, then it will, and this is out of my control.
I am not a professional event planner and nor do I want to be, but I do have a few tips I have learnt along the way which may help to make the whole scenario of hosting a party a little more bearable. And make you realise, that you’re not on your own.
Do your research, by that I mean find out if any guests who are attending have certain dietary requirements. I say this as this is the most obvious right? Yes, it is, however, whilst hosting my daughter’s 21st birthday garden party, I completely forgot that one of the guests was a vegetarian.
We were having a full-on BBQ with a huge array of meat on offer to the rest of the guests and, it wasn’t until this particular guest came in and asked if there was anything else she could eat because she didn’t just want salad, that I went into internal panic mode.
Luckily a couple of weeks earlier I had batch cooked a three been chilli, (why is still a mystery as we don’t like vegetarian chilli) and froze it, so 10 minutes later after hastily putting it in the microwave, no one was any the wiser and I had avoided a disaster. As they say everything happens for a reason.
If you are hosting a party at home, check you have enough seating, if not borrow chairs from friends, neighbours or for an eclectic feel have guests bring their own. In the past I have used bales of hay bought cheaply from a local country store if we were to be outside and the weather was fine. These are a cheap alternative to chair hire and can add a rustic charm to any outdoor space.
Afterwards my son’s girlfriend took the hay home for her horse, so no wastage either. I just had to check that the one’s I bought were suitable for him. Who knew there are different varieties of hay!
Decoration wise, go as wild or as chill as you want, and you don’t need to spend a fortune. I love lighting to create an atmosphere. For a cosy feel, I tend to reuse my Christmas lights around the house and have solar lights outside to light up pathways and seating areas. Amazon, eBay Temu and Shein have affordable decorations, which if bought with consideration, can be used again.
For example, for my daughter’s birthday party I bought faux wisteria, flower garlands and ivy, wrapping them around the pergola, bird feeders (I replaced the bird food with hanging lanterns, which when lit looked incredible) and fences. These then stayed up for the rest of the summer ready for any impromptu family/friend gatherings. I still have these stored in the garage, should the need arise for me to use them again.
I feel table decorations are important as these add another level of style to an event. Pinterest is always my go to for inspiration and ideas. I try to have a theme for the tables, outdoors I have used faux grass table runners sprinkled with petals and laden with tealights, twigs and fresh flowers. Matching disposable plates and napkins can tie a theme together and I find wooden cutlery works best for an outdoor theme and is relatively inexpensive.
Sometimes to keep costs low, I have bought a small amount of alcohol and soft drinks but asked guests to bring their own if they have a particular preference. This saves it sitting in your cupboard after the party until the next time you invite them round.
On the flip side, in the past, I have asked guests to provide food, and I provided the drinks Not so radical as you might think as people are really happy to do this, especially if they have a dietary requirement. You can end up with an eclectic mix of foods and flavours, some of which you probably would never have tried before. Talking about the variety of food on offer is a great way to break the ice if you are introducing new friends to a group.
Been tasked with organising the office party? Getting people to bring their own food is a perfect way to please any picky eaters among you and will save you time leafing through menus trying to find something for everyone when choosing a venue. Believe me I have been there!
A good suggestion for a get together with work colleagues is a bring your own picnic. Choose a location which is easily accessible and central for everyone, choose a time to meet and everyone will bring their own food and drinks, how long they stay is up to them.
By suggesting they bring outdoor games to play should encourage people to mix more and help the conversations to flow. You may get the odd complaint about the location or idea, but it’s a picnic, they don’t have to attend.
So, if you have been tasked with organising an office party, or any party really, I would seriously consider the option of the picnic, weather permitting or having a venue where people can bring their own food, you won’t need to worry about updating caterers on attendees, taking a list with you to remind people of what they have previously ordered and paid for or the fact that Dave hasn’t got the vegetarian option he chose.
This could be the way forward to organising a relatively stress-free event. Just be careful not to let it go too well or you will be the honorary event organiser forever.
Embrace the challenge and make it fun. Give it a try and let me know how you get on!
