Tips for organizing the perfect party

You spent the whole party in the kitchen preparing the meals. Five more guests appeared at your door, for whom you did not plan drinks, nor food. By the time your party started, you were so tired that you wanted to cancel it.

This is not the perfect party you want to host. In order to avoid all abovementioned things, stay with us to find out your party check list.

Before you send out the invitations, make sure that you have made a list of guests three weeks before the party. The reason why you should do this so early is that you can expect some guests decline the invitations due to various reasons. Since the number of guests effects everything else you will organize, it is important you have a final list.

Making the invitations allows you to show your creativity, whether you use paper or digital invitations. On the other hand, inviting people by email/telephone will do the trick, as well.

You plan the menu depending on the number of guests. If your party consists of 5-6 people, you can safely cook something lavish on the day of the party. However, pre-made dishes, such as frozen meals and the take-out food are usually recommended for more than a dozen people. Hiring a catering service is also a good option for more formal gatherings.

Whatever you opt for, your goal is spending as little time as possible in the kitchen.

For some, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are even more important than the food. Be prepared for a more elaborate list of must-dos, when it comes to drinks.

Count your guests first as you will need two drinks per person for the first two hours and one drink per person for each consecutive hour.

The basic alcohol list includes beer, vodka, rum, tequila, gin and brandy. Make sure you have them at the party, but do know that people usually opt for pre-made drinks. Cocktails are essential, so plan making them in advance. Do not forget about non-alcoholic ones, as you will certainly have one, or two teetotallers.

Prepare the ice, as well as water and coffee. Finally, find the bottle shops that open late in the case you need more beverages.

For informal parties, paper plates and plastic cutlery can make your life easier as you will not have to wash the dishes. There is a host of cute disposable coloured plastic cups you can also use. Giving pens to guests to mark their cups is a good and fun idea. Do not forget napkins, too.

Placing garbage cans all around the room, especially if you opted for disposable plates and cups will come in handy when cleaning.

Specific party themes require specific decorations. If you do not have any special theme in mind, candles around the room will make any ambience welcoming and relaxed. Find the music list to spice up the atmosphere.

Cleaning the house thoroughly one week before the party is a good start so that you have less work a day before the party. Before it starts, re-arrange the furniture or add more chairs so that everyone have a place to sit. Placing the furniture in the centre of the room enables all guests to move freely.

Take your clothes out of the closet and place the hangers in it. Leave the separate room and bed for guests’ coats.

One final advice, three weeks before the gathering, place everything we mentioned on the paper. Go through the items on the list one by one until you checked everything. If unplanned changes do occur, stay calm and do whatever you need to and continue enjoying the party.