Planning a party can be overwhelming, especially when you start at the last minute. So, do yourself a favor and make it a priority to plan any soirée early. A couple of weeks is plenty of time to get everything together, however, it does take effort and organization. To kick start your planning, follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to an awesome party that friends and family will talk about for years.



The easiest and most effective way to plan any party is by simply answering five basic questions. Who, what, where, when and why. Just like everything else in life, to be successful, you need to have a clear vision of where you are going, otherwise you end up going in circles or going off the path completely. One way to make sure this doesn’t happen is by compiling your answers to the above questions and creating a sentence from it.

The most important question is the “who“. In order to plan a party, you have to know who the party is for. Answer the following three questions and then create a sentence from them.

1. Who is my anticipated guest list? (Friends, family or coworkers?)



2. Do you want a small gathering or a lot of people?

3. Will this be exclusively for adults or will there be children?

Perhaps your sentence will look like one of these:

A small party for adult friends

A big family party

Now that you know who will be attending your event, you need to figure out what kind of party you want and where you would like to host it.

1. Is this a casual or formal party?

3. Will you host this party at home or at a venue?

Now add those answers to your sentence.

A small, casual home party for adult friends.

A formal, big family event at the local recreation center.

Once you get this far, you can figure out what type of food and drink you will be serving. Naturally, if it is formal, you might want to consider a sit down supper with wine. If it is casual, perhaps a buffet style supper or potluck with punch. If this party is after dinner hours, then appetizers will do just fine. Let’s look at that sentence now.

A small, casual home party featuring a potluck dinner and drinks for adult friends.

A formal, big family event with a sit down supper and wine to drink hosted at the local recreation center.

The party is definitely shaping up, but there is still some work to do. Now you need to know why you want to host an evening to begin with. This will form the theme.

1. Is this a party to celebrate a specific day or person?

Once you’ve answered this question, you can decide on what type of entertainment would be appropriate for this particular party. Perhaps some dancing, board games or singing. Whatever suits the needs of the crowd.

A small, casual home party featuring a potluck dinner and drinks for adult friends to celebrate Christmas.

A formal, big family dance with a sit down supper and wine to drink hosted at the local recreation center to celebrate Christmas.

Finally, you need to answer the last question. When? Now you can create an invitation based on your sentence. See how much clearer the picture is? You know exactly where you want to go, now all you need to do is organize the steps to get there and that’s where your to-do list comes into play. Here is an example to do list to help you plan that perfect stress free party.

To do List

1. Book your venue

2. Book your entertainment

3. Create your guest list

4. Send out invitations

5. Plan your menu and do your grocery shopping

6. Buy decorations according to your theme

Tip: It helps to create an agenda of how you would like the evening to unfold. This can be approximated. You just never know what surprises will unveil itself at the party, so just go with the flow and enjoy yourself.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and wish you the best party ever!

Chantel