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A Night at the Drive In Birthday Party

| Birthday Party, Party Planning, Theme Parties | January 29, 2012

A Night at the Drive In Birthday Party

Birthdays are a very special time indeed. One party theme that works well with people of almost all ages is the idea of a movie night. Whether you want to make your movie a drive in movie or you prefer the modern conveniences of air conditioning in the summer or heat in the cooler months then that is understandable you can bring the movie night in. If you’d like something a little new and different then creating a drive in movie is a great way to go and you can invite all the neighbors so that no one chooses the moment your movie begins (hopefully) to start making a ton of noise.

The idea of a drive in movie can be expanded somewhat by the movie you select as well. Screens for playing the movies and DVD projectors can also be rented as well as speakers to play the sound. A good place to put the screen is on a garage door if you are a little lost on that particular matter. Once you’ve decided the movie you can go about elaborating on the theme. If you choose something that is relevant to a specific time period (such as Grease for the 1950′s), Bill and Ted’s Adventures (for the 1980′s), and the like you can have your guests put on their best 50′s or 80′s finery and come dressed for the occasion.

Be sure that in addition to the movies you have music that is appropriate for the theme to play before dark arrives and afterwards. Everyone can have a lot of fun dancing and you can set up a concession stand area with pop, popcorn (an absolute must – you will be glad to know that you can even rent popcorn poppers for the evening as well), whole dill pickles, nachos and cheese, hot dogs, pizza (if you’re feeling really ambitious) and other favorite movie munchies. The idea is to make the evening a fun evening for everyone.

Great decoration ideas, in addition to the screen of course would be cardboard cut out cars, movie posters, and Christmas tree lights to create rows for ‘parking’. You will want to make sure that there is plenty of seating available. Folding chairs work perfectly for an event such as this. You should also make sure that you have plenty of waste bins available for the garbage that may be accumulated throughout the evening and recycling bins if appropriate (people who do not ordinarily recycle often will if presented with the option to do so).

If you take the party indoors you can still accomplish the movie feel but make it feel more like a theater than a drive in. Use Christmas tree lights along the floor and turn off all other lights in the room once the movie begins. You can rent a big screen television for the evening or a projector and a screen. You may also want to consider pushing the furniture back against the wall and leaving the center of the room free for throw pillows that allow guests to sit (or lay) on the floor to watch the movie. Place movie posters throughout the room to set the tone and have the concession stand in another room so that it can be enjoyed and seen without disrupting the movie.

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A Circus Birthday Bash Worthy of the Big Top

| Birthday Party, Children's Entertainment, Party Planners, Party Planning | January 29, 2012

A Circus Birthday Bash Worthy of the Big Top
If you want a very happy child, considering throwing a birthday party worthy of the big top. A circus theme for a birthday party is sure to thrill and excite your little one and guests alike. Be sure to make the event one worthy of its title though and keep the action lively and moving throughout the event so that little minds with short attention spans do not have an opportunity to move on to more mischievous pursuits.

The first thing that is an absolute must for a circus theme is a big top. This may run a little high on the decoration dime but can be done quite nicely without booking a huge back yard with a tent. In fact, you can create a tent in your very own living room if you are so inclined to do so. Helium can be rented quite inexpensively and you can create the illusion of a tent top by filling the ceiling with brightly colored balloons and streamers to match. In addition to this you can have the entrance of the room made to look like tent flaps. Push all the furniture along the wall and allow the little ones to seat themselves on the floor along the “center ring” where all the action will be.

Now, you really should make an effort to have some sort of entertainment for the kiddos with an event of this nature. It can be a clown act, magic show, or simply someone making balloon animals for the birthday boy or girl and his or her guests. Face painting is another great activity to include on your list of events and shows and a lot of fun for the little ones. Be sure to include several great games (ring toss, pin the nose on the clown, and corn hole are great games worthy of a circus theme) and a craft activity or two in the running so that the little ones do not sit idly very long. It is always a good idea to keep them occupied and having fun.

The big top provides some excellent dining delights that carry over quite well into the birthday party theme. Hot dogs are an excellent lunch for a room filled with excited little ones. Candied apples, popcorn, and peanuts are also a great and fun addition to birthday party food that work well with the circus theme. Be sure to enlist serious muscle for the clean up when all is said and done.

Goody bags can be a lot of fun for this particular event by using popcorn bags for the bag and filling them with circus animals, bubbles, glow bracelets, circus themed stickers, and other nifty little items. Oriental trading and local party stores might prove to be an excellent resource for goody bag gifts. Don’t forget to include a photo frame with a photo of each child with his or her face painted or balloon animal as a keepsake.

The main thing to remember when planning a party worthy of the big top moniker is that the most important thing is that everyone has a good time. Don’t sweat the small details so much that you aren’t able to enjoy the event. Other great ideas to make this an even bigger event include things such as renting a moon walk for kids to jump and play in, renting a cotton candy maker, and having a real popcorn popper rather than relying on microwave popcorn. There’s something about the smell that just makes it feel like a circus.

Another thing you need to do when planning a big top or circus themed birthday party is plan for contingencies, such as rain if the party was to be held outside. The show must go on whether it is storming or whether the sun is shining brightly so be sure to have a back up plans in case things go awry.

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A Birthday Party at the Scene of the Crime

| Birthday Party, Party Planning | January 29, 2012

A Birthday Party at the Scene of the Crime
Television shows such as CSI (and the subsequent CSI Miami and CSI New York), NCIS, and Cold Case Files have made crime scenes and crime investigations the new murder mystery parties. They are a great deal of fun when properly planned and well executed but leave a lot of room for failure if poorly planned or inflexible. If you are considering a party such as this, a great party for teens and adults alike be sure that you either have an actual mystery to solve as the evening progresses or that you simply use the theme as a backdrop. There is no real right or wrong way to do a birthday party but if you want to throw the party that everyone will be talking about you’ll need to create a crime for the scene you’re investigating and leave clues all around to help with the investigation.

Decorating your crime scene party can be a lot of fun with crime scene tape and chalk outlines on the floor. Be sure to make them realistic in size by having someone actually lay down for you to draw the outline. You can leave fake footprints, fingerprints, and clue cards throughout the room (not too well hidden unless you want people snooping). You can even enlist plenty of help when leaving the clues and decorating because of the novelty of this sort of party. You do not have to limit the festivities to one room and you can, if you are feeling truly adventurous, have a different case going on in different rooms and have the kids draw numbers for teams and race to solve the crime first.

You might also do well to set up a lab, complete with microscope and tables dedicated to sorting out the evidence and make notes for the shocking conclusion of the crimes in question. Of course you will want to make the crimes simple and solvable by leaving clues that the kids will have no trouble finding or deciphering without making it too easy. Use your favorite episode for inspiration if you must and throw in a red herring or two to keep things fun. Young and old alike, the kids will have a good time arguing over the clues and trying to determine who really committed the crimes (and of course making up their assumptions and stories as to why the crimes occurred in the first place).

For food you can have an actual CSI cake or go with cookies that are shaped like footprints or thumb print cookies for an excellent play on words. Of course by the time kids are old enough to enjoy a party such as this they probably would be happy with good food rather than themed food and pizza, sloppy Joes, finger foods, chips and dips, and cookies and cake will make an excellent food addition to the party without needing to fit in with any one theme. Be sure to have plenty of pop and bottled water on hand though because crime solving is thirsty work.

In real life it is best to leave the jobs of solving crimes up to the men and women who were trained to do so. In the world of birthday parties however, crime solving and crime scene investigating reign supreme as the next great thing in birthday party ideas.

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A Professional Party Planner’s Guide to Classroom Parties

| Children's Entertainment, Party Planners, Party Planning | January 29, 2012

A Professional Party Planner’s Guide to Classroom Parties

In my opinion, nothing can be more fun and challenging than planning an elementary school classroom party.  Whether the event is Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, or the end of the school year, you can use your creativity and really have some fun in your planning.  And, because your attendees are all children, your efforts will not go unnoticed or unappreciated as they can with adults. 
The first thing you need to do is meet with the teacher and any other parents who have offered to plan or help with the party.  Before any planning can take place, it is imperative that everyone be on the same page and understands what the party will look like once it is all planned out.  Good planning and communication early in the process can go a long way towards heading off potential problems later on. 
The classroom teacher needs to let you know how much time will be allocated for the party and at what time it will happen.  In addition, the teacher will need to let you know what roll she wishes to play in the party planning and in the event itself.  Some teachers prefer to let the parents handle the entire party from planning to the big day, while others prefer to have more of a say and an active roll in the planning and the party itself. 
To plan the party itself, ask the teacher what foods they prefer be served.  Would they like to go with snacks?  Healthy foods?  Cupcakes and cookies?  Find out what is easiest and what will make the least amount of mess in the classroom which will have to be cleaned up at the end of the party. 
When the topic of purchasing food comes up, this is a good time to ask if the school can provide anything for the party, if a collection will be taken up from each of the families who have kids in the class, or it the parents will be paying for it themselves.  A lot of times the budget for the event will have a lot to do with the planning for the party.
The next item for discussion is the activities, if any, for the party.  Will the children be playing games, making a fun craft project to take home, etc… One of the most appreciated crafts around holiday times can be something that the kids can make at school and then wrap and present to their parents as gifts for the occasion.  With some creativity this can be done relatively inexpensively. 
If the teacher prefers to let the parents plan the party, the teacher can leave the meeting and the parents can meet, or plan to meet again, to plan more of the details of the day.  While planning the party with other parents it is always a good idea to make sure you have back-up plans incase one of the parents doesn’t do what they said that they would, or doesn’t show up the day of the party.  Unfortunately, things like that do happen and it is just so much better to be prepared for them ahead of time than to be caught on the day of the party without supplies or enough people.
With these professional party planning tips you can make your children’s parties the best in the school!

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A Professional Party Planner’s Guide to Hosting a Cocktail Party

| Article, Party Planning | January 27, 2012

A Professional Party Planner’s Guide to Hosting a Cocktail Party

One of the most fashionable parties for adults these days to have are cocktail parties. Even thought their popularity has fallen off over the last few decades, cocktail parties have reappeared on the party scene and are now even more fashionable than they ever were before.

While many adults in the United States today enjoy beer and wines, the mixed drinks of the past are really starting to become more and more in vogue again. Now days when you walk into a typical bar, you will see many more people ordering mixed drinks than they have in the last decade or two. Some of the most popular today is the apple martini, chocolate martini, dirty martini, and the cosmopolitan.

One of the best things about planning a cocktail party is that they generally only last a few hours. In addition, your guests will be wandering around mingling and snacking rather than sitting around a table eating a full meal with each other. This makes the cocktail party perfect for inviting people who may or may not already know each other.

One of the easiest things about planning a cocktail party is the fact that you can have just about any menu your want, as long as the food is complementary to the most popular mixed drinks that is. Guests who come to a cocktail party know that they are only there to snack, have a drink or two, and mingle. Because of this, you can supply a wide variety of finger foods and be confident that everyone present will find something agreeable to them.

Here are some professional party planner’s tips on hosting an amazing cocktail party that everyone will remember and be talking about.

Tip #1 – You will need way more ice for your cocktail party than you think you will. The standard rule of thumb is to have about a pound of ice per guest who will be in attendance. However, I believe even a bit more is advisable.

Tip #2 – Different beverages are consumed from different glass styles. Make sure that you have a large assortment of the appropriate glasses for your guests. And, it is always a good idea to have many extras. If you will be serving wine, it is a good idea to use wine glass charms so people will stick to using their same glass throughout the night.

Tip #3 – The most important part of your cocktail party planning is making sure you have enough supplies on hand. The most important of these supplies is your alcoholic beverages. A good bar should be stocked with the ingredients for each of your friend’s favorite drinks, or as a basic level at least those used to make the most popular drinks of the day, plus beer and wine.

Tip #4 – If you do not know anything about mixing drinks, you can always enlist the skills of one of your friends or relatives to play bartender for the evening; however, if you will be having a very large cocktail party then you might want to consider hiring a professional bartender for the night. Many local catering services will have bartenders who can work for you at your party. They are not terribly expensive and do a wonderful job.

Tip #5 – When you are hosting a party where alcohol is consumed, you should always offer food and coffee to your guests as well as make sure they have a designated driver to get them home safely. Please do not ever let your guests drink and drive. It’s not safe for them and the other people on the road. And, it can also land you in jail if they get in an accident after drinking at your home. It simply isn’t worth it!

As you can clearly see, hosting a cocktail party is not complicated and can offer you a wonderful excuse to have your friends and family over for an evening of adult fun.

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15 Professional Party Planning Tips for Corportate Events

| Article, Party Planning | January 27, 2012

One of the hardest events for most people to plan are corportate events. Even smaller events, for less than a couple hundred people, can be a real challenge if you are not a professional party planner. However, here are fifteen tips you can use to make your corporate party or corproate event a success:

Tip #1 Always take the time to plan ahead. If you will be renting a special venue you will need to secure it as far in advance as possible. Some places can book up even a year in advance. By finding your venue early, and placing your deposit, you can ensure that you get the venue that you want.

Tip #2 When you are planning a corporate event you need to set a very strict working budget and then make sure that you have extra cash for the unexpected expenses. You can be sure that every event will have some unexpected extra expenses, that is just simply part of planning an event.

Tip #3 If you have contracts, agreements, lists, or seating charts, make sure you keep extra copies of them incase they are misplaced or lost. Copying them is very simple and quick and can really save you later on if you loose your plans.

Tip #4 Make sure you send out your invitations at least 3 to 4 weeks ahead of your event. In addition, make sure that you ask your guests to RSVP so that you know how many people will be attending.

Tip #5 If you are creating a seating chart for your event, you can either set it up completely randomly or work with someone else in your company to come up with the best possible scenario.

Tip #6 If you want a good attendance at your event, it is a good idea to schedule it earlier in the week or a long way away from any major holidays. People tend to vacation over holidays and often have plans on weekends, making Friday and Saturday bad days to have a business function.

Tip #7 It is important to know when to use a theme and when not to. A child’s birthday party is an appropriate time to use a theme, while a corportate event requires much less of a theme and more plain elegance than anything else.

Tip #8 When you are having a business event, keep the music mellow and something that everyone can enjoy.

Tip #9 If you will need equipment such as microphones, projectors, speakers, a video camera. etc… you want to make a list of the things you will need and make sure that you also have someone on site who can fix any techincal problems which may come up at the event.

Tip #10 When you are planning an event, especially a large event, make emergency and contingency plans in case of disaster, illness, or any other emergency.

Tip #11 It is important to take into account the special accommodations which will be needed by any disabled attendees. If you do not know what someone will need, you can always simply ask them. They will be happy that you cared enough to ask and understand that you didn’t have any other way to get the information.

Tip #12 If you are planning a very large event, you might want to take a project management approach to it. Use a master plan, and delegate tasks to others where you reasonably can.

Tip #13 If your event will be longer than two hours, your guests will expect at least a snack to eat. You should have a meal if your event is longer than four hours. At all times, you should have at least water and coffee available to your guests.

Tip #14 Communication is a major key to the success of an event. If you are using vendors, make sure they have very clear and specific instructions of what you are expecting of them.

Tip #15 Whenever you plan an event, make sure you take things like transportation, parking, etc… into the equation. The last thing you want is for your guests to have to walk a long way to the event or to go home because they couldn’t find a place to park.

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Tips for Preparing Your Home before You Host a Party

| Article, Party Planning | January 25, 2012

Tips for Preparing Your Home before You Host a Party

When you are planning a party at your home, you will find that it always seems like no matter how much you clean, or how much you organize; there is always more which you could do.  The key to effectively preparing your home to host a party is cleaning and de-cluttering some very vital areas.  You should understand that as long as those areas care clean and clutter-free, then your guests will feel comfortable and welcome in your home.

However, even the most seasoned hostess can be intimidated by trying to prepare their home for guests.  So, for that reason, here are some tips from professional cleaners and organizers on how you can best prepare your home to host your party:

Tip #1 – Take a look around your home in a quick sweep and decide what you need to do.  Take along a pen and paper and make notes for each room of your home.  You will want a closet for your guests to hang their coats in and a place to store women’s purses.  While you are doing your home walk-through decide where these two locations will be and write them down.

Tip #2 – The first place you will want to start cleaning and tidying up is the entry area of your home, and then work from there cleaning the living room, bathroom, and kitchen areas.  In addition, if there are other areas in your home where your guests will be, perhaps a game room or similar, that area will need a good cleaning and de-cluttering as well.

Tip #3 -  While everyone has some clutter which they treasure; understand that clutter can give an even spotless home the appearance of being messy and unclean.  You want your guests to be able to move freely in your home and not be knocking things off of tables or shelves.  When you are cleaning for a party be brutal and get rid of as much clutter as you can bear – even if you just simply box it and place it in the garage for the night.

Tip #4 –  If you have a spouse and family, now is the time to enlist them to help you in cleaning and de-cluttering your home.  You can easily assign a room to each person and have them be responsible for cleaning and removing anything in the room which does not absolutely need to be there for the party.

Tip #5 -  If you have children with messy rooms, but are having an all-adult party, it is fine to simply close your children’s bedroom doors and not make a big deal about them cleaning their rooms for the party.  This can greatly relieve your stress pre-party.  In essence, stick to cleaning rooms which you absolutely must clean because guests will be in them.

Tip #6 -  If your party is informal, consider using casual serving dishes and casual eatery as well.  You may even want to purchase some good quality paper plates for the event if it will be a pot-luck or BBQ type event, rather than a sit-down meal.

Tip #7 -  It is important for you to know that where there are people with food and drinks, there will be spills and stains.  The easiest way to deal with these issues is to be completely prepared to deal with them before they ever happen.  Have a small box with cleaning supplies which you can use to clean up any messes which might occur during the party.

Tip #8 – Once your home is clean and clutter-free, then it is time to go around your home and add back some small, personal touches which make your home comfortable and inviting for your guests.  You can accomplish this through the use of flowers, photographs of your family, and candles.  To deal with any musty odors your home may have, you can burn candles or simmer cinnamon and cloves on the stove.

Tip #9 – Once your home has been prepared and you have a back-up plan to deal with any unforeseen stains or spills, then it is time for you as the hostess to sit back and enjoy your party.

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7 Professional Party Planner Tips for Clearing and Cleaning After a Large Meal

| Article, Party Planning | January 25, 2012

7 Professional Party Planner Tips for Clearing and Cleaning After a Large Meal

It is always fun to plan an elaborate party and see it come to life. However, in addition to the pre-work of the party, afterwards always comes the drudgery of the after meal clean-up, including clearing the table and washing up the dishes. Here are some professional party planning tips for dealing with your after meal clean-up and dish washing to help make your life a bit easier.

Tip #1 – Devise a simple plan ahead of time on how you will deal with such issues as storing your leftover food items, dishwashing, and trash disposal. If you will be keeping leftover food items for your family to eat at a later time, then make sure you have enough of the right sized bowls and platters to store them on in your refrigerator. If you will be sending leftovers home with other people take the time to purchase some appropriate disposable containers which you can give to them and not have to worry about them being returned. For the dishwashing component, decide ahead of your meal which items can go in your dishwasher and which cannot. For your trash and recyclable items, have bags inside containers placed at strategic locations around your home. Assign someone to look at them from time to time and empty them when necessary.

Tip #2 – One of the best things you can do to make your life easier post-meal is to start off with a clean kitchen and refrigerator. The day before your party take the time to clean out your refrigerator and remove all unnecessary clutter from your kitchen and countertops. By doing this you will be able to work on your counter tops and easily clean them. In addition, you will be able to simply open the refrigerator to store things without having to move things around to make room.

Tip #3 – Another one of the best things you can do for yourself is to clean up your dishes and messes as you are preparing the meal itself. Your goal should be to sit down at the table with your guests, with as little waiting in the kitchen to be cleaned up as possible. By doing this, you can ensure that the only dishes which will have to dealt with are those which are sitting on your table.

Tip #4 – Once your meal has concluded is the time where you should gather up all of the dishes from the table, scrape them, start soaking them in water while you continue to clear the table of leftovers, and then wash all of your dishes either in the dishwasher or by hand. While it is always very tempting to let the dishes sit until your guests have gone home, you will find the work is much easier if you do it right away at the conclusion of the meal. While you are clearing off the table gather up any leftovers and immediately put them into containers and into your refrigerator for safety.

Tip #5 – It is polite for people to ask to help clean-up after the conclusion of a meal. Allow your friends and family to help you out. This will make your clean-up go much quicker and smoother. It will also allow you to get back to enjoying your company as soon as possible.

Tip #6 – Your party day is not the time to deal too much with what goes in your dishwasher and what you hand wash. Things which are dishwasher safe should go in the dishwasher, and when it is completely full that is the time you should start hand washing what is left. Hand washing while everything is soaking makes it a very easy task, and your hand washed dishes can then rest on a drying rack while you get back to your party and guests.

Tip #7 – If you find a pot which is very miserable to wash and doesn’t want to come clean, let it soak overnight with a solution of baking soda and dish soap. This will allow it to be easily cleaned the next morning.

While clearing the table and washing dishes is never the most fun part of a party, it can be relatively simple and pain free when you incorporate the tips above.

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7 Party Planning Tips for Building Your Party Timeline

| Article, Party Planning | January 24, 2012

7 Party Planning Tips for Building Your Party Timeline

One of the best things that you can have when you are planning a party or event of any size is a written party timeline and master shopping list.  By making yourself a good solid timeline and comprehensive list for shopping, you can ensure that your party goes off without a hitch.

Here are seven tips from professional party planners to get you on the right track in planning your shopping list and timeline:

Tip #1 – No matter what the size of your event, if it is for children or adults, a wedding or a simple birthday party, you must have a master shopping list as well as a good timeline.  Simply use a pen and paper and decide on how long things will take you to do and start filling in your timeline.  And, while you are going through the process, this is the time to start a shopping list as well.

Tip #3 – Before you can start to build your timeline and shopping list, first you must decide on where your party or event will be held and how many people you will be inviting.  If you will be using an event location or a restaurant, you need to secure your space before moving along to do anything else.

Tip #3 – Once you have secured your location for your party, then you can start to build your lists.  To start building your timeline think about the things you will need to do before the party, such as send out your invitations.  If you will be having them custom printed you will need to allow extra time for the printing before you can mail them out to your guests.

Tip #4 – Now that you have your date and location secured, and you have ordered your invitations, if necessary, then it is time to think about what you will be doing at your party, what type of food and drinks will be on the menu, and how long you want the party to last.  Dedicate a single sheet of paper just to your party day and list everything you will need to do, in order, by time.  For example, preparing food before guests arrive would be at the top of the sheet of paper, while giving out party favors may be at the absolute bottom.

Tip #5 – In addition to your timeline for the day of the party, you will also want to formulate a timeline for the two weeks or so leading up to the event.  Here you will need to block out time for cleaning, shopping, decorating, etc…

Tip #6 – As you do each of the steps above, you will start to develop a good timeline and a great shopping and supplies list of things which you will need.  This will be a great help to you and can even help you to remember to pick up things that you might otherwise have forgotten.  In addition, you will also start to see if there will be any conflicts in your timeline where you might need to move a few things around or enlist the help of others.

Tip #7 – Once you have your lists generated then it is time to stick to them and make sure everything gets done.  If you are finding that you have more work to do than time to do it in, it is perfectly acceptable to ask other people to help you with carious parts of the event.  In fact, most people you will find would be happy to help you.

If you will be hosting a party or event, the best thing you can possibly do for yourself is to follow these tips, and others you hear from friends, and develop yourself a good timeline and master shopping list.  By writing things down, you will much more clearly see what you need to do and what you will have time to do yourself.

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