How to throw the perfect party

If you love entertaining, nothing is better than throwing a party for your family and friends. Whether you’re throwing one for a birthday or celebration, because it’s summer or as a surprise for someone special, here are my top How to throw the perfect party tips on how you can be the host with the most!

How to throw the perfect party

Announce

Build up the excitement and anticipation by announcing your plans! Of course you’ll want to keep some things a secret, but let you guests know well in advance to expect an invitation in the post in a few weeks or days’ time. You’ll want to give people plenty of notice in case their schedules get booked up quickly or they need/want to organise childcare for example.

It’s quick and easy just to pop a text through to someone or to give them a call, so get ahead of the game and make sure people know!

Invite

Once you’ve announced your party to people you’ll want to send them a formal invitation. Nowadays there are so many options! You could go traditional and design and print physical invites to post out to guests, or, if you’re more tech savvy, why not consider sending an e-invite instead? Both are great ways to give your guests all the information they need, from the location and directions to the food and RSVP info.

Plan

Plan, plan, and plan some more. There’s nothing worse than getting caught out if you haven’t thought of something or have missed an element on the day. Make sure before the party date arrives that you’ve covered off everything including the entertainment and music, food and drink, and the venue too if you’re not hosting the event at home.

The more you plan and get out of the way beforehand, the more relaxed you’ll feel during the party. You never know, you may even enjoy yourself!

Set up

If there are elements you can set up the day before then do so. This will save you precious time on the day itself. If you can’t because perhaps your hiring out a venue then don’t worry. Set up your venue of choice with all your food and drinks, as well as all the party essentials which are paramount for setting the mood. These are particularly important if you have a particular theme or dress code.

The venue you choose for your event can help set the tone and atmosphere. For example, a pool party or yacht party will have a different feel than an event held in a banquet hall. The venue can also help dictate what kind of decorations you'll need. While wall candelabras and curtains might be used to add some elegant look to your banquet hall, some personalized inflatables shall be a perfect way to add some fun and excitement to pool or yacht parties. They can be used to create a festive atmosphere or simply add some visual interest. And because they're customizable, you can tailor them to your specific event theme. So whether you're planning a pool party, yacht party, or any other type of event, take the choice of venue seriously as it will help a lot.

Greeting

There’s nothing worse than going to a party and being greeted by no one. Be on hand for when guests are arriving to welcome them. Don’t forget, first impressions count! If you’re worried about getting them a drink or taking their coats, why not delegate someone to help you do this, that way you won’t miss anyone as they arrive.

During

Although you’ll want to enjoy yourself, you’ll need to keep an eye on the overall levels of food and drink available to your guests. Do sporadic sweeps of the party to check in with people, making sure they’re happy and have everything they need – you’d be surprised how appreciative people are of this!

After

Let you guests naturally drop off from your event - there’s nothing worse than being shepherded out altogether! As you did when you greeted them, make sure you see them to the door and check they have a way of getting home. If not, politely ask if they’d like you to arrange a taxi or drop off service for them. This little gesture will go a long way.