We opted not to go the surprise party route this time around. Surprise parties can be a lot of fun, but it's also fun when the birthday boy/girl gets to help plan their own party (and dictates the guest list).
Mom decided that she wanted a party that was a potluck, BYOB, and had music for dancing. Her friend graciously offered her home as the venue and party planning was on.
It's actually pretty easy to plan a party with a little effort, even if you aren't a professional party planner. Just follow these tips:
1. Pick a color scheme. And stick to it.
This is the most important for making the party feel like it was planned by a professional. A color scheme brings everything together in a very clean and polished way. We ended up going with black, red, and gold for a classy and sophisticated winter look. Everything we did -- from tablecloths to party favors and decorations -- was in this scheme. It's also much easier to delegate tasks to others if they know the colors they should look for (and don't be afraid to turn down blue plates if they are outside of the color scheme!).
2. Send invitations and reminders.
No need to send paper invitations in this day and age (although snail mail is always very well received). I used Paperless Post to create a digital invitation in our color scheme and sent out the first invitation about a month in advance. Paperless Post is great -- they provide templates for customizing invitations and tools for tracking rsvps and for sending follow ups and day-of reminders (super handy in the event of inclement weather, like we had!). And the absolute best part: it's free!
When sending an invite remember to include the essential details:
[who/what] - party for Mom!
[where] - location
[when] - date and time
[why] - why does this matter?
[how] - what else do guests need to know (e.g. how to get there, how to celebrate)
Invitations created and sent via Paperless Post
3. Provide some food and drinks, even if it's BYO.
If you plan the party at a restaurant, even if everyone is paying for him/herself, it's always nice to pre-order and pay for some appetizers for the group (flat breads, nachos, etc).
In our case, everyone was responsible for bringing their own (NO HEAT, NO MESS) dish, but I wanted to bring in some re-reinforcements to round things out. I emailed our local burrito place, Anna's Taqueria, a few days in advance, and for $100 they were able to hook us up with all the fixings for a taco bar. National chains like Chipotle and Qdoba offer similar catering options.
We also stocked up on wine and beer from our local Trader Joe's. The friendly staff at TJ's were able to recommend some good varietals for wine drinkers of all types without breaking the bank. And the surprising hit of the evening (also purchased at Trader Joe's) was Lindemans Framboise, a raspberry lambic beer that tastes more like a smoothie than a beer.
4. Make or bring a delicious dessert.
One of my New Years Resolutions was to make things I pin on Pinterest. Mom's 60th birthday seemed like a great opportunity to put this resolution into action.
I tried these awesome no-bake Oreo truffles recently at a friend's engagement party and decided to give the recipe a spin. These bad boys only have 3 ingredients (oreos, cream cheese, chocolate chips) so they are pretty straightforward for even the most novice chef. Definitely a hit with the party goers!
Relatively easy and delicious Oreo truffles
If it's a birthday, you'll also need some cake or cupcakes and candles for birthday wishes. Costco is always a good bet for an affordable and delicious cake, but your local grocery store's bakery also has you covered, just give them a couple days' notice.
5. Step up the fun.
A relatively cheap and easy way to step up the fun for any sort of party (and often overlooked) is to bring in helium filled balloons -- in your color scheme, of course!
I ordered 18 balloons from our local Party City for around $25 total. Nothing says PARTY! quite like a good bunch of balloons. I called the store the morning of the party and they had no problem filling the order by my desired pick-up time (although you may want to check a few days in advance to make sure they won't be backed up). 18 balloons is about the max I would recommend for fitting in the back seat of a typical sedan, so plan accordingly (or see if the party store can deliver if you want more than that).
I ordered 18 balloons from our local Party City for around $25 total. Nothing says PARTY! quite like a good bunch of balloons. I called the store the morning of the party and they had no problem filling the order by my desired pick-up time (although you may want to check a few days in advance to make sure they won't be backed up). 18 balloons is about the max I would recommend for fitting in the back seat of a typical sedan, so plan accordingly (or see if the party store can deliver if you want more than that).
Helium filled balloon clusters from Party City
My favorite boy bringing balloons to the party
So there you have it -- all the ingredients for a successful party! Do you have any tips you use for party planning? If yes, leave them in the comments.
xo,
Ev
Ev
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