Happy Monday everyone! I'm on vacation this week so I'm turning the Blog over to a guest writer...so please give a hearty welcome to Kristy Laurens! She has all sorts of wonderful ideas for your next party!

How to Plan a Party Without Losing Your Mind
Planning a party may not seem like a very daunting task, until you’re in the shoes of the host or hostess. Whether you’re planning a get together for ten people or a ritzy soiree with a guest list a mile long, planning a party without proper preparation can ruin the experience for any would be host. Planning ahead is the only way to lighten your load as the party approaches. The more you prepare, the more smoothly things will come together at crunch time. Consider following this timeline for your next get together.

Weeks Ahead
Depending on when you decide to throw the party, planning can begin weeks before the actual party date. Invitations can be sent out. Might I suggest digital invitations? Also, you can begin to brainstorm a theme for your party. Whether you’re throwing a Super Bowl party, a My Little Pony birthday party, or a 4th of July Blow-Out Barbeque, the theme is something you’re going to need to keep in mind. You’re also going to want to begin planning a menu for the foods you will be serving and a playlist for the music you plan to play.
    

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Three Days Ahead

Start making lists. Lists should rule your party planning procedure. Make a list of all the ingredients you will need for your menu. Also, make a list of all the party favors you will need to buy. Do you have enough serving dishes? Take some time to really think it through and make sure that you have a list of everything you will need to get things started. While a last minute run to the store is possible, it isn’t necessary if you simply plan thoroughly.

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Two Days Ahead

Two days before your party, you should do most or all of your shopping. Party favors, serving utensils, food, everything in one big trip is the easiest way to go. This will cut down on several trips to town for different things. Put your lists together and plan a shopping expedition that will knock out everything at once. Once you’re finished shopping, go home and clean. Cleaning your house two days before will take care of a lot of the last minute stresses. All you will have to do on the day of is straighten and make final touches.

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One Day Ahead
On the day before the party, get started on the food. You can begin to chop veggies and throw together some dishes that can be stored in the fridge over-night. You might want to wait to cut your fruits or anything that might not retain its freshness. Just basically tackle any part of the menu that can be made ahead of time. This will eliminate a lot of last-minute stress.

The Morning Of
Begin the final cooking stages and while everything is going in the kitchen, work on setting the table, arranging the buffet, and decorating. If you already have everything purchased and planned out, this shouldn’t take a long time. Do some last-minute cleaning and spiff up your bathrooms. Wash your pots and pans as things are finished cooking. 

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Two Hours Ahead
Get dressed for the party. When you’re ready to go, put on the music and put any necessary finishing touches on the table and decorations while you wait for your guests to arrive.

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Finally, enjoy yourself. Don’t spend your entire party worrying about how things are going. Your friends, most likely, want to spend some quality time with you and will be pleased if you simply enjoy yourself. If you take the time to properly prepare, your party will go smoothly without any frantic intervention from you at all.

Kristy Laurens loves writing about DIY projects, and event planning.