Party Planning Tips Part III

The key to successful throwing a well planned special event is about how you go about organizing, delegating and following-thru on action items. The more parties involved, the more crucial good order is. As with preparing a meal, timing is everything. Therefore putting together a timeline planner for your event will help you make sure all your work is properly coordinated.

To start make lists of tasks that can be done well in advance and those for the day of party. Compare this to the timeline planner below and make the needed modifications according to your shopping lists and budgeted items.

FOUR WEEKS BEFORE

• Put together your guest list and gather addresses and phone numbers
• Order or make invitations
• Plan your menu
• Finalize the space layout and decorations
• Using Shopping List #1 purchase decorations, paper goods, and other supplies, non-perishable foods and

  drinks

• Contact those who will help with the party
• Address and mail your invitations
• Write a list of your background and dance music (stick with the theme of your

  party). Remember to include the song title, artist, band and year of release

THREE WEEKS BEFORE

• Confirm any friends, family, and hired service people working the party
• Telephone guests who have not responded to your invitations so you can get a

  definite guest count for food and space requirements.

• Put together a music CD of background, mood or dance music
• Make needed preparations for out of town guests such as guest rooms, hotel reservations.
• Pick out what you plan to wear at the party and have it cleaned

TWO WEEKS BEFORE

• See that table linens are clean and ready to go. Put the linens under a bright

  light for inspection. Remove all stains. Decide on tableware and serving

  pieces

• Wash less frequently used serving or table pieces.
• Get locks put on your bedroom closet or lock the bedroom door itself. Don?t

  hesitate to secure all valuables.
  

THREE DAYS BEFORE

• Clean your house if the party is at home or your plan to have out-of-town guest

  stop by before or after the party

• Make sure all appliances that you'll be using work properly.
• Using Shopping List #2 shop for any last-minute food or supplies
• Shop for bulk items and less perishable foods
• Touch base with contracted services
• Assign specific tasks to your committee members/volunteers
• Make preparations for cleaning up, returning equipment, etc.
• Make some party foods and freeze them

TWO DAYS AHEAD

• Contact your decorating team
• Begin decorating your home or party facility
• There is plenty of time to get those items you may have forgotten

ONE DAY AHEAD

• Using Shopping List #3 shop for perishable and last minute items.
• Move furniture and put away delicate items that could suffer damage

DAY OF PARTY

• Lock up all your breakable and valuable possessions
• Finalize the decorations and place settings
• Call all help together and give motivational instructions
• Set up an area in or near the kitchen for returning used dishes and waste
• Clear dishwasher for use as needed
• Chill all cold beverages

TWO HOURS BEFORE EVENT

• Put out your clothes and shoes
• Turn on relaxing music
• Light a candle and take a relaxing bath or hand shower. Enjoy the moment.

ONE HOUR BEFORE

• Set out cheeses and non-perishable appetizers and snacks
• Greet your guests

Most of all, enjoy the party!

Marcus Angelo is the founder of Fimark's Event Planner network of party and event planning tools, tips and software at http://party-planner.fimark.net The resource is provided for those who wish to implement a more organized approach to planning and executing a successful family event, special occasion, small or large party or corporate event.

Mark designed the award winning Fimark Family Reunion Planner, a family reunion planning organizer for reunion planners who wish to implement a more organized approach to planning and executing a successful family reunion. The site at http://family-reunion-planner.fimark.net offers reunion planning tips, tools and free reunion planner evaluation software

Childrens Birthday Party Planning

Your only child is celebrating her first birthday party in a month and all you can think about is how your friend was able to hold a successful birthday party for hers a week ago. How did she pull it off? Two things. Your friend might have secured the services of a professional party planner, or she might been really prepared and organized.

If you're working on a budget, then do it yourself children's birthday party planning is your option. But don't fret just yet. Just because you don't have enough financial ammo to hire a professional, it doesn't mean that your child's party will flop.

With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can turn your kid's birthday party into the envy of other parents. Play your cards right and they will be talking about your event for days!

Now what do you need to look after when you're planning your child's party? The basics. First, determine what time you want to hold your event. Since you're dealing with children, somewhere around 1:00PM to 4:00PM is the best time because you won't require your guests to wake up too early for your event, and you also will have enough time in the morning for last minute preparations and changes.

However, since 1:00 to 4:00 is nap time for most kids, you can adjust the time to have the party at 10:00AM.

Second, how should your invitations look? You don't have to spend too much on the invites because what's important is that the guests are informed of the event details. If you're having a themed party, don't forget to include what kinds of costumes the guests should wear. If you're planning on a water party, remind them to bring their bathing suits and a change of clothes.

Third, who should be there? Well, this is easy. Ask your child who she wants to be there. Family members are a non-argument; they must be present. Her friends, of course, should be there, too. Also, if your friends have children whose ages are nearer to your child's, invite them also, so your child can meet new people and socialize.

Fourth, what kind of entertainment will you be having? Since you're on a budget, you can forego hiring clowns and magicians and focus on preparing fun games, instead. Search the Internet for a listing of exciting children's birthday party games.

These are just the most basic of the things you need to worry about if you're planning your child's birthday party yourself. There's also the goodie bag, whether or not you will hand some out to your guests, and what to put inside it.

The food is another factor. Just keep it simple because children go to your party for the games and the entertainment and don't usually focus much on the food. Of course, serve something that interests their palate but does not scrimp on health values. Here's a tip: to make a healthy snack look interesting, use food coloring or arrange it in a way that's colorful and enticing for a child.

Kids recall what they did at a party much more than what they put in their tummies, so in order for your event to be declared a success, go all out with the games. Don't forget the prizes!

Low Jeremy maintains http://child-party.articlesforreprint.com This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

Simple Party Planning

Coming up with new ideas for party ideals are not always easy. It seems that other people have the great ideas, and so very clever. I was trying to plan a birthday party, and wanted to have some fresh ideas. So I searched through cookbooks and magazines to see what I could find. I saw a cake decorating ideal that looked interesting it seemed to be pretty simple. A simple cake ideal is a frosted cake from a bakery, a traditional frosted cake with decorations on it.

So my ideal of a simple party seems to be working, keeping it simple is favorable for people to enjoy themselves. So plan activities around the party theme so it would not disrupt people visiting. This would let the planner enjoy the party also instead of trying to get people involved in the activities. This could be the best ideal ever, letting people mingle without any expectations of participating in games.

Planning a simple party, the first step is to call the bakery and order a frosted cake, maybe you would like your cake to look a certain way, take a picture of the cake you would like to have to the bakery. They could make one similar to the picture. The second step is to invite your guest, give them plenty of notice, that way it is not just sprung on someone at the very last minute. The final step is not to plan any activities at all for the guest can visit. So you can enjoy the party also.

Brian Ward author of information articles on recipe topics. Visit his website at http://www.recipeglobe.com

Theme Parties: Party Planning Made Easy!

If you are at a loss as to how to plan a party, no matter what the event might be, deciding on a theme party, makes planning much easier. When you are deciding on a theme, it is important to take individual tastes, likes, dislikes, needs, and occasions, into consideration, but most often, deciding the theme for the party is the most difficult part.

If you are at a loss for the perfect theme, you have come to the right place for suggestions, but there are several considerations to take into account, when planning a theme party. First, consider the age of the person for whom you are planning the party. Even as small a time span as a few years makes a huge difference when planning a theme party. A party for a twelve-year-old, would never work for a fifteen-year old, and a party for a two-year-old might not be appropriate for a five-year-old.

When planning a theme party, you must also consider the likes and dislikes of the guest of honor. A pool party for someone who can?t swim, or a garden party for someone who has allergies, might not go over well, but chances are, if you are throwing a party for someone, you know them well enough that, with just a little thought, you can come up with the perfect theme to match their likes, dislikes, and age bracket.

Consider budgeting issues, and don?t necessarily assume an at home party is going to be less expensive, because when added all together, many party packages are quite reasonable. Don?t necessarily assume that ?the more, the merrier.? Sometimes, simple, intimate parties are much more enjoyable than having a huge, loud, boisterous crowd. This can be especially true for young children. Most young children are much more comfortable with a few well known and beloved guests than a large, noisy crowd.

Whether you are planning a winter wonderland theme party for a hundred bejeweled, white clad revelers or an intimate Valentine?s Day theme party with rose petal strewn pathways, a little thought, research, and planning can make your theme party a perfect success.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Holiday Tips For Christmas Party Planning

With the holiday hustle-and-bustle why not cut yourself slack in the kitchen? It?s too easy to become flooded with cookie baking, casserole making, and event planning obligations. Save valuable time beforehand by appraising crucial kitchen items. The key to enjoying the holidays this season is preparation.

Holidays are traditional. Whether your family gathers around your table for Thanksgiving, your friends sip eggnog under your Christmas tree, or you light the menorah while eating Sufganiyot traditions make warm memories. Stocking traditional kitchen necessities allows the host to be attentive once guests arrive. A prepared environment and attentive host creates the perfect tone for holiday success.

Whether your kitchen resembles The Food Network or you?re hosting your first soiree you?ll need essentials. Complementary utensils, dinnerware, and glassware make a great impact. Table clothes and place mats unquestionably upgrade the ambiance. Add a few ?kitchen helpers? such as a menu board or dinner bell and you?ve got the perfect party setting.

Hold the stress. A little planning goes along way during the holidays. All too often we become time crunched; the event becomes stressful when it should be uplifting. With a little forethought, necessary planning and a few kitchen essentials your home could become the new hot spot for dinner and holiday parties year round. Read ?Party Planning 101? below for holiday prep help.

Party Planning 101

First, determine your party theme. This step allows you to plan the menu, choose appropriate activities, and take stock of your kitchen. Essential for creating a memorable occasion without the stress.

Second, decide on a potluck, traditional dinner, or smorgasbord style of food serving. It?s okay to serve only snacks but it?s good etiquette to inform guests so they can eat accordingly. This is especially important when children are involved. Deciding on serving style enables you to plan for dinnerware, utensil, and glassware needs in advance.

Next, mail invitations with ?RSVP by? included. Or, for informal events, place phone calls and round up friends and family. Get a head count of attendees and give ample prep time to make a dish, buy a gift, or clear their calendars.

Then, plan the menu. If you?ll need a specific kitchen item, such as a pizza baking stone, crepe pan or large stock pot, you need to know before the day of the event. Take inventory. Do you have enough champagne flutes or matching glasses, do you need more disposable juice cups? Maintaining a well stocked kitchen requires inventorying both the food pantry and the kitchen cabinets.

Finally, table presentation and seating arrangements pull the meal together. Many holidays focus on gathering around for food with family and friends. Eating is often the main event. Matching dinnerware, place mats, champagne flutes and wine glasses will enhance the look and feel of your themed d?cor.

Make an impression this holiday season by taking stock of your kitchen. Adding a few essentials is well worth the reward. You should enjoy creating time honored traditions. Besides, these kitchen ware purchases are investments. You?re more likely to use high-quality cookware, fine dinnerware, and sparkling crystal glasses more often than your Santa Bear collection or pilgrim salt and pepper set.

About the Author: David Yearwood is the webmaster for www.karslakeproducts.com a website that is aimed at people in the USA that are looking for something different in gift ideas and design. This article may be freely distributed without modification and provided that the copyright notice and author information remain intact.

Have a Fun Event with Some Easy Party Planning

Brainstorming may be the best approach to the initial stage in party planning. No other method will as quickly get at the main points which will make each party a distinct and successful occasion. Just jot down the ideas as they come and then worry about budgeting and other practical concerns which limit the initially exuberant ideas.

Party planning is then in the second phase: the practical one. Initial brainstorming will bring up the idea of hiring an ice carver but party planning will pare that back to hiring a caterer who owns a good ice mold. Similarly, the initial brainstorming might suggest hiring a magic act but after looking at the budget that might be downsized to asking a relative to do some magic tricks.

The brainstorming session for a wedding offers the notion of shipping the wedding party to the islands for a beach ceremony but the party planning may cut that one back to a down payment on a house with the ceremony in the back yard.

The essential benefit of the two phases of party planning is that it helps keep things in reasonable limits while still offering a great occasion. In the case of the magician at the birthday party the crowd might enjoy visiting with the relative more than the hired act and he or she may actually want to help. The wedding that is minimized for the sake of a home purchase may make for a longer and happier marriage.

At any rate, party planning can make the difference between a fiasco and a festive occasion. If things are organized in too loose a manner they don't usually go very well. For example, party planning can make the difference between finding affordable invitations that are kept as souvenirs or friends who don't receive an invitation at all.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Party Planning Ideas are Fun

Skilled and experienced coordinators do nothing but professional party planning. That should not intimidate the amateur from party planning just clue them in. It is going to be a lot of work to throw the next holiday party or even host the bridge club.

What is needed is a lot of lead time. Start early on any type of party planning. The next step is to prioritize and assign a "time required" sort of measurement to each task. Be realistic at this stage. If homemade treats are really necessary due to budgeting measures or a sense of perfectionism then make sure there is enough time allowed. Buy ingredients early enough but make sure that they will be fresh. If a caterer or a baker is needed shop carefully and get recommendations. This will be a very high priority. Also remember that some occasions come at the same time of year for everyone else as they do for you.

Give the baker, caterer or even a family member who is helping out enough time to plan their part of the menu. Holidays and weddings are really hectic for these professions so please don't count on last minute perfection. It may however be possible to take a cake that has the wrong name and have it carefully corrected at the last minute. Sometimes caterers have prepared foods that are meant for parties that are cancelled.

This happens more often in more populated areas. It isn't a good idea to make last minute purchases part of extensive party planning. It does happen often enough at some businesses to use them as back up party planning for more casual occasions though.

Party planning doesn't stop at food preparation although that is an important aspect. Decorations, invitations and entertainment take equally important parts in the overall scheme of things.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

We've done it again.... GET THE SECRET TO PARTY PLANNING NOW!!!!

Parties don't always have to be complicated! Managing the kids and getting food, themes and arrangements ready before the first guest arrives can be stressful and lead to burdens and mistakes. One mistake at your event and everything can begin to unravel! Don't let that happen! Don't succumb to the possibilities of party failure.

Instead you should be having a great time, enjoying your guests and receiving compliments that make you feel appreciated. Today you are being offered ideas that are simple, easy, and fun for the family to participate in recipes, personal development, and parenting. So not only will you have a great event but you will also have strong family bonds and a genuine good time! Our site is intended for everyone who wants ideas for parties. But mainly parents. People who find it difficult to come up with ideas for their parties or holidays. The ideal prospect is pretty much everyone that has a job, family, and their lives are running at 100 mph, yet they do not have the time to prepare something for their love one's special dates.

Lack of time and obligations will be a breeze to manage with the tools and techniques that you can begin to apply to your life today! Learn how to save money not spending too much on a great party or family event and still have it be a memorable and easygoing, successful event!

We will be very excited to have you as one of our special friends in our site, you will find awesome information, like The most powerful secret of Party planning, and many more great stuff. You don't have to break your head anymore trying to find out what to do for you events. We will teach you what you need to know in a way that is easy, fun and effortlessly.

Join us now to our weekly newsletter. The best of all, IT'S FREE!!! ACT NOW!!!

For your successful events, Jorge and Blanca Fernandez de Cordova www.proudparty.com

Jorge and Blanca are a successful couple with a Vision in mind. That mission is to help you create the most amazing and memorable reunion without all the stress of Party planning.

Barbie Party Planning with Fun Ideas for Kids Parties

Little girls and sometimes adults have found that Barbie is a classic character to theme their parties after. Barbie has grown and evolved with us since the fifties. She?s got smarts, lots of friends and a pretty pink corvette. If you or your little girl loves Barbie then you?ll find that there are lots of party supplies to help decorate your event.

Barbie is on just about every kind of party supply you can find, so it will be very easy to decorate your party. There are Barbie tablecloths and plates and lots of loot bags gifts you can hand out to the guests. All of it is in the appropriate bright bubblegum pink color Barbie is so well known for. There are lots of pretty pink plates, napkins and cups that you?ll to match with the color theme of your Barbie party.

You can even find pink petals or pink gingham make your own invitation kits that you can print with on your own computer. Fill them in with a fun Barbie style font to invite your guests to the party. They?ll provide a little elegance to your party and give your guests a fun keepsake to stick in their memory albums.

Make up loot bags filled with Barbie stickers, pencils, and temporary tattoos. Barbie Stickers are really big among the Barbie fan set, so you?ll do well to really load up those loot bags with stickers. For some fun and to add interest to the games and activities at your party you can pick up some bright pink feather boas and fuzzy hats to give out as prizes. As a special gift to the guest of honor you can pick up a Barbie treasure kit filled with over one hundred Barbie stickers and a special Barbie sticker album. The kit itself is a plastic pink case with molded handles to carry it around.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Blues Clues History with Party Planning Fun Ideas

Having a Blues Clues party is a great way to remind children that learning and thinking can be fun. Blue?s Clues was originally created as a combination of an entertainment and educational television show for preschoolers. Age appropriate learning opportunities include topics like Colors & Shapes, Size and Spacial Concepts, Letters, Numbers, Listening, Reading and Social Concepts like sharing, patience, taking turns, and safety are key components to the learning process provided. Blue?s Clues originally had Steve to help Blue to identify clues to the daily mysteries. Together they, and their preschool audience, would sit in the thinking chair and look at the clues that came in the mailbox, and study what they had written in their handy dandy notebook until Blues would show Steve the solution.

Eventually, Steve grew up and had to leave for college. Joe, Steve?s brother, moved in to take care of Blue and become the new investigative sidekick. Each episode, like it did with Steve generally starts with Joe asking Blue a question, like ?What would you like to do today?? Blue will jump up and plant a big blue paw print on the television screen and the Blues Clues mystery has begun. Working together Joe, Blues, and the preschoolers watching try to find the three other clues to answer Joe?s question. Theme parties around Blues Clues could be given for almost any special occasion or simply ?just because.? A specially designed question could make a Blues Clues party a winning solution for any party theme. Party supplies and accessories, like invitations, tableware, decorations and even pinatas can be conveniently easily ordered from online providers to ensure that Blue, Magenta. Sprinkles, Periwinkle and the rest of the Blues Clues gang are on hand to make your young party guests smile with delight as they recognize their familiar television friends.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Blues Clues Children Party Planning Event Ideas

The children?s television show Blues Clues is garnering a lot of attention from preschool and elementary school aged kids. Your kid may very well be obsessing about Blue, her owner Joe, Magenta and all their talking furniture friends in Blue?s House such as Mailbox, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper. The television show is so endearing that many children love to have their own Blues Clues themed parties each year.

Guests at your Blues Clues themed party can eagerly go on their own hunt for the Blues Clues loot bags that you will surely have filled with candies and other goodies. Station little clues around the party area and let the kids solve them for fun. It?s easy to fill these loot bags with Blues Clues Blowouts, which are noisemakers that the kids are bound to use until they wear them out, Blues Clues stickers and temporary tattoos. You can also fill them with sets of Blues Clues Floppy Ears. These floppy fabric ears on a headband are so cute; you?ll want to get a picture of your kids wearing them.

While your guests are having fun on the hunt you can deck out your buffet table with all Blues Clues themed paper goods. There are lots of Blues Clues themed paper cups, plates and napkins for the guests to eat from and of course you should use a blue tablecloth. Don?t forget to blow up and hang clusters of light blue balloons around the party area for an extra touch.

Look for a Blue Dog pi?ata to use at your Blues Clues party. The kids will eagerly look forward to the excitement of trying to crack open that pi?ata in order to get lots more goodies at the party. Items to put in your pi?ata are blue balloons, Blues Clues mini dots and blue glow necklaces.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

 

THE UNTOLD SECRET ABOUT PARTY PLANNING

Why many people think that hosting a party can be stressful, expensive, yet a hassle? Many families rather put off a family reunion to avoid the stress of planning a party.

People sometimes get overwhelmed by the party planning process. Are you one of those people? Do you feel stress when the weekend comes and you know your family is coming over? Or What about the unknown of what to do or how to do it?

Let me ask you,

How much peace of mind can you have if you get some professional guidance that will guide you systematically? Would you feel less stress? How about peace of mind?

I want you to stop and imagine for a second how would you reunion would look like, if you weren't missing anything, or if you do you know exactly how to improvise? Would you think it'll be more FUN, more ENOJYABLE. GREAT because that's why we are here for.

By subscribing to our ezine, you will find strategies, ideas, and a world of creativity to have the best party your family has ever seen, is like having a party planner without all the expensive fees.

Would you feel more relaxed if you have some guidance? Knowing what to do? Knowing how to do it?

If you follow our recommendations and ideas, there's no way you can fail. We had hosted hundreds and thousands of parties, and every single one has been a success.

Join us now at http://www.proudparty.com/ and subscribe to our weekly ezine NOW!!!. The best of all, is FREE.... So act NOW!!!!

For your successful party!!! Jorge and Blanca Fernandez de Cordova

We are a happy couple with a vision in mind. We've been married since October 2002 and we have one son, he is the reason we do everything.

Anniversary Party Planning

Who to invite

25th, 40th and 50th Anniversary parties celebrate the life of the couple. You can invite any one who's lives they have touched. Anniversary parties vary from small and intimate parties at home to large catered events held at restaurants, hotels or reception halls. What ever the size, make it special and meaningful for the anniversary couple with personal touches.

Invitation Ideas

Photo anniversary invitations are popular, using the original wedding photo. If the wedding photo is not available, we can make you a custom anniversary invitation with a year wreath on our fanfare design. We can also create your card with a current photo.

To make the evening more fun, we suggest you ask each guest to bring something to add to a scrapbook for the couple... a story, memory or token from their past. Simply note your request with the invitation. You can assemble these into the book before the event or collect them at the anniversary party.

Be sure to think up a special toast for the anniversary couple, and ask others to share stories and toasts, too. You may want to ask important friends to prepare a toast to honor the anniversary couple.

Decoration Ideas

Gold rules for 50th Anniversaries; Silver for 25th Anniversaries. Try picking up the gold or silver anniversary theme with accents in the china, flatware, linens, crystal, and napkin holders or ribbons or beads tied around the napkins. It is easy to add a matching touch with gold or silver tone candlesticks or votives. Scatter gold or silver picture frames holding photos of the couple, and/or use small matching frames as place holders or party favors. You can use gold or silver ink on placecards, and gold or silver doilies or runners on the tables.

An alternate, if desired, is to use the colors from the original wedding. What was their color scheme? Aqua and white? Pink? Yellow? Since retro colors are in now, you could have a lot of fun with this.

Music

Play music from the couple's dating years, as well as the first decades together. Find out "their song" and perhaps some songs they loved back then.

Partnering with Naptime Cards is like having your own personal artist design custom invitations for you at economical prices. Order your baptism invitations online or call us at 1-800-421-9521 for further information about planning a baby baptism party.

Bachelorette Party Planning Guidelines: 4 Easy Steps

You just found out that you are the hostess for a bachelorette party. Your blood pressure rises, your nerves begin to get frazzled, you get tongue tied. How are you supposed to tell the bride-to-be that you are not up to the challenge?

Well don't worry, you won't have to if you use our easy to follow guidelines. You can throw a party that will be a huge success. When the bride-to-be hugs you to thank you, she will mean it from the bottom of her heart!

Step 1: Write down who you think the bachelorette would like to have attend her party. Of course all of the bridesmaids will be included, and if you are not familiar with their names or addresses, get a list from the brides mother or other close friends. Use these guests as resource to obtain the names of others. You will want to invite fun friends that the bride will be inviting to the wedding. If the bride is having a small wedding, others may be invited, but please let them know before the party about the limited guest list for the wedding.

Step 2: Think about how many guests you are having and try to decide on a plan of action. Answer all the questions below on a rated scale of 1-5. 1 meaning "not at all", 5 meaning "very much so".

How conservative is she? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she enjoy a male dancers performance? 1 2 3 4 5

How would she respond to having male member shaped party favors? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she like to participate in a scavenger hunt? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she enjoy riding in a limo? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she be willing to travel by plane? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she like a full weekend getaway? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she enjoy the spa? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she enjoy gambling? 1 2 3 4 5

Would she like to have a relaxing evening at home? 1 2 3 4 5

Step 3: After reviewing the answers to the above questions, you can start to plan the activities, from a small gathering of friends and inviting a psychic for the evening, to flying to Las Vegas for a weekend of all night parties! Try to keep in mind the ages of your guests and their budgets.

Step 4: Inviting the guests. There are many online shops that carry bachelorette party invitations that you can order and send out in the mail. There are also email invites if you have email addresses available. Phone calls are more personal, and if the party is large you can ask some of the bridesmaids to help with this task. Make sure the helpers have a list with all the details, and names and phone numbers for who to contact. Make sure all RSVP's come back to you. It is always easiest to collect money in advance. It may be $10.00 for a home party to $250.00 or more for a weekend getaway. Please make sure every detail is spelled out for the guest including what will be included for the money given. For example, does the money include a gift for the bachelorette, food and drink, transportation, tips, etc.. You may even want to include what type of clothing to bring if it's a weekend getaway, or if you are having a color scheme, or party theme. The main goal is to give your guests more than enough information so they don't show up feeling unsure or anxious about anything. Give them the exact address and time you plan to meet. Remember to start planning early enough so your guests have time to arrange their schedules so they can attend.

Main objective: Have a great time whether it's relaxing or WILD! Don't be surprised if you get a few offers during the party to host another one! If you follow the party planning guidelines, your party should be a huge success!

Give our best wishes to the bride!

http://www.bachelorettepartyshop.com We offer hilarious bachelorette party favors,unique gifts, food and drink items, great games, and free ideas. Celebrating our 7th year online, 20 years experience




Gwen Liveris owner of www.bachelorettepartyshop.com selling online for 7 years, with great supplies and discount prices.

The First Holy Communion Party ? Planning a Celebration that is Personal and Meaningful

Copyright 2006 AllInOneFunFavors.com

A child?s First Holy Communion celebration can be anything from a simple backyard gathering to a posh hotel or restaurant reception these days. Every family will have its own traditions and expectations of events such as these, but with some basic thoughts in mind, and a little attention to details, such as theme, d?cor, and event favors, whether large or small, simple or elaborate, it can be a personal and meaningful occasion for all that attend.

The most important part of planning any event is to have a clear idea going in of your focus and desired result and to realize that there could actually be more than one. As in the case of a Holy Communion celebration, there will be guests of all ages attending and the desired result you?d like to create for the young ones may be different than that for the adults. Again, every family is different how they celebrate such occasions. Some will have a more structured event with time for toasts and speeches to tribute the guest of honor and family members, similar to a wedding reception, and others will leave the more formal part of the day to the church ceremonies and keep the party time more open or relaxed. It truly is up to you.

Although of course a religious rite of passage, the theme of such a celebration can either focus on that aspect by emphasizing it with d?cor and Communion favors with the Cross, chalice and wafer symbols or you can choose to highlight the child?s interests and personality more prominently with a theme that recognizes him/her as the guest of honor and his/her accomplishing this important step in life. An example of this would be to feature the child?s love of horseback riding, or swimming by including it, or even making it, the theme of the party with decorations, the cake, event favors, even entertainment and allowing the actual rite of passage, in this case the First Holy communion, that has brought everyone together and the ceremony preceding the party, to be the overall theme of the day. You often see this kind of personalization with weddings as the couple chooses a theme for their reception based on one of their interests such as using a location by the beach with tropical fish d?cor to share their passion for scuba diving with all in attendance. It is unlikely that anyone will forget that they?ve gathered for an important ritual (the couple?s marriage vows!) but they will also not likely forget that they enjoy scuba diving and that this was a unique and personal gathering.

Sending guests home with a Communion favor that tributes the guest of honor and also commemorates this celebratory day is an opportunity to convey many things as well. It can be a simple reminder that they attended the special event and therefore are an important participant in your family?s life, or in the case of a Communion favor it can also serve as a symbol of their own beliefs and rituals that are significant in their life.

These days, the possibilities are truly endless in what you can create for an event. By defining your desired result right from the start and taking factors such as budget, the number of guests, location and time of day into consideration you are on track for a successful party. Although there are many details to be thought through, keeping the reason for the party in the first place, your child?s rite of passage -- his/her First Holy Communion, as the focus will help guide your thoughts and decisions.. Only you will know what is most appropriate for your family and this special time, and that in itself, will help you to plan a celebration that is personal and meaningful for your child and your guests.

Cheryl Salto loves helping to make celebrations personal and meaningful as the owner of AllInOneFunFavors.com specializing in providing an extensive online selection of Communion and Event favors for life?s special celebrations. http://www.allinonefunfavors.com/communion-favors.html

Party Planning Ideas For Kids Parties

No one can imagine the depth of happiness felt by couples gifted with a new bundle of joy. The new parents feeling a mixed of emotions on how they will go about their new roles. All efforts and time will surely be spent in nurturing and caring for their little one.

Time passes by the little one grows to be a happy, bubbly and smart kid and as parents you are so proud of rearing her in the most perfect you know of. She reaches her seventh birthday and you wanted to give her the best birthday party ever. At this time, you will need all the help you can get in preparing for the party.

As a first time birthday party organizer, you may want to start thinking about how the party will go and the key to answering this is to select a theme for the party of your seven year old. Here are some interesting ideas for the theme of your child's party:

- a beach or pirate-themed party; - patriotic party or the 4th of July party; - art or crayola party.

Fun Ideas for your kid's birthday party

1. Capture the moments. You can think of a creative way to capture the moments through picture-taking. Instead of you taking the pictures, why not buy some disposable cameras and let your adult guests (parents of the other kids) do the picture-taking for you to get other perspectives and to create opportunities for interaction. When opening the presents of your child, you can ask the other kids and guests to form a circle around your child to witness her opening of the gifts. Picture your child together with the giver of the gifts and make it as a thank you souvenir. It would be best if upon the entrance of your house there are already ready frames for the guest children to decorate and put in souvenir photos of them and your kid.

2. Take home thank-you gifts. Aside from the pictures you took, it will be best if the children will take home a bag of goodies from your child's party. They can be as creative as they can be like a bag of candies, frosted cupcakes, art materials, trinkets and accessories and others. These goodies should be strategically given before a guest child leaves the party. Never give it before or early in the party to avoid further mess or lost of items inside the bag. This will also help the child to leave the party as children are known for extended stay at parties even if the activities or the party itself is finished. Thank you gifts will also teach your child some good manners and the habit of saying thank you for the guest's presence and gift.

3. Decorate a cake. A good idea which not only brings down the costs of the party but also creates fun and excitement among the kids is to let them decorate their own cake. Cupcakes are ideal for this activity. You can bake chocolate or fancy flavored cupcakes and prepare different flavored and colored frosts to decorate the cupcakes or the mini cakes. To add creativity, include some fancy toppings like candy sprinklers, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, lollipops, M & Ms, milk balls, mini cookies, rice crisipies, mini choco bars, fruits, marshmallows, raisins, cookie crumbs, peanuts and others.

4. Craft your own food. Kids can make their own pizza, create cereal necklaces, fruit kabobs and bake their own cookies. This kind of activity requires all the ingredients for the chosen food they will create so be sure all are complete.

Invitations

In the preparations, it is best to include your child and give her a little responsibility. One part in the preparations where she can help is in writing and distributing the invitations. Allow her to be creative in making the invitations. You can help facilitate her ideas. Some original ideas you can try out are:

- inflated balloons where all the party information are written, seal them in an envelope with confetti; - puzzles as invitation with instructions; you can give out each piece to all invited guests and ask them to stick it into the puzzle board as they enter the party premises or you can make the invitation a puzzle and let the guests guess the message; this can be a good idea for a detective or mystery-themed party; - scribbled invitations with rubber stamps and coordinated stickers; - written invitation kept inside a bottle like a message-in-a-bottle type; this can be a very good invitation in a beach or pirate-themed party; - invitations as wrappers in chocolate bars or candies; and, - an invitation written in white crayon with an instruction of coloring the message using a dark colored crayon to help reveal the message; this can be used for a detective-themed party.

Fun and games

Children parties are known for fun games and activities. These help children guests to be occupied but at the same time enjoy the party and interact with the other kids. A good idea is to have a long table full of art materials and coloring book for the kids to work on. You can also ask them to make their own party hats or tossing of beach balls as a fun activity for an outdoor, beach-themed party and game of unwrapping a gift where the children is asked to form a circle and passed on a gift, once the music the stops, whoever holds the gift shall open the first layer of wrap then the music starts again until the gifts last layer of wrap be opened.

You can still think of more fun party ideas for your kid's birthday party in decorations, party themes and activities but what is important are the timeless smiles you imprint on your kid's face and her friends. Goodluck in your party organizing endeavors!

Lee Dobbins writes for http://party.subjectwise.com where you can learn more about party planning, party games and party gifts.

Party Planning Made Simple!

Looking to throw the party of the year? Worried about pulling it off? No need to be, it can be really simple when a few simple rules are applied to the planning process. The key to a successful event comes from following the 5W Guideline!

1. WHY?

Why are you throwing a party? Is it for a birthday or bachelor/ bachelorette party, maybe a baby shower, holiday and office party or just an excuse to get together, whatever the cause for a celebration, have a clear vision of your party intention and convey this to your guests. Of course the best way of communicating your intentions is through the use of invitations. Why not use them? They can be creative, funny and unique and save you the effort of having to personally communicate with all your potential party-goers. Give your guests a momento and send out some fantastic invites!

2. WHAT?

What is the objective of your party? What kind of party are you going to throw? This is a very important question in that all your decisions from here will be affected by what party you are having. If you are having a themed party, consider that you may need decorations and costumes. This doesn?t have to be expensive. A great Martini party can be had simply by having your guests dress semi formal. Because every party is a themed party of some sort, find the right theme for you and your guests. Here are a few great theme party ideas:

Do you love food? A great recipe/cooking party may be the way for you.

Do you enjoy golf? Maybe a Sunday afternoon masters BBQ.

What about wine? Wine tasting parties are an excellent way to try new and exciting wines.

Choose your theme, it can be revolving or seasonal and make sure your guests will be receptive,
(not everyone likes to get in costume) and make sure your goals are attainable.

3. WHO?

Who will be coming to your party? It is vitally important to know who you are catering to. Is it for close friends? Complete strangers? Co workers or business peers? In planning any social event, you need to consider the guests, do they know each other? Is it an Ice breaker? Do you need to provide name tags? How many people are you expecting? What are their likes and dislikes? Are they heavy drinkers or heavy eaters? Do they have a demographic? Find out what you all commonly share as interests and deliver those in spades.

Understanding your guests will help to clarify your goals for your event and also help determine the kind of party that is appropriate. All great parties cater greatly to their guests.

4. WHERE?

Location, location, location! There are many factors to consider when choosing a location for any party:

1. Crammed rooms
2. Inadequate lavatory facilities
3. Inability to sit or stand comfortably
4. Limited access to food and or beverages

These will certainly be a detriment to your guests overall satisfaction. Here are some very useful considerations to make when choosing a venue:

Does it have the space I need?
Will my guests be able to freely mingle?
Is there adequate lavatory facilities?
Is there an area to sit?
Is it easily accessible?
Is there transit or cabs available near by?

Can your guests leave their vehicles should they be consuming alcohol? Consider using a drive home service in your area to keep people from drinking and driving. They usually charge a stipend to drive your guest and their cars home. We highly recommend doing this!

If you are planning on renting a hall or banquet room:

Does it have food and beverage facilities? If yes, will they provide the room gratis if you use their food and beverage services?
Are there adequate washroom facilities and are they wheel chair accessible?
Is there an outdoor/patio/smoking area?
At what time will you have access to the facility and at what time are you to leave?
Do they provide any post function cleaning?
Is there adequate electrical for d?cor, a DJ or a Band?
Do they have in House Audio visual? (We don?t recommend this as it is usually quite expensive and you can get reliable AV from outside sources)
What is its capacity?
Is there any security? Will you need security?

5. WHEN?

Choosing the right time, date or season to have your party will impact greatly on why you are hosting one, where you are having one, what your party is for and who you will be inviting. You will need to consider some important timelines for planning your party:

Will it fall on a holiday?
Will your guests be available or with family?
What is a good time for a dinner party to start? Is 6 PM too early? Is 9 PM too late?
Will my guests be too hungry or worse yet, not hungry at all?
Will my start time accommodate for travel, the work week or game time?
Is my theme out of season?
Is it fashionable? Or Worst case scenario, TOO fashionable?
Will your party wake the neighbors?
(If yes then they need to be invited too!)

Great parties should be a requirement in life, but it shouldn't become a nightmare for the volunteer host! Just follow my 5W's and a successful party will simply fall into place!

Michael Kyle has been a hospitality expert for 18 years leading to the successful launch of www.thesexykitchen.com Discover how to turn your passion into a successful website. www.succeed-from-your-passion.com

The First Holy Communion Party - Planning a Celebration that is Personal and Meaningful

A child's First Holy Communion celebration can be anything from a simple backyard gathering to a posh hotel or restaurant reception these days. Every family will have its own traditions and expectations of events such as these, but with some basic thoughts in mind, and a little attention to details, such as theme, decor, and event favors, whether large or small, simple or elaborate, it can be a personal and meaningful occasion for all that attend.

The most important part of planning any event is to have a clear idea going in of your focus and desired result and to realize that there could actually be more than one. As in the case of a Holy Communion celebration, there will be guests of all ages attending and the desired result you'd like to create for the young ones may be different than that for the adults. Again, every family is different how they celebrate such occasions. Some will have a more structured event with time for toasts and speeches to tribute the guest of honor and family members, similar to a wedding reception, and others will leave the more formal part of the day to the church ceremonies and keep the party time more open or relaxed. It truly is up to you.

Although of course a religious rite of passage, the theme of such a celebration can either focus on that aspect by emphasizing it with decor and Communion favors with the Cross, chalice and wafer symbols or you can choose to highlight the child's interests and personality more prominently with a theme that recognizes him/her as the guest of honor and his/her accomplishing this important step in life. An example of this would be to feature the child's love of horseback riding, or swimming by including it, or even making it, the theme of the party with decorations, the cake, event favors, even entertainment and allowing the actual rite of passage, in this case the First Holy communion, that has brought everyone together and the ceremony preceding the party, to be the overall theme of the day. You often see this kind of personalization with weddings as the couple chooses a theme for their reception based on one of their interests such as using a location by the beach with tropical fish decor to share their passion for scuba diving with all in attendance. It is unlikely that anyone will forget that they?ve gathered for an important ritual (the couple's marriage vows!) but they will also not likely forget that they enjoy scuba diving and that this was a unique and personal gathering.

Sending guests home with a Communion favor that tributes the guest of honor and also commemorates this celebratory day is an opportunity to convey many things as well. It can be a simple reminder that they attended the special event and therefore are an important participant in your family's life, or in the case of a Communion favor it can also serve as a symbol of their own beliefs and rituals that are significant in their life.

These days, the possibilities are truly endless in what you can create for an event. By defining your desired result right from the start and taking factors such as budget, the number of guests, location and time of day into consideration you are on track for a successful party. Although there are many details to be thought through, keeping the reason for the party in the first place, your child's rite of passage -- his/her First Holy Communion, as the focus will help guide your thoughts and decisions.. Only you will know what is most appropriate for your family and this special time, and that in itself, will help you to plan a celebration that is personal and meaningful for your child and your guests.

About The Author
Cheryl Salto loves helping to make celebrations personal and meaningful as the owner of AllInOneFunFavors.com specializing in providing an extensive online selection of Communion and Event favors for life's special celebrations.

Best Birthday Party Ideas: Themes -- problem planning or just a problem?

A party theme without planning is only a dream. A 10 point check-list of crucial elements when considering a theme.

Is party theme planning dead?

...as the smoke cleared the child asked:

"What did you wish for this time Mommy?"

And the reply: "The same thing each year darling, the same thing"

Little did she know her Mother was crying out for a themed birthday party. She wanted a party she didn't have to plan herself!

"I wished for a well planned birthday for me!"

The problem...

In a time poor world you can hear the sharp intake of breath as people steel themselves against a question as old as time:

"What are we going to do for her birthday?"

The question of a theme will inevitably get asked and if the Planning Person is not lush with time or flush with cash it might usher in card-cake-gift time.

No plan. Just reaction.

But is this reaction just?

What stops many a party in it's tracks is a warped perception of time and money. Clever party theme planning is one way to side-step these obstacles and the good news is it can cost half as much and take next to no time.

Half the cost. Half the time.

The value of having a theme...

A well planned theme -- around anything related to the person in question -- will have massive , m-a-s-s-i-v-e, MASSIVE impact.

Why, you ask? It shows thought and was not expected.

What about the reverse? Give them something that takes no thought and is expected....gets you out of a pickle but the impact is: "oh, gee thanks."

The trick is not in the theme, it's in the party theme planning.

I am not talking about extravaganzas and high society bashes. Those are the domain of the J-Lo type Party Planners -- remember dear Jen in the Wedding Planner? -- who are radio mic'd up to the armpits and even have the bugs in the hedge choreographed.

Not them. You. Good old you at work, you at home you who have real people for family and friends and would love to do something different for them. A simpler party theme planning approach is the go.

Some considerations include:

The B-day person
What do they like? Think of the impact on them.

Reasons for having a Theme
Why? Milestone to remember? Whatever the reason, be clear about it.

Your skills and resources
Are you ready to put your ALL into this? What do you have or can do that will make it work?

Time to delivery
What's this like? If the time is short, reduce the number of theme elements (ideas) or bring in more help.

Help Needed to pull it off
Don't do it solo. Get others to help you.

Little Touches
People remember details important to them. Add small personal touches that link in with the theme. A party theme planning MUST have! It reduces cost and builds impact.

Cost
Many theme elements can be done with more thinking than money. Always ask: "How could I do this for no cost..?" If cost isn't the issue -- get others to do it and pay them.

Spread the Enthusiasm
Build up the momentum slowly. Under-hyping is BEST. Careful party theme planning will take care of this.

A Run-Sheet is a MUST have
No mater how small, what age or how many people. ALWAYS use a run sheet. Can be a basic as what-where-when-who.

Memory Variety
If you are capturing the party for memories use a few different methods. How many can you come up with?

A word or two on themes...

They can be anything....

Really. All you have to do is look closely and there will be a theme hovering. Imagine a family of four who want to consider party theme planning as a family. For a mother think about appreciation, a dad maybe it will be sense of adventure. A brother could be "Pain in the...butt we love 'im" and for a sister you could think along the lines of "Thelma and Louise - two gals taking on the world.."

I was once able to make a family party out of my wife's love of patchwork quilting!I knew nothing about it, save what she had told me and what I had seen her do. A few magazines, a bit of fabric, some of the "quilting lingo" and the rest unravelled.

One final tip...

Give the Party / Occasion a Name.

Create an identity that can be talked about later on. Instead of: "yes, I recall Bob's 35th ..sort of..thing with cowboy hats or something...."

How about:

"... Of course I remember "Top Dog Bob and the Bandits Where all us guys got to be cowboys at a steak bar, hog-tie Bob to a table and tell him how much of a friend he'd been to us? Oh, yeah! All the while we drank snake-bite juice -- green colored beer --, ate prairie dog vomit -- mini pizzas -- and cheered when they brought out the Rattle Snake cake. We sang C & W songs and howled at the moon on the way home."

Party Theme Planning Stats:1 Theme, 1 Name, 7 Idea elements, and in 2-3hrs you have wonderful set of memories..and a frightened moon.

Maybe it's a guy thing... but, can you see the difference?

Remember to plan well partners. It shows thought, was not expected and was how people won over using themes for their birthdays.

Yee-haa!

Neal Lohse is the author of Best Birthday Party Idea.com He describes himself is a Happy Person, Loving Spouse, Cool-Dad, Business Coach, Author, Corporate Philosopher, Event Designer, Education Facilitator, cook-washer-cleaner ...and is in love with a mountain-bike and a pair hiking boots.

The planning tips and suggestions come from his personal and worki

Best Birthday Party Ideas: The Idea Cycle -- your ticket to perfect party planning

I loved him. But his lack of faith stung me.

"Ha!! You organize a party? You wouldn't have any idea."

Little did he know you had hundreds of ideas. And...a way to make them ALL work.

What's all the fuss about?

Ideas are one thing, planning another and organizing yourself to do it all is perhaps the key.

Let's keep this party planning stuff extra S-I-M-P-L-E. I believe there are only three basic steps to planning a successful party or event. Yep, only three!

Here they are:

1st : The Ideas Or Theme -- this will send the party into orbit and giove your planning direction.

2nd: The Plan -- How are you going to do it all -- with ease?

3rd: Showtime! -- Put all your work into action when it counts.

Each has its own pitfalls and peculiarities. Today we'll focus on the Idea - not so much where they come from, but what you do with them. I will also create with you a way to prepare for every party you'll ever organize.

Yes. That's the promise.

This stuff is TOTALLY TRANSFERABLE to other events, functions, occasions from birthday parties, to graduations, funerals, (Yes!!, funerals) and what ever you can imagine. It all starts with an idea...

What is an idea??

The idea is the spark that ignites you -- the fuel and machinery -- to get this all done.

I get asked every day, "How do you come up with really good ideas?" The trick is to have plenty to begin with!

Before you can even get ideas you have to put aside time to let your brain know that you are in idea-generation mode. This is a habit that will serve you well in other areas of your life: work, parenting...so what we are talking about is a transferable mindset or something that you can apply elsewhere.

Yep, let you brain know. Give your self permission to stop and do this for someone else.

I developed and use the Party Idea Cycle? a cool-tool to get the ideas into some order.

The cycle is 7 simple steps to using ideas:

Step One: Solo Ponder
You with you running your thoughts about the idea of you organizing someone's celebration. For some this is Massive! This time is to reflect on what's needed of you, and to be ultra sure that you are going to commit to doing this. This commitment is crucial. Half baked is half baked. We are playing with peoples feelings and, on a day or a time when they are no:1. Anything pulling that focus is not needed. Half baked has a tendency to pull focus!

Step Two: Catch the idea
Gather the elements that represent the person in question have them around you. Things like: magazines, music, food, movies, their culture, likes, hates ...do the big brain dumpo and throw all your thoughts on paper. DO NOT EDIT these nuggets. Just get them down. I have a lot of these ideas on tap at BBPI. How? Habit mostly. I have trained myself to catch ideas as the pop.?

Step Three: Grow the idea
Use the rule of three. Learnt in my tour guiding days, don't?try and put any more than three big elements together. Put them in some order and link them in some way, so that there is a continuous flow during the time.

Step Four: Engage the masses
Get others involved. Choose wisely and really make sure they are clear on their role.

Step Five: Take the idea out on the highway.,br> Use Mental Rehearsal and have a Run Sheet. No matter how small the occasion, have it clearly stated what will happen, when, and who is responsible.

Step Six: Unleash the Beast
Put the plan into action.

Step Seven: Rewind the memories
After all is done and dusted, spend time running the mental dvd, to lock in the memory. Revisit the photos, meet up and "debrief". Tell the world! Share the experience at a site like Best Birthday Party Idea.com

There's seven for you to mull over, discuss and hopefully put into practice.

Another "half step"...

There is one more that I believe is really important.

What's the half step, I hear you ask? That's the extra bit, the bit that can make it all worth while. The cherry on the cake!!

You see, the focus on this article has been on you doing for others, what you do, how you think and who you engage to help. That's fine and all very valid. BUT-- and it's a big but -- the EXTRA juice is to forget about them at the end and acknowledge you for conceiving-planning-and-carrying out the whole operation. You've conceived a plan, nurtured it, given it birth and allowed others to get together and enjoy themselves.

Take a bow!!!

Neal Lohse is the author of Best Birthday Party Idea.com He describes himself is a Happy Person, Loving Spouse, Cool-Dad, Business Coach, Author, Corporate Philosopher, Event Designer, Education Facilitator, cook-washer-cleaner ...and is in love with a mountain-bike and a pair hiking boots.

The planning tips and suggestions come from his personal and working experience.

Birthday Party Ideas: Suffering Party Planning Paralysis?

Over birthday party planning?..

"Me Tense? I'm planning a $%&# PARTY. I'm past tense!!"

Yeah, past tense ...and so was the party.

Suffering Party Planning Paralysis?

Help is Here!

A Happy Birthday to some people is an oxymoron. It fits nicely with Jumbo Shrimp, Government Assistance and True Lies. This is so true for the person doing some birthday party planning. They may come to ask:

Should there always be a pleasure / pain thing going on?

Is it inevitable that there will be tension?

Sorry, for the answer but in each case it's a resounding YES. And that is a good thing. The nerves, butterflies etc. are one way our biology keeps us sharp and alert and focused.

In prehistoric times the ritual around the hunt and the subsequent feasting was a way of riding the birthday party planning tension. Imagine Party Thurg saying: "Where's my club ug!; which fur will I wear oog!; has Vurg ordered the berries ug-ug!; I bet a mammoth will rock-crash our cave ug-og-ug! etc. etc -- get the picture??

It's a bit of a dilemma wouldn't you say?

The solution when negativity strikes?

Simple! This should fit really well with people into affirmations, chanting and the new-age like.

One thing first: this is not new-age! It's age old wisdom passed down from generation to generation. It is sometimes commonly called -- strangely enough -- common sense. But in the party preparation game there seems to be a tendency for the Party Beast to rise from the planning pages, take on a life of its own and dictate to the organizers. A huge case of the tail wagging the dragon. Who we hope is not the hostess!!!!!

"Tell me oh wise one. What are the most important things to remember?"

Ready?

When in the midst of a birthday party planning crisis and the negative thoughts appear...replace them with a positive one !

Tah-da!!!

Seriously. Invasive thoughts will only add to the tension....and their opposite, as the name suggests, will have the opposite effect.

After years of event and birthday party planning and watching people go through their party pains, I have noticed five usual suspects:

No:1 "I can't cope with this"

Meaning: "It's all about me!"

Remedy: "It's all about them!!" Get back to why you are doing it and what others will benefit from you efforts. A warm glow should follow.

No:2 "There's too much to handle!"

Meaning: "I'm out of control with this"

Remedy: "It's all a matter of one-thing-at-a-time!!" Revise your planning and run sheet and look for a way to hand -off three tasks. Do this and the tension will plummet.

No:3 "Why is it always me. I always do these things"

Meaning: "I feel uncertain or confused"

Remedy: "This is the time, this I the place I am the one." Take massive action on the current task till complete, then go ask for a massage. Re-connect with people who lift you up.

No:4 "I'm doing it all myself"

Meaning: "I feel isolated and alone"

Remedy: "I have many other helping in many ways" Take a pen and draw a map of all the people involved and what they are doing. If you genuinely believe there is an imbalance - pick up the phone!

No:5 "I can't wait for this to end"

Meaning: sniff-sniff "My flesh is burning!"

Remedy: "The work is done now I'm having some fun" No burning martyr syndrome please -- gets into the cake!! Look back at the reasons "Why?" and what joy the party will bring to a loved one.

Would they work? Naturally.

A word of warning...

If it is all going too well then that is the time to look a little closer and see what's really going on.

Remember, it's all about pausing and giving yourself permission to have a re-focus, breathe, hook into the appropriate remedy. It's OK. The birthday party planning process is not a smooth one.

Relax and remember the wonderfully crafted line -- a remedy --delivered by Paul Giamati as a room service guy?to Julia Robert in My Best Friend's Wedding. As he took a puff on an?not-supposed-to do-it cigarette, he warmly said to Jules sensing her state of panic:

"This too will pass"

It did for Julia. It did for Thurg and it will for you.

Neal Lohse is the author of Best Birthday Party Idea.com

He describes himself is a Happy Person, Loving Spouse, Cool-Dad, Business Coach, Author, Corporate Philosopher, Event Designer, Education Facilitator, cook-washer-cleaner ...and is in love with a mountain-bike and a pair hiking boots.

The content presented comes from his personal and work experience.

Cinco de Mayo Party Planning Tips

Although the Cinco de Mayo holiday commemorates the defeat of the French army by the Mexicans at The Battle of Puebla in 1862, many Americans also celebrate this special day. May 5th is great day to have a party. And everyone and anyone can throw a Cinco de Mayo party. When planning your Cinco de Mayo fiesta party start from the top with fiesta decorations. Create a traditional fiesta scene by decorating your party room with fiesta scene setters. Fiesta stucco scenes, desert flowers scenes, and mariachi band decorations will instantly transform your room. An inflatable cactus, and raffia table skirt are also great fiesta party supplies that will help you set the scene. Next, choose your fiesta party items. There a wide variety of Cinco de Mayo party supplies for the celebration. Cool Cinco de Mayo party supplies include genuine wooden Cinco de Mayo maracas, straw sombreros, and anything in authentic serape print. Sombreros and maracas are also a must. Don't forget the glow margarita cups, chili pepper beads, and fiesta balloons. Feel free to use paper goods at your Cinco de Mayo party. This will allow you to spend as much time partying and less time cleaning up. Paper goods are important fiesta party supplies because they allow for a quick and easy clean up after your party. There are a variety of fiesta paper goods patterns and styles from which you can choose. Choose from serape print paper goods, chili pepper print, fiesta fun and more. Complete your Cinco de Mayo fiesta with a pi?ata. You can choose from our bull or sombrero pi?atas, but a pi?ata in any shape or style will work. Visit 4FunParties.com and take a look at the entire selection of Cinco de Mayo party supplies for more awesome Cinco de Mayo party ideas.

Kadie-Ann Riddell has worked in the party industry for three years. She is an authority on the latest trends in party supplies and decorations. Kadie-Ann also writes on a variety of other topics.

Party Planning 101

Planning a successful party can be a complex project. There are many factors to consider to minimize embarrassing mishaps or possible conflicts. The more import the party you are planning the more attention you should pay to the planning. A 50th wedding anniversary party is usually going to require more complex planning than a small backyard barbeque party.

The first and most important aspect of party planning is to determine the reason for the party. The reason for the party usually determines the size, the budget, who is invited, and how many people you want to accommodate.

Setting your budget is crucial. The size of your budget can determine how many people you invite, the kind of food you serve, etc. You can do some very creative things with limited budgets; so modest budgets should not deter you. The most important thing is not to spend a dollar until you have your budget.

If money is an issue you may want to partner with someone to pay for the party. For example, if you are planning a birthday party you may have your party with a friend whose birthday is close to yours. Celebrating two peoples? birthday may be even more exciting. When you are faced with a problem try to think of it more as an opportunity instead of a problem.

How many people you invite has not only to do with your budget, but your location. If you plan the party to be held in your house, you should know how many people you can accommodate. You can invite about ten percent more than you can accommodate since some people may have to cancel in the last minute. When you invite guest to your party, try to avoid inviting people who can?t stand each other. You want people to have fun, and you should do everything you can to avoid fights.
Party Favors Chocolate party favors for birthday, graduation, birth announcement, baby shower, weddings and more.

Getting The Most Bang Out Of Your Party Planning Buck

Throwing a party can be such a fun adventure. You envision a room filled with happy, smiling guests all complimenting you on the food and the drinks. The only thing standing between you and making that fantasy a reality is your budget.

You may be having champagne dreams while your bank account can only shoulder soft drink essentials. There are ways to incorporate any budget into your event planning and still come out with a party to be proud of.

One of the first tricks to cut cost may be in the time of day you have your event. If you are hosting something like a birthday party or a wedding or baby shower, choosing to have it in the early afternoon has many benefits when it comes to your pocketbook. While you are in the event planning stage, consider the difference in cost when you are only supplying light beverages and small snacks as opposed to a full bar and an entire dinner. The money saved would be noticeable.

Most people don't indulge in alcoholic beverages in the early afternoon, so you could instead serve a punch or coffee or iced tea. This is very refreshing and along with some small snacks and perhaps a tray of assorted sweet tooth delights, you've offered your guests refreshment without the added cost that an event later in the day requires.

Another consideration when event planning is whether or not you need the services of a caterer. Caterers can be invaluable, especially when you are hosting an event of a significant size. If however, your guest list isn't as vast, doing much of the menu planning and cooking yourself can save more than a few pennies.

Perhaps the best money saving technique when it comes to the area of food is to host a potluck event. This idea can be included as part of your event planning process. You plan the party or gathering based on the idea that every guest will supply an item of food or drink. Some many bring a main course or a salad while others will bring a bottle of wine. Once everyone has arrived there is an enormous amount of different food to sample. This is a great way to include the guests in the party planning process and they feel good knowing they've contributed.

Food isn't the only area that you can scrimp and save in. If you are hosting a children's birthday party you can ask a friend or relative to dress up as a clown instead of hiring a clown. There are many adults who love to interact with children and the only payment they'd expect would be a room full of young smiles and a slice of birthday cake. Decorations also don't have to break your budget. If you're hosting a garden party, you can create beautiful, soft lighting by hanging the white lights that normally adorn your holiday tree around your garden. Your guests won't be the wiser, but you will for having opted not to invest in a new set of lights you probably will never use again.

Careful thought while you are event planning can save you money and let you enjoy your party without fretting about finances.

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