Significant birthdays are important, and it is always nice to celebrate the big milestones. But planning a party can take a lot of effort. Here are seven tips for planning a big birthday party to ensure you mark the occasion properly!
Book Early
While you might not be certain of who can make it to the event, how many people will be there, and what, exactly, you want to do, as soon as you have an idea of the venue where you would like to hold the party, you should make a booking. Some venues and services allow for provisional bookings which can be cancelled easily, sometimes for a small fee, so it is better to have the option of holding the party at the place and cancel than to decide on the venue only to find out that it is booked up months in advance.
Plan Earlier!
And of course, to make your bookings, even for tentative plans, this means that you need to be thinking about the event well in advance, making plans, and working out the logistics of it all. Be as detailed as you can, working out the events of the day from waking up until the moment you go to bed. By walking through, practically minute by minute, you will soon have a good idea of what must be taken into account: Auntie June is always late, so tell her that everything starts an hour early, there’s poor public transport so booking a limo or party bus (click here to find out about party bus rental in New Jersey from Bergenlimo) to ferry everyone around effortlessly is on the cards, and book at least three extra tickets just in case the single cousins find partners in the time between then and now.
Budget Carefully
Once you have this detailed list of everything you would like or will need on the day, you can begin to budget and pay deposits for the various vehicles, venues and events. The great thing about booking early and laying down a deposit following a quotation is that you will have a fixed price. Today’s rather ugly tendency for on-demand pricing to cause expensive price hikes can often see those on lower incomes priced out of the ability to attend events or purchase items. Booking early on a fixed quotation is a great way to ensure you pay a fair price for your big birthday celebration.
Do Sweat the Small the Stuff
Sometimes the small stuff is actually – the fun stuff! Decorations, gift bags for your guests, printed photos for tables, personalized cocktails…the small stuff is where you can really put your stamp on a party and add some sparkle to your day.
Thanks to the creative folks on the internet, it is also easier than ever to DIY your decorations or even handle the catering yourself. This is perfect if you are working to a strict budget.
Doublecheck Your Arrangements
In a similar vein, once all your arrangement are in place and paid for, make sure you get in touch with all your suppliers and vendors in the week or ten days before the events, just to make sure that everything is in place. Management can change, records can be lost, and over-eager salespeople can double-book venues – but all of these can be sorted out in time for your birthday celebration if enough time and warning is given. (Of course, you should not have to be chasing up your suppliers, but it is better to ask the questions and be thought fussy than to arrive and discover unforeseen last minute problems!)
Have a Backup Plan!
And should the worst happen and a sudden flood close your venue (or something similarly catastrophic occur) you should have a potential alternative destination in mind. It does not have to be fancy or expensive, and it is not recommended to book a secondary venue as a backup – the cancellation fees alone will make this unfeasible for most people – but just a note that, for example, ‘if something happens, we can head to the waterfront one mile away, where there is a string of cafés and restaurants: at least we will be able to sit and get something to eat there.’ As always with these things, it is better to have a backup plan and not need it than to need it and not have it!
Enjoy Yourself!
Finally, when the day dawns and all your careful planning begins to unfold, it is time for you to let your hair down, put on your party clothes and have a thoroughly good time! All too often, those who plan big celebrations don’t get to enjoy them as fully as they should. And that is a pity because birthdays really are for enjoying!