Chronic Ama

Hopefully you have your invitations all made out already and you’re ready to start shopping! Wait; don’t go grab your keys and wallet just yet. You need to stop and make another list. You’ve got your budget in mind, right? And your theme? OK! Now, you need to make a list of what you need and what you plan to spend on those things. Do you need a cake? How much are you going to spend on it? Decorations? Are you going to rent a cotton candy machine? Once you have made your list, look at your calendar again. If you’re planning a party around a “party season” (May is wedding season, September is birthday season, and July is peak BBQ season), you may need to start on getting your rentals and ordering food or cake first. Peak seasons often fill up with reservations fast, so get yours done before you’re left to start from square one again. Even if it’s not really a peak party season, it’s best to call around and see if there’s a list for the date you planned your event and put a depo

You just looked at your calendar and you just did a double take remembering you only have two months to plan a party for [insert special occasion here]. Where to start?! What to do?! Well, I’m here to help you have a spectacular party that your guests will actually enjoy! As long as you have your date set, it’s time to start planning. First, plan a guest list. It’s important to know if you’re going to have a big party or a small party. A kid’s party, an adult party, a ladies only party, any kind of party must start with a guest list. I’ll use my most recent large event as an example for this 101 tutorial. Both my kids had birthdays this month. My son turned 1 and my daughter turned 5. We decided to just do a double birthday party here at home about 6 months before the actual event. I started making a list of family first, then added my daughter’s pre-school friends, then other family and friends. I believe we had a guest list with a total of about 100 people. It sounds like a lo