Party-Planning Tips

Details: Borrowed teacup and saucer, vintage floral napkins my mom made, and food tent labels from Paper Dime Design

I hate to get all "first-world problems" on the blog, but I have to vent a little. And also record some notes-to-self for future party planning. People who do event planning for a living must really be organized/have patience/love what they do.

So, as you may have noted from this post, my sister's bridal shower was just lovely. And I am pretty sure that every bridal shower that ever was ended up being just as lovely. It's because it is such a happy time that even if everything isn't perfect, the guests will still have a good time, and the bride will still get showered with gifts. I know it's silly to dwell on "what went wrong" because in the eyes of the guests, everything went right.

The guests rarely ever notice that the handmade paper bunting that you spent all morning cutting out of scrapbook paper never actually got assembled or hung, that the crepe paper photo booth backdrop you planned on never came to fruition because the crepe paper got lost in the post, or that the tulle pompoms you finished that morning didn't get placed where you had asked the very helpful people you delegated to hang them, and you felt bad having them redo it so you just left it. 

In fact, I really should just give myself a high-five that the whole thing came together despite the fact that my baby was running a fever and had to see the doctor that morning, I still had a batch of quiche cups to make, and I didn't arrive at the party house to set up until an hour before the shower. Thank goodness for all the helpers. We couldn't have pulled it off without them. I spent that hour barking out commands left and right, worried about my baby, and hoping my sister would love her shower. And because it was everything she wanted it to be despite any hiccups, all that stressing added nothing to my life. To avoid putting myself in a stressful situation like that again, I thought I'd give myself a few tips for next time.

1. Always buy extra balloons. Helium tanks can be unwieldy, and balloons break. If you have a vision of what you want the balloons to look like, don't get just enough balloons to make that happen. Get a few more just in case. Same goes for forks and plates (but I was on top of that). You can always stash this in a box with party extras and use them in the future.

2. Don't leave major projects for the morning of the party. Only things that can be easily delegated to others should be left for the day of, like picking up flowers or food. 

3. Take photos of your decor design ideas so that others can help recreate it. Many people asked me over the phone what they could do to help while they waited for me to arrive, and I had a hard time describing it, so they just ended up waiting for me to get there...

4. Keep things in perspective. I recognize that I should count my blessings. For some families, it's just not possible to go all out for things like wedding showers or first birthday parties. I feel blessed that we are able to celebrate life events in this manner. Remember that these occasions are supposed to be celebrations, not reasons to go crazy making everything perfect. As long as there is food, booze, and good company, it will all turn out great!

Got any other party-planning tips for me?