I love planning a party. My Pinterest is full of boards of different party themes, including the birthday party I held for my cat’s first birthday, and I start planning for the next party as soon as one is finished.
Do I feel super stressed and anxious in the run up? Absolutely.
But do I also love making decorations, curating a playlist and coming up with the ultimate party buffet? You betcha.
So what makes the perfect party?
The theme
I am all about a party with a theme. For Roo’s 5th birthday, it was all about Super Mario. I handmade all the decorations and even crafted little Yoshi party blowers. We had themed snacks, balloons and music, and a visit from Mario and Luigi themselves with the Starkidz gang. Indiana’s 3rd birthday is coming up and I’ve spent ages deciding whether to go for a Bluey theme (pros: a great show, loads of party wear around, cons: he had a Bluey badge last year!), or a Gruffalo theme – the latter won! I think it makes the whole experience more fun if you can tie it into a theme.
The venue
The right venue will depend on the type of party you’re having. A classy 40th birthday will need a different venue to a 3 year olds birthday party, and a retirement or baby shower will need different things again. You need to consider how many people will be attending, if it’s a day or night affair, if there will be a bar, and if they will provide food at the venue. If you’re trying to find a perfect party venue, check out Square Meal to see places near you that match the vision.
Music, activities and games
When it comes to games, I am very much not here for Lucky’s Dad’s rules of pass the parcel! I love a little sweetie in each layer! I think for a party where children are in attendance, as long as you have balloons for them to throw around, they’ll be occupied for ages – or until the balloons have all popped! You don’t always have to hire a DJ, and even for our wedding, we used a playlist of our own that we curated. It means you don’t even up with songs you hate and you can make it work for your attendees.
I love a party with some ice-breaker stuff to do. For a children’s party, that could be party games, or craft activities. For weddings, a photobooth is a fun way to get people to loosen up while keeping them entertained between courses.
The guest list
As much as there are people you’re probably obligated to invite to every event, there are also people who just bring the party. Making sure that your guest list includes more of the latter than the former is the key to a good party. Having a good mix of people that work together well can really make your party go off with the right type of bang.
For me, a good party has a decent spread, songs I can dance to and people I can have big conversations with in the kitchen. What do you love in a party?