Tips to Help You Throw an Awesome Party

Themed party dinner place settingI’ve lived enough to consider that I should know how to host a great party. I’m not the kind of individual who can design a Gatsby-style party without needing to overcome various challenges and to put up with anxiety and stress until everything is over.

In order to improve my party hosting skills, I asked Vanessa from Cambridgeshire based Rocks and Frocks to help me offer you some of her best tips on throwing an amazing New Year’s Eve venue London party. Here are the secrets she has agreed to share with us.

1. Set your budget long before the date of the party and keep it realistic

You can plan a party on almost any budget but start by being honest with yourself and everything will get easier. You’ll have a hard time at planning a party for 100 when you can only afford to buy food for 25 but once you’ve decided upon your numbers you can move on to funnier things. Imagination and the ability of setting your priorities will enable you achieve to almost anything you may have in mind. If you’re on a tight budget, prioritise the things that are the most important – the food, the venue or having certain guests attending. Unfortunately, people remember if they were bored or thirsty at your party, but you’ll need to learn to live with that. Besides, if you give them a really good thing, you can rest assured they will remember it for a long time.

2. Send out your invitations early

Not only you must send these invitations early, but also ensure they look outstanding. This is your one and only opportunity to make a good first impression in regard to your party. You must get your guests excited, in order to maximise the chances of a positive answer. If they like your idea, they will do their best to come. New Years Eve is busy but they may even cancel other commitments only to create room for your party in their agenda.

3. Details can make it or break it

Planning plays an essential role in securing the success of the party and also your sanity. Ensure that you spend as much time as needed to work out the quantities of food, drink, and anything else, in order to avoid having to run to the nearest store in the middle of the night.

Themed parties are the latest craze, so you may also want to choose theme your guests will enjoy. The theme can be anything from your favourite movie to a graffiti party – you’ll need to implement it in all elements of the event, starting with the design of the invites and going through everything, including food and drinks. If you can afford them, some props would be nice to have.

4. Lighting is more important than you can imagine

A great party is nothing else but a journey – a series of moments that start with the one when your guests receive their invitations, what is the first thing they see when they arrive, the food, the drink, and many other such details. If you’re hiring a DJ, don’t assume he knows what kind of music you like. Also, don’t think that he’ll be able to play whatever you ask him to on the spot. Always provide your DJ with a sample playlist, as this is the best way to avoid unpleasant surprises that may spoil your evening.

Lighting plays a major role in creating the specific atmosphere you need. Outdoor lighting is an excellent opportunity to unleash your creativity and play with various light props to add fun and style to your party.

5. Set it, prepare for it and clear it up

You’ll need to take a few days off from work before the party, as you’ll be quite busy. If you take care of everything by yourself, consider that you may have to meet a lot of suppliers, wait for deliveries and save time for the dressing of your venue.

Clearing up is usually the most annoying part, as you’ll probably be doing it with a serious hangover. Make sure you ask some of your best friends for help.