6 Practical Tips to Help You Plan Fun Parties

It is fascinating to liken fun parties to trips, which incidentally, often feature together.

The reason for this is that the planning aspect for the parties, whether it is settling for a particular theme, shopping for decorations or choosing the day’s activities, often mirrors the same intricate details that go into preparing for a trip.

What’s more, even small parties need you to plan in advance. Here are 6 practical tips to help you create a memorable fun party.

1. Create a timeline for your plans.

This is key for the simple reason that it allows you ample time to get everything in place before D-day. Depending on the size of the party, you could start planning anywhere between 6 months and 4 weeks. The former is integral to big parties or destination parties that will require many people to synchronize their schedules so as to arrive on time.

2. Send out invitations in good time

Sending out invitations in good time communicates to your guests that you respect their schedules, and would be honoured to have them in attendance. If possible, send out special invitations that reflect the tone of the party. In this day and age where the use of technology has grown to an unprecedented level, sending out e-vites (invites online) may seem like the easier more practical option. And it is; only that it does not show your guests that you put in any effort.

If you infuse some of your creativity into sending the invites, say invites covered with tiny kitenge bow ties is a sure way to convince most of your invited guests to make time for your party. It also adds an effortlessly chic touch to your party.

Read More: Crafting with your Kids in Nairobi

3. Choose a theme

Choosing a theme at the onset of planning for a party makes everything else easy to decide. There are popular themes you can choose, some of which include vintage parties, carnival themes, pirates theme as well as futuristic parties.

If you are a hands-on person, you can always throw a Pinterest-themed party. Pinterest is your hub for creative party ideas. This theme would work perfectly for a small yet intimate party (owing to logistic issues). Here’s how it works: in the invites, get your guests to prepare their favourite dish using a recipe found on Pinterest, and preferably one that they have never tried out – it adds to the element of surprise and certainly steers off the norm.

For you, the host, you could choose to take on a specific role, whether it is in providing materials for the creation of unique and handy things, or in the presentation of the same. In the Kenyan context, something as simple as creating banana leaf mats adds a unique touch to the party. Simply get a couple of fresh banana leaves, and snip off the edges in a pattern to fit the size of your crockery.

4. Do not be afraid to add an element of surprise

Adding a surprise element is a sure way of adding more fun to the party. Whether it is incorporating a treasure hunt activity, or giving everyone the opportunity to indulge in a water gun fight, you can be sure this adds to the party’s energy, creating beautiful memories for everyone in attendance. If your budget allows, you can always scale things up and take on the city!!

5. Give your guests a group challenge

Get boredom out of the window and allow your guests to immerse themselves into the day’s activities by creating group challenges. Give your guests an opportunity to get creative and it will amaze you what they can come up with. Ranging from the ubiquitous musical chairs to arm wrestling, there’s no shortage of party games to include.

Related: 8 Old School Games We Played

Try your hand at ‘The Book’, a game where guests guess the first sentence of a well-known book before the original is read; the closest entry wins the game. Or opt for the ‘Gargle’ game where you fill a tumbler with water, sing a song and have your guests figure out which one it is.

6. Choose whether to have an event planner or not.

The choice of using an event planner’s services is really dependent on a number of factors: what is your budget like? Are there any special services you need? Do you have the time to plan adequately, or do you prefer that a professional handle the business on your behalf?

When you settle for the services of an event planner, make sure you have a look at their portfolio; this way, you are better placed to gauge their performance. If possible, attend a party they have put together and judge for yourself whether you would like their expertise on board.

Ultimately, your choice of the party theme and invited guests will make all the difference, so you might as well channel some effort to make for an amazing party!

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