When organising a big bash it can be difficult to get everyone together and make it happen. Here are a few tips:
1) Don't leave it until the last minute to invite people, especially if it's on a weekend. Many people might not be able to make it due to other plans, responsibilities, travel problems or appointments. To make sure you get a full crowd, give as much notice as possible. This is especially relevant if you are sending invites in the post as you need to allow plenty of time for your invite to be sent and for your RSVP to return. If you don't know all the details yet then you can always just ask your guests to save the date until you are further ahead with plans. That way, they know to keep that day free and you have a few definites for the guest list.
2) Make use of technology. Spread the word on your social networking sites by creating event pages and sending threads out. This allows you to invite who you want without announcing that you have a free house on Friday to the whole world. Send emails and texts, instant message people or even just a simple old fashioned phone call can alert people that your party is the place to be. As well as the time, date and venue you should also let guests know where they can park, the numbers of local taxi ranks, where the nearest bus stop or train/tube station is and the best route to walk to your party. It is also worth stating whether or not guests need to bring anything and if they can bring plus ones or not so you don't end up with gatecrashers or plus threes on the day.
3) Chase people up. If your invitees don't reply within your set time frame then give them a follow up phone call or text to find out why the hell not! If you don't do this you may end up wondering who is actually coming on the day and end up over buying or under providing food and drinks. Or even worse, have no guests at all!
3) If you're very busy and doubt your ability to get everything done then get friends and family to help out. You could ask your nan to bake the cake, your next door neighbour to help put up the banners, your siblings to blow up the ballons and your parents to make some punch. Ask your best friends to help with the set up and clean up and bribe a few of your toughest looking mates to be bouncers for the first hour. It may also be a good idea to get your other half to check up on guests. Often people don't reply to the last minute, get lost and need directions, fall ill, get stuck in traffic or simply forget to check where the event is or what time it starts at.
4) If you are low on funds then one way to drop the party bill is to once again reign in some support. If it's a house party ask guests to bring their own booze(BYOB). If not, making a few bowls of punch will work out cheaper than lots of fizzy pop bottles and check supermarkets for deals on wine and beer. If you're planning a buffet you could ask guests to each bring a dish which will be much cheaper than hiring a caterer or trying to do it all yourself. However, this does require some planning to make sure you don't end up with seven trays of sausage rolls and only one pizza! As mentioned before, delegate the cake to a friend or relative and perhaps ask to borrow someone else's banners for the day to save you buying them. For music you could hire a karaoke machine instead of an expensive DJ. Or if you have a pal with excellent music taste and a good iPod then all you need is to find some cheap lights and speakers and call that The DJ Station. You could try digging out the fairy lights from your christmas tree or using the lava lamps and stream lights from a mate's bedroom. Other things worth finding for the day are extra chairs (could be garden chairs), some takeaway menus incase the buffet doesn't work out, somewhere to use as a cloakroom, a place to put any received gifts and candles and a radio incase there is a power cut! Most importantly, don't forget cleaning stuff in case of spillages and buckets in case somebody has one too many.
5) You could always spice your party up with some fun games like parce the parcel, musical statues, truth or dare, spin the bottle, ring of fire, seven minutes in heaven, twister, group pictionary, charades or a pub style quiz. For prizes, visit a 99p store and head for the chocolate aisle! Once again, don't be shy about asking for other people's help. Generally people like to eat, dance, chat and drink so if your party has these elements you'll be fine!
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