A Tale of Two Parties
The month of June is fast approaching and you suddenly realize that you are far behind in making plans for your much anticipated annual cocktail soiree as well as your child’s graduation party.
There are only two things that you know for sure: One party will be at your home during the day and the other will be at a more formal venue in the evening.
Don’t panic! All will be well if you keep in mind a few important points.
First of all, you MUST consider the audience.
Each event will involve many of the same items, but you must consider the nature of the event and who will be attending. A high school graduation party, for example, will be quite different from a wedding reception, so don’t try to save money by combining different events or themes. It will not work!
When planning a party, one should address the following categories:
•   Invitations
•   Venue (if it is an outdoor party, there needs to be an inclement weather plan)
•   Food/catering
•   Music/entertainment
•   Decor (themes, colors, patterns, etc.)
•   Flowers/centerpieces
•   Tables (size, number, etc.)
•   Table linens
•   Photography/videography
•   Favors
An outdoor graduation party could have a theme and the above items would be coordinated. If it were a beach theme, for example, there could be linens, flowers, and even signature drinks in the school colors, with beach-pail centerpieces filled with flip flops, beach towels, sunglasses, suntan lotions, etc. A steel band or DJ would be playing the tunes of summer and beach blankets, beach balls, and lanterns would adorn the backyard.
The cocktail scenario would be quite different, however. Perhaps you may choose to have the party at Castle Hill in Ipswich with Capers Catering preparing hors d’oeuvres and Joey Scott and the Connections playing incredible background music to set the perfect mood. Beautiful linens and romantic lighting would complement room decor furnished by Domenic Cambio Designs. Rented cocktail tables of all sizes would be scattered around the room surrounded by beautiful Charivari chairs and, budget permitting, fabulous formal glassware and cocktail plates could be rented as well.
In order to assure that the party is well organized and well run, you may want to hire a professional party and event planner. These people often have ideas and connections that you may not be able to come up with yourself.
When the party is over, you want to make sure that every guest takes something away with them. Whether this is a caricature drawing of themselves or beautiful champagne flute is up to you. No matter what they have in hand when they leave, however, make sure that they also take away fond memories that will last a lifetime.