Do you have a friend with a birthday coming up and promised to throw a killer party for them but just don’t know where to begin? Planning a special day for a best friend can seem stressful and like a lot of work if you don’t know where you’re headed, so get ready to get organized and use these tips to plan a night everyone will remember!
1: Make sure you know what the guest of honor wants!
Before you do anything, sit down with who the party is for and figure out what their ideal birthday party looks like. My advice is to have them tell you every detail they can think of – guest list, favorite foods, party vibe. This way, you won’t have a million questions during the rest of the party planning and everyone will be happy!
2: Figure out a theme!
A theme can be as simple as a color you want to use, or you can go as far to make it a costume party bash. This will help you decide what kind of decorations you need to buy and can make every decision a whole lot easier.
3: Set your time, date, and send out invites!
Find a time that works for you and the birthday girl/guy and work from there. Make sure you know what time of day works best – do you want to celebrate with lunch or late at night? Once you have this information, send out the invites to the guest list. If you want to go all out and send pretty paper ones you can, but I find it easier to send a group text that you can use up until the party.
4: Decide on food, drinks, cake, etc.
Let’s be real: what’s a party without something to snack on? Try and keep this as simple as possible while also keeping your main guest’s preferences in mind. Finger foods that are super easy to make and clean up are better and it could be a good idea to prepare drinks before the party starts. There’s less room for a mess when all of this is organized before the guests show up!
6: Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Trying to plan a party while also worrying about clubs, class, homework, etc. can be a little stressful even when it’s supposed to be fun. If this happens to you, ask anyone else attending the party for help! Convince a few of your other friends attending to help with decorating or buying food. Another way to consider getting help is to not hesitate to ask party guests to chip in a few bucks for the special day. Between everything you need to buy it can get expensive, especially on a college student budget. If you ask for a little help you won’t have to worry about shouldering everything yourself.
7: Don’t stress the day of!
If you’re anything like me, having guests over and overseeing events can cause a lot of nerves to come to the surface. You might worry if people are having fun or if you have everything, but try not to worry. All the planning is done and then you’ll have time to bask in the fantastic party you created! So, sit back, relax, eat some cake and have a great time celebrating!
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