Keep it Simple

One of the biggest mistakes for first time formal dinner hosts is on thinking too much of the rules. They scour the internet to find different rules that they are often confusing and even contradictory. Do not think too much on what should be done. These rules in table setting were made for practicality so that guests will not have any trouble reaching for the things they need during dinner.

Plates and Bowls

Without looking too much into specifications, here’s a very simple rule on how to set-up plates in a formal dinner: plates should be placed in order based on size where the bottom plate is the biggest. You’ll notice that formal dinner starts with smaller plates and you change the plate as you progress to the main course which will require the biggest plate. The bowl should be on top of the plate as you’ll first deal with the soup in a formal dinner.

Spoons, Forks and Knives

Forks should be on the left side of the plate while spoons and knives should be on the right side of the plate (knives are next to the plate). The order of knives, spoon and forks are also the same with the plates: the biggest spoon and fork should be the one nearest to the plate. The knives’ blade should be facing the plates.

Glasses and Drinkware

Glasses should be placed on the tip of the knives. The glass for water is placed nearest the knife. Other water goblets should be placed a bit farther from the water glass.

Don’t worry too much about water goblets. If the party is not too formal (especially in smaller parties) use regular glasses for drinking water.

Napkins

Folding napkins can be a bit tricky if this is your first time. But thanks to the internet, there are literally hundreds of videos and articles that can teach you in different types of folding. Remember to keep it simple to quickly prepare for the party.  The simplest napkin folding is the rectangular fold.

The Right Audience = the Right Comic

Getting a comic for a party requires serious considerations. Among them is your intended audience. A comedian can only be funny if he or she is in the right audience. You can’t just get a musical comic to a group that’s not really familiar or enthusiastic about music. Think of your audience and base your selection of a comic on them. Among the considerations you have to remember is the use of profane language as some comics use this in their act. If you think your audience will be offended by this, there are family friendly comics you can consider hiring.

Visit Live Acts

A good way to scout for a comic is to visit bars that feature live performances of comedians. The best way to gauge this type of performer is to actually listen or watch when they are on stage. If you find yourself laughing and you think your friends will also enjoy this type of humor, then this comic would be perfect for your party. In small comedy bars, most of the comedians do not have any manager so you can talk to them directly about their rates and if they do perform in specific type of parties.

Prepare the Venue

Aside from the comic itself, you have to ensure that the venue will be conducive to their act. The venue needs to have the right acoustic or at least better sound management. After all, the comedian’s act is based on what they say so it’s important that you make sure the comedian can be easily heard.

A great comic can easily liven up the party. Choose a comic that fits your audience and prepare a venue where the comic can be easily heard to make sure the party is a success.

Variety is the Key

When you’re considering food carts, be sure to bring in a good variety of food, snacks and sweets. As much as possible, combine something to eat as snacks with sweets or dessert. For example, look for food carts for hotdogs, potato fries and cotton candy. Many food cart companies have extensive selection on what you can serve in your party. For example, if you want to have Mexican flavor you can have Tacos or Quesadilla.

Compare Rates for Food Carts

This is the tricky part when you’re considering food carts for your party. Talk to as many food cart companies as you can so that you can properly compare rates. The following are the questions you have to ask to these companies:

• Rate per cart – this includes how many servings they will provide per cart and their rate per hour.
• Rate for additional serving – when you have additional guests
• Transportation
• Personnel – the rate they will indicate might not include the person who will man the cart. Know this before agreeing to their terms so that someone will handle the cart while everyone enjoys the party.
• Decoration – as much as possible, the food cart you’ll rent for the party should have additional decoration so that it would coincide with the occasion.

Visit their Headquarters for Taste Test

You don’t just talk to the manager or owner to determine if they can provide the service you expect. As much as possible, have a taste test to make sure they prepare the food well. Also take a look at the cart to make sure they look clean and safe especially for kids. It’s a little precaution but ensures that everyone will enjoy the party.

Work with a Professional

Finding a good petting zoo perfect for your kid’s birthday party could be challenging. To make things easier, ensure you only work with professionals or those that have been in business for years. Before hiring a professional, ask them about their experience and how they handle their animals. Although you don’t know a lot on how to take care of animals, the way they will explain safety and set-up will give you a good idea of their expertise.

Expected Rates and Payment

Payments and rates in petting zoo are just like other performers for a party. They will charge per hour and the rate is usually from $150 to $250 per hour. The rate is often determined by the number of animals they bring and the distance of your home or party place from the place they keep their animals. More often than not, they will ask for advance especially the popular petting zoo companies. This is the reason why you need to make sure you work with a known company as your advance payment could lead to disappointment.

Insurance Agreement

Expect some insurance requirement from the petting zoo company. Contact your insurance provider for this type of service so that you can be assisted and the certificate approved before the agreed date. Ask the petting zoo company if they have to be named as the insured or a certificate of insurance without any name would do. Expect to spend no less than $25 for this type of service from your insurance provider.

What if it Rains?

Never forget this question. Rain can easily ruin the celebration because a petting zoo is an outdoor entertainment. Make sure their proposal would make sure the kids will still have fun even though it rains. Most will bring tarps to make sure the party and your payment will not go to waste.

Get More than Just Colored

But even though a balloon would be an interesting decoration for the party, you have to be creative on the type of balloon you use. Instead of restoring to colored balloons, look for something unique such as metallic balloons because they would have a sturdy and future-like look. If you’re planning a party outdoors, look for opaque balloons. Not only will it have a different color but it’s very durable.

To Float or Not to Float

Floating a balloon would be a novel idea for specific type of parties. Kids will always be fascinated with floating balloons so this would be a great addition for a birthday party. There are helium cans that can be purchased from party suppliers and they are good enough for 40 regular sized balloons. For office parties, you really don’t need helium. Just stick to traditional balloons with prints and it will still work its magic of improving the atmosphere of the party.

Decorative Balloons for Elaborate Party

Balloons are not just your regular ball-like toys with air that sometimes floats. There are hundreds of designs so that the balloon would even look more interesting. If you are really fascinated with balloons, you can look for an expert in balloon or a balloon twister so that he or she can demonstrate how to create specific form of balloons for your guests. This is a great alternative to magicians.

You can also look for party suppliers that focus on balloons. They will most likely stock very unique balloons that can be used to decorate the room. You can have an arc made of balloons and floating animal balloons in the party area. Of course, it might be a bit more expensive because of their expertise but if you really want to improve your party’s atmosphere an extra fee should be expected.

The challenge with this type of service for a party is not on availability but on quality. If you’re thinking of getting a costumed character, here are ideas to make sure you get someone who can really play the character:

Book in Advance

It’s highly recommended to book in advance for this type of service at least three weeks. Aside from making sure that they will be available for your kid’s special day, you can also check in advance the quality of their work. Ask for photos of the characters to make sure you have someone who has the same body structure with the character. You don’t want an overweight batman or superman in your party since that could be very difficult to explain to the kids.

Know the Rates

Party characters will charge per hour and the party coordinator will most likely tell you up front how much you should prepare for the character. Expect no less than $100 per hour but it could go less if you hire more characters for additional time. If the company you are dealing with has experience in this type of entertainment, expect a lot more. Don’t expect that the costume character is included with the party package because some costume characters are independent from the party provider.

If overtime occurs, the rates will not go up and the charges will still be hourly. This is the reason why you have to plan the number of hours and have the right timeframe for the party so that the characters will show up in time to entertain everyone.

Look for “Cosplayers”

Here’s another way to get a good costume character for your kid’s birthday party. Look for groups who can “cosplay” or costume play for a kid’s party. They are usually enthusiasts about a specific character which means they know a lot about the character and have the right costume. While they are limited to few characters; that could be a good option when your kid is familiar with the character they play.

But you can make the party a lot more interesting with a few decorations. A few changes in the living room or bedroom can make a big difference for everyone in the party.

Emphasize on Space

While most of the guests who’ll come over for the slumber party are already familiar with the bedroom or living room setting, it’s highly recommended to create some a space for everyone. Push the furniture to the side so that everyone will be sleeping on the floor. Of course, there should be some sleeping bags or cushions for everyone. By creating space, everyone will feel accommodated as no one will be at the back or would have to sleep higher than others.

Throw Pillows

Purchase some throw pillows for the party. Estimate the number of guests and reserve at least two throw pillows each. Don’t spend too much on these items though – look for small but good enough to be squeezed. Throw pillows around the area where everyone settles create a true slumber party atmosphere. It will create a relaxing and restful atmosphere for everyone.

If you don’t have the budget to purchase the required quantity, ask your friends to come over with pillows. You don’t have to spend anything and everyone gets to have a very comfortable pillow of their choice.

Items and Colors for Decorations

You can literally add color to the party by placing some items in the room with the same color. If the party is for girls, collect pink items around the house and place them around the bedroom or living room. For boys, the color blue should improve the settings of the party. Items such as books, vases, pillows and other decorative items with the same color should be more than enough to add some atmosphere to the party.

Here’s a final decorating tip: glow in the dark stickers. Don’t tell the guests about the decoration so that everyone will have something surprising to talk about before sleeping.

Sticking to Tradition

If you’re a parent and you’d like to celebrate your kid’s birthday, don’t think of radical ideas on how to celebrate the birthday party. More often than not, your kid would want something like everyone else has – balloons, birthday cakes, themed decoration of their favorite characters, etc. This will work to your advantage since there are a good number of party suppliers in most cities. Shop for the best price possible and save on decoration.

Time is Money Too

Here’s the often missed information about the party any host forgets: the time spent on decorations and cleanup. The time you spent on decoration and cleanup will have a great impact on your experience of the party. Don’t spend too much time decorating as this will only be frustrating when something bad happens to your decoration. If it’s a children’s party, there’s a good chance that it will be destroyed in someway. Keep the decorations simple and easy to set so that you can concentrate on having fun before and after the party.

Convey the Message through Pictures

Here’s an interesting concept if you want to have a specific theme for the party: pictures. For a birthday party, the celebrant’s picture clearly provides the information on who is cause of the celebration. Holiday parties such as Halloween, Christmas, 4^th of July, etc. also have their respective photos that would convey the message.

Create a List

The ultimate tool to save time and money in decorations is a list. Have a survey of the venue and write your ideas on how to decorate the area. This would be a lot easier if the venue is your house since you already know the ins and out of the venue. With the list, you can control your spending and you’ll develop an organized method of decoration. It’s a smart way of decorating for a party so that you, as a host, will also enjoy the party.

Shopping Days After the Season is Over

Christmas lights and Christmas decorations are no longer in demand after the holidays. Naturally, prices will significantly drop. This is your chance to purchase products related to Christmas. Aside from getting a lot of items in discount, this is also a form of pre-holidays shopping. When you purchase the items you want in advance for the holidays, you only have to think of the holiday gifts.

Create a Cool and Dry Storage Area

An often ignored factor by those who constantly host a party is on how they keep their decorations. Many simply place the items in a box with a mark and place them in the basement. But the conditions of the basement may not be suitable for your decorations. The items will no longer be usable the next time you take them out.

Avoid this problem by creating a space in the basement or anywhere in your room where the items will avoid direct sunlight, humidity and water. You may have to create a container or a rack where you can place the boxes.

Be Creative…be very Creative

Creativity is one of the best ways to save money. It’s very easy to just buy things for the party but people will really appreciate if you add personal effort in preparing the party. Think how you can make simple things special. Some simple learn unique ways of folding papers and table placements and the party setting will look a lot better.

You can learn a lot of things online as many people show their creativity in parties through their blogs and videos. You can even join forums so that you can gain ideas or even ask questions on how to throw a party without digging deep in your pocket.

Have the Right Time Frame

A party this big should never be rushed. You should start planning at least three months before the day of the party. Some even start planning 4-6 months before the party especially when they are organizing everything for the party. If you’re just planning a simple block party, three months should be more than enough.

This time frame is essential because you are not just setting the date that you want. You need to have a date that everyone would agree – including your local home owners association and government. If you think your party would block the road for a few hours, you need to ask permissions. Have the permissions in written format to avoid inconvenience. You don’t want your party to be stopped just because you didn’t have anything signed by the local authorities.

Distributing Help

As already indicated, a block party is a big party which means you can’t do it alone. If you have three months before the big day, you can easily ask for help from your neighbors. Their help is not necessarily something that will push them to spend. Ask around for some help with regards to utensils, tables, chairs and even grills. They can also help on the big day as you ask one or two men in the neighborhood to deal with the grills. Others will naturally help on the day through decorations.

Planning for Food and Entertainment

Once you have taken cared of the permissions and help from your neighbors, the remaining challenge is on food preparation and entertainment. A DJ is a perfect complement to a block party because you just have to hire one or two people and they can easily create the party mood. When it comes to food, think of it as an afternoon barbeque. Many on the menu will be grilled so preparation is relatively easy.

Final note: aside from asking for help, formalize the activity by sending out invitations especially to your neighbors who are helping you plan the event. This is a good way to remind your guests about the big day of your block party.