The Lazy Girls Guide To Simple Party Planning

I thought party planning would be hard, but it’s not. It’s pretty simple. If you choose the right time, theme, guests, and activities, your get-together will be wonderful. 

Want to know how? Keep reading!

Set a convenient date and time

First, set a time and date that will work best for you and your guests. Think about the time of year and time of day. In the US, different regions have different weather concerns. Such as in the Southern US, it’s hot and very humid during the summer. The Midwest is known for a spring peppered with tornadoes, so much so that a part of that region is called Tornado Alley. 

So be mindful of the time of year and the time of day. You want your party to be the best, not a big disaster.

Plan a theme or atmosphere you want

Do you want your party to have a theme like Halloween?  Or do you want it to be a laid-back barbecue? 

Be specific and make sure your guest knows.

Choose the guest list

The guest list is a crucial thing. You want everyone to have a fun time and enjoy themselves. You don’t want to invite people who don’t get along.

Choose the menu 

Be mindful of your guests’ dietary restrictions when thinking about what to eat. If someone has a certain allergy or eating plan like keto, I have something for them to eat. It’s the proper thing to do as a host. 

Send out invitations 

I always send out invitations if it’s a formal party. Like a birthday party or baby shower. If it is just a couple of folks getting together in the backyard, I invite them over text or phone.

I wouldn’t post the invite to anybody’s Facebook page or Instagram; where everyone can see it. It can cause issues.

Let’s say someone you did not invite sees the invite and wants to come. So if you do social media, direct message an invite.

Now there will be times when people can’t come, and that’s normal. So when this happens, don’t take it personal. Sometimes people won’t be able to make it due to what they have going on in their lives.

I plan for about a third of the people invited not to show up. 

Get a final guest count 

If you send out invitations, keep track of who responds. That way you will know how much food and drink to have. You could call people to see if they are coming or not. That’s entirely up to you. 

 

I always add five guests to the final number so I have a little extra in case surprise guests show up. 

Have family-friendly topics ready 

This is always a good thing to do because two topics can turn your peaceful party into a warzone: religion and politics. Current events, or even the weather are always safe topics.

If someone does throw an explosive topic into the conversation, you can use one of these topics to steer the conversation back in ‘safe’ territory.

Have a backup plan

Always have a plan B, in case, your first plan doesn’t work out. Like if you’re having it outside and it rains, where will you go then? Or you can’t have where you had planned, what then?

BONUS TIPS

Choose a sitting arrangement

If you’re having a sit-down dinner, this is necessary also. Because you don’t want people who don’t get along to sit next to each other. 

Plan activities for adults and children

If you’re going to have a laid-back backyard barbecue or just a party in your backyard, it’s a good idea to plan activities for kids. Especially the ones under 12 because they are the ones who need their minds occupied.

This could be good for older kids and adults too.

My family has a reunion every 2 years. The organizers always have activities for all ages. They have cornhole, lawn darts, badminton, board games, and dominoes. One year they had water balloons and water guns.

The takeaway 

Party planning doesn’t have to be a big task. You should be okay if you set a convenient date/time, choose the guests and menu, send out invites, and have a backup plan. 

Just saying. 

If you want to share tips or tricks about party planning, please put them in the comments section below.