Get Organized: Organizing Tools that Will Take Your Holiday Event From Blah to Brilliant!

Can you imagine the holidays without either throwing a party or attending one? It seems that this time of year just wouldn’t be complete without several get-togethers – or more! Which is why it’s only appropriate to discuss how you can host your own holiday bash in an oh-so organized fashion:

I’ve taken a good look at the do’s and don’ts of party planning and broken it down into the few essentials you need to master for a super soiree. And included easy organizing tips to ensure your party is declared the event of the year!

Party Prep: Once you’re chosen a date and set the theme, it’s time to get down to some serious planning. Create a worksheet that keeps all your planning information in order. Expand it for larger occasions or shorten it for small ones. On this worksheet, you’ll want to list:

• Things to Buy – anything you need to purchase for your event.
• Things to Do – tasks you need to accomplish prior to the event.
• Things to Get – anything you must borrow or rent. This also serves as a post-party reminder to return these items.

The Guest List: Keep your guest list organized and on track by creating a record that will help you both before and after the party. Create a 7-column chart. Title the columns Name; Contact Info; Invitation Sent; RSVP yes, RSVP no; Attended yes; Attended no. If you plan on frequently hosting events, take it a step further and create a separate area for each guest that includes complete contact info (email, phone, address) as well as spouse and children’s names, birthday and anniversary dates and miscellaneous facts such as if they have allergies. Keep this list with you at all times – it’s both a great way to keep track of your guest list for the party and good to keep after the event is over for planning the next shindig.

Party Food: Décor is great and music is a must – but we all know that the food often takes the spotlight at parties. Create a helpful chart to help you get organized by placing the basics in one column – such as dips, fruits, salads, entrees, sides, desserts, etc – with additional columns for listing ideas, if someone is contributing items and a place to check each thing off as they are accounted for.

Who Is Bringing What? One thing to start doing right now to reduce party-planning stress is to understand that it is OK to ask for help. Your guests are all too happy to pitch in. As they offer to bring drinks, dishes and even supplies, it’s important to keep track of who is bringing what. Create a worksheet listing the items that have been assigned out to guests to bring. Group the items by food and beverage; décor and props; entertainment; etc. In an adjacent column list the person responsible and their contact information.

Party Debriefing: This is a huge secret of successful party planners. Do you know that moment after the party when you kick off the heels, relax and review the entire event in your mind? Have your party planning organizer kit nearby and write these thoughts down. Think about the following points – and I’m betting you see how it handy it will be to have these written down for when you start planning your next event:

• Guest favorite foods and drinks
• Nice touches that were appreciated
• I got the most compliments on the…
• Everyone was asking for…
• There was TOO much of…
• And TOO LITTLE of...
• Who should be invited again…
• Who should NOT be invited again…
• Ideas and thoughts for next time…

A disorganized host inevitably does not get to enjoy her own party. However, by taking some of these tips and working them into your event planning this season, I know that you will be declared the “hostess with the mostess” and actually get to enjoy your own party. Now that’s a holiday miracle!