Party Planners - help me?

[Spryte]

Help. (That was uttered in a squeaky voice!)

 

Party is in 3 weeks. [Gasp!] Designated Party Planners are a bit behind in the, ummm, planning department. I'm thinking of offering assistance, but don't know where or how to begin. I would be wading into an unorganized in-law thing, but at this point, I'm thinking there needs to be some help, and witnessing the chaos is making *me* lose sleep at night.

 

Guest list is right above 80, though there are apparently 50 more who have not RSVP'd yet. So far, the facility is reserved, but that's about it.

 

No food has been ordered, though it has been decided that they don't want it catered. They know basically what they want to serve, but no idea how much to order, etc. Or how to go about setting up/cleaning up as people eat. Birthday cake has not been ordered. Decorations not purchased.

 

Do I offer assistance?

 

Is there a "how to throw a party" primer out there somewhere, with a list of what to purchase and how to pull this off quickly - and nicely? Anyone have some good ideas? Blogs? Anything?

[redheadmom]

So your in-laws are throwing a birthday party for 120 people and want to do the food themselves? Is this a childs birthday?

 

I will be glad to help but will need a few more details such as who it is for, what kind of decorations, etc. Can a party be thrown together in 3 weeks? Sure if you are organized and have a plan. However, since this involves family I am not sure I have a good answer.

[Dandelion]

Guest list is right above 80, though there are apparently 50 more who have not RSVP'd yet. So far, the facility is reserved, but that's about it.

 

Is that 80 total, with 50 pending RSVPs? Or 130 total, with 50 pending RSVPs?

 

No food has been ordered, though it has been decided that they don't want it catered. They know basically what they want to serve, but no idea how much to order, etc. Or how to go about setting up/cleaning up as people eat.

 

When you say they know what they want to serve, but don't want it catered, what are their plans for the food? Will they be buying premade items for the most part, or will there be a lot of cooking involved? If the latter, who is in charge of cooking? For this many people, if they don't want it catered I would recommend doing a buffet.

 

As for setting up/cleaning up, that should be organized ahead of time. Is there a group of people that you can count on to help out before, during, and after the party? If yes, I would draft a list of all the tasks that need to be handled ahead of time (purchasing food, etc.) as well as the day of the event (setting the tables, setting up the buffet area if you're doing this buffet style, etc.) and then create a plan/schedule that includes all of those tasks with specific people assigned to each. If possible, meet with your group of helpers ahead of time to go over the plan and schedule, or at least send it out to everyone via email and ask them to review and respond to you with any questions about their assigned responsibilities.

 

Birthday cake has not been ordered. Decorations not purchased.

 

The cake should be ordered within the next week (two weeks ahead of time should be fine).

 

Is there a theme for this event, or are you just going with basic party decorations? If there's a theme, go to a party supply store and you should find what you need. If you're just doing basic decorations, you can pick up flowers, balloons, streamers, and a couple banners from places like Walmart or Target. Our local Walmart will blow up a certain number of balloons with helium for you for free if you buy the balloons there (I think they do 12 for free and then you pay a small amount per balloon - it's very inexpensive).

 

Do I offer assistance?

I would if I thought people were failing to properly plan and prepare. Who is the party for?

 

Is there a "how to throw a party" primer out there somewhere, with a list of what to purchase and how to pull this off quickly - and nicely? Anyone have some good ideas? Blogs? Anything?

 

 

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-throw-buffet-style-party-large-group-2056902.html?cat=7

http://www.hgtv.com/entertaining/printable-party-planning-checklist/index.html

http://www.suretomeet.com/exec/gt/tpl.h,content=81

 

Those are just a few checklists I found that seem relevant to the type of party you're planning. Between the three of them, they should cover the basics for you.

 

Good luck!