Birthdays - The Big 21 Part II

In this second part of our 21st birthday celebration we're going to continue with our discussion of how to plan the event. If you're going to have the party outside of your home then one thing to keep in mind is if you want to have the party on a Saturday then you better book in advance. Most venues fill up their Saturday slots very fast and getting a Saturday date can be difficult at best. Don't be too shocked if your date is booked even one year in advance. If you're planning an evening party, make sure there is enough room for your guests to dance. Most places don't allow outside caterers. You are most likely going to have to use theirs and they are not cheap. The biggest cost will be the food and drinks. Drinks are especially expensive. The common foods for these events are cheaper but also predictable, so give your menu a little thought. It may cost more but your guests will appreciate it. As for a photographer, hire a professional or let a friend do it who at least knows something about photography. Remember, after the evening is over the only thing you're going to have left are your memories, which include your photographs. Make sure they're done well. For your invitations, try to remember that your invitations create the mood of the party so try not to make them bland and boring. Try to be original, both with the theme and the look of the invitations themselves. They may end up costing a little bit more but it will be worth it. If, however, you have an invitation program at home on your computer and are fairly creative, you may want to make them yourself. They will certainly be original. Try to think outside the box when making these as many of your friends will probably be turning 21 as well and have gotten tons of 21st birthday invites. Be different. As for the decor, try to pick a theme as mentioned in the first article in this series and try to keep that theme consistent throughout the place. So if you pick a comic book hero theme you don't want the walls decorated with modern art. Everything should look like it belongs. Also make sure that everything is set up well in advance. The hall should have no trouble allowing you to do this early in the morning. Your music is the maker or breaker of most parties. In this case the music should be easy. Most of your guests are going to be your friends and they're all around the same age as you so they should pretty much have the same tastes as you. However, if you are going to have some older people there try to pick a good number of selections that they can enjoy too. Either hire a professional DJ or band for this. Don't try running the music yourself or let your friends do it. The night will turn into a disaster. Let's face it, birthday cakes are clich