Party Planning
So you've decided to have a little party. Congratulations!!!
You'll have fun and it won't be as hard as you're probably
thinking right now. What's your plan? Inviting a few friends
over for an evening of conversation? A 30th birthday party for
your spouse? A victory celebration after finally paying off that
mortgage that you thought would never go away? It doesn't
matter. Any reason is a good reason to have a good time. Whether
it's a catered affair or you do it all yourself, the object of
the event is enjoyment, so why not enjoy getting ready for it
also? Remember, any event can be broken down into 3 easy steps:
- Preparation - Presentation - Produlation What's 'produlation'
you ask? That's the best part!!! It's when you produce the
results of your preparation and presentation and receive the
congratulations of your guests (and yourself, of course).
Preparation One of the keys to a successful gathering is
preparation. And the earlier it starts, the better. We think it
is important for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is a way
to get organized. But more importantly, if time is spent in the
preparation phase, you won't be running around at the last
minute attending to details. This will better allow you to relax
and enjoy your time with your guests. We've divided the
preparation phase into three easy categories: - Menu - Layout -
Cleaning If you've follow the above steps, you should be able to
get a good night's sleep and relax while waiting for your event
to begin!
Menu
Welcome to the most exciting section on the preparation for your
party. Sure, as you look at the different options under
preparation you see that terrible choice called 'cleaning'. But
let's not think about that right now. Instead, why don't we just
have some fun and let our imaginations run wild. The first
decision you will need to make is whether you will be doing your
own food preparation or using the services of a caterer. There
is no right answer. We will tell you that once they were
organized, many people have actually admitted that they enjoyed
preparing the food. If that is your desire, read on. If you
decide to follow the caterer route, it might still be a good
idea to read the rest of this section to help prepare for the
questions they will be asking you in order to help make your
event memorable. The two most important words that come to mind
when preparing your menu are variety and quantity. It's a good
idea to provide your guests with a wide variety of choices. Some
hot, some cold. Some dry, some with sauces. Add a few meats,
vegetables, cheeses a couple of dips and maybe even some fruit
and voila, you have a menu. Do you have a special finger food
that is a little bit out of the ordinary? Add it to your menu.
It's always a good idea to have a few old stand-bys such as
chicken wings and chips for those with a less exotic palate. A
typical menu we've seen included: wings with a variety of sauces
(although they were just as good plain), pepperoni bread with a
little spaghetti sauce on the side for dipping if desired, a
variety of potato and tortilla chips with a couple of dip
choices a vegetable tray and a selection of olives and pickles.
Another idea to consider is having a few items on your menu that
can be prepared in advance and reheated so that you are not
rushing to prepare the food when you would rather be relaxing
and thinking of the fun you will be having. After covering the
variety of choices, it is now time to look at quantity. Always
prepare more than you think you'll need. It may seem like a
waste of money at first, but remember, you get to eat the
leftovers. Or, as the host, you will be able to offer your
guests a little going home gift. Now settle in and let your
imagination run wild.
Layout Layout is an often overlooked part of the preparation. At
many events there is a last minute rush to try and squeeze
everything in and a considerable amount of time is spent
rearranging things to ensure that both your guests and the food
will all fit in the desired area. Of course, there are many
factors which need to be considered when planning your layout.
Such things as location (indoor or outdoor) and the amount of
space you have. We've been to some events in 3000 square foot
houses and others in 1000 square foot houses. Certainly the ones
in larger areas made things easier, but even the smaller areas
were successful because the host had taken the time to plan his
layout. If at all possible, it is best to create three separate
areas to help provide a free flow of guests and help eliminate
traffic jams. One area will feature the food. Another will
contain your drinks and drinkware. The third area will be used
for plates, napkins, utensils and items of that sort. Without a
doubt, the food area will be the most popular, so here are a few
tips to help in that area. The first thing to consider is the
option of setting the food on a table that will allow people to
walk completely around it. The idea of setting plates, etc. in a
separate area will allow people to pick up a plate and proceed
to an open area of the food table in order to begin serving
themselves. With the plates at one end of the food table,
everyone feels obliged to walk around the whole table, even if
the food the desire is at the very end. Now in setting up the
food itself, there are a couple of things to consider. It is
best to put what you believe will be the most popular food in
the center of the table. This will allow your guests to have
easy access from anywhere. Also, it is always a good idea to
place any sauces near the edge of the table. This will prevent
accidental spills into other foods which may make them
unpleasing to your guests. Now close your eyes and start
dreaming of the wonderful layout you have designed for your
guests.
Cleaning
As the saying goes, "cleanliness is next to godliness".
Unfortunately, cleaning is probably the least glamorous task at
hand. However, it is also one of the most important because it
leads to the next major area, presentation. It is best to do as
much of the major cleaning as possible on the day before the
special event. This will help prevent wearing yourself out on
the appointed day or cleaning too early and finding it necessary
to reclean. We've included a handy check list and some pointers
that we've learned from experience. This is all going to sound
like pretty common sense information, but while being in the
middle of preparation, it is sometimes easy to overlook even the
most basic elements. Checklist:
Kitchen:
_____ Clear off as much as possible from coutertops. This will
help the area to look neat and uncluttered. It is expected to
see certain things on a counter top such as a coffee maker,
canister set or a cookie jar. But the 3 cans of soup you bought
last week should be put in their proper place. _____ Clean all
dirty dishes. Nothing says unprepared like walking into a
kitchen with a sink full of dirty dishes. _____ Once the dishes
have been cleaned, store them properly. _____ Have a trash can
available in the vicinity of the serving area if this is not a
formal dinner. Always be sure to use a clean trash bag. If
necessary, take a half full bag and store it out of the way
until the event is over. Bathroom:
_____ Clean the toilet (including the top of the tank) and the
sink. _____ Again, clear off as much as possible from
coutertops. _____ Do you have a large family? Are there various
towels and washcloths hanging around? Put them all in a clothes
hamper. It looks so much neater that way. _____ Place clean
towels in a area where it is convenient for your guests to dry
their hands. _____ If you have one of those liquid soap
dispensers, ensure that it is atleast half full. Totally filled
is best. _____ Place a spare roll or two of toilet paper where
they can easily be seen. A small basket holding these can add to
the overall appearance. _____ It looks best if the shower
curtain is drawn shut. This will also hide any clutter from
shampoo bottles, etc. If there are doors on the shower, shut
them.
Serving/Eating Area:
_____ Clean all corners and baseboards. These areas tend to be
neglected during routine cleaning. _____ Dust any horizontal
surfaces. This is another area that can be overlooked from time
to time. _____ If you are using a room that will feature a view
of the outdoors, take time to thoroughly clean any windows. And
you're done! Now that wasn't so bad after all.
Presentation
Congratulations!!! You've made it through the most difficult
section, preparation and moved on to presentation. This is the
area that is featured by most people, but we believe good
preparation leads to good presentation. While it is important to
consider the layout and presentation of the food serving area,
we feel that some time should be taken to consider the overall
appearance of your event area with the food starting out as the
focal point. As you are undoubtedly aware, the serving area will
become unkempt, therefore, it is a good idea to include the
entire event area when working on presentation. One point to
consider is the style of the serving dishes. Once again, this
will be somewhat dictated by the location of your event. There
are those who prefer the clear or colored glass type of serving
dishes. Others prefer a ceramic dish. The choice is yours. Since
this is a special event, we suggest refraining from the use of
cheap plastic serving dishes if at all possible. Many people
have told us they've picked up quite a collection over time
discount stores. Some have even told us of finds they've made at
dollar stores. The next thing you might want to think about is
the use of a center piece. While there is nothing wrong with
this, we are of the belief that the food itself is the center
piece. Now that your guests have enjoyed the food that you have
prepared, it is time for them to relax, mingle and talk with
each other. A nice idea that we've seen to help promote
conversation during the quiet periods is to place a few photo
albums in an area where your guests can browse them. This is
especially helpful if you have a group of people that tends to
spend a lot of time together. As they flip through the pages
they will recall bygone days that you've spent together. If you
have children, maybe an album of kids photos as they were
growing up. This may spark memories of their own children or
even their childhood which can lead to some pretty interesting
conversations. Another idea we've been made aware of is setting
out a conversation starter book. An example we've seen is a book
that asks questions about Christmas. There were questions such
as 'what was your favorite Christmas gift.' Remember, even
though you may be dealing with adults, they're still children at
heart. Produation
You may be asking yourself, as many before you have, "what is
produlation?" It is the euphoric feeling you get when you
PRODuce a premier event and receive the congratULATIONS of all
who attend. You've done such a fine job you can even
congratulate yourself. You've put all of the hard work behind
you. As you were preparing, I'm sure there were times when you
were asking yourself if it was worth it. Now you know it was, so
ENJOY yourself!!! One last thing, which will help the
produlation continue. If you read the menu section, the
produlation will continue as you pull out some of the food
you've held back and restock your party feast.
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