In this post we will be looking at the ultimate party planning checklist template and Adult Birthday Party Etiquette FAQs (frequently asked questions).

INTRODUCTION

You’ve got a grand occasion coming up and you know you should be party planning but where do you start? What you need is a party planning guide. How to plan a birthday party can be a bit overwhelming, but once you break it up into smaller tasks, it becomes a piece of cake. Yes, that’s a pun. Celebrating one’s birthday is a special event that’s meant to be shared with loved ones. Adults enjoy parties as much as children and it’s really nice when people honor your birthday by sharing the day with you. If you are celebrating an important milestone, such as turning 30, 40, 50, or even 60, then it should be celebrated with all the fanfare. A typical birthday party for an adult consists of family and friends, and usually involves a dinner, games, music and much more. Start early! If you’re new to party planning, or the event is a whopper with many people and activities, slide the timer back a few months to allow yourself more time. Keep this in mind when booking venues as well. Some larger, more popular venues may need to be booked much earlier on.

THE ULTIMATE PARTY PLANNING CHECKLIST TEMPLATE

Whether you own a party planning business or you’re just throwing an event for family and friends, this party planning checklist will help you get organized before the big day! So, if you’re facing party planning for a Big-O birthday and it, has you in knots, fear not! Follow these steps to delight your guests and feel your stress melt away faster.

Items Needed for a Birthday Party

Party Planning Tips: 2-3 Months Before : Depending on your party planning experience, what time of year it is, and how large or complex you think the party will be, you’ll want to begin preparation as soon as possible!

Choose a theme. Check out these ideas for spring parties and summer event themes to get started.
Determine your budget. A party actually costs around $30-$60 per person.
Choose a few date and time options for the event. Ever wondered how common your birthday is? September 9th is the most popular birth date according to recent data reports.
Book an event venue. 69% of event planners select venues based on word-of-mouth recommendations. 58% will use search engines and 34% use online listings and marketplaces.
Arrange entertainment. Great party ideas for adults include DIY personal pizza stations, DJs, and themed photo booths.
Make a guest list. Guest list etiquette states that party planners should give hosts or key stakeholders a strict number of people they can invite.
Order supplies if you’re making your own decor. And take a peek at these simple and creative DIY party decorating ideas while you’re at it.

Party Planning Tips: 1 Month Before: With all the major decisions out of the way, now all you need to do is sort out details!

Send invitations. If you’re interested in going green and sending paperless invites, check out services like evite, Paperless Post, Green envelope, and Minted’s online invitations.
Order food & beverages. If you’re not working with a chef, you’ll want to put in orders for alcohol and non-perishables now.
Hire a chef. The popularity and demand for professional chefs is expected to grow another 10% by 2026.
Purchase or make your decor. You can also always borrow decor from other people’s parties and style it in a way that puts your own personal touch on their products. Or take inspiration from these summer event decor ideas.
Plan activities. You can choose anything from dancing to board games to trivia competitions. And (surprise, surprise) Pinterest has a lot of interesting party activity ideas to inspire you.
Enlist party helpers or hire event staff. Whether you’ll have family in town or need help serving food to hundreds of corporate guests, make sure you have people ready to lend a hand before, during, and after the celebration.

Party Planning Tips: 1 Week Before: A little running around now will save you unnecessary headaches the day before or of!

Order baked goods. Cakes, cupcakes, or pies should be ordered now. Some bakeries will require more or less notice depending on your preferences and their schedule so be sure to triple check their ordering instructions ahead of time.
Follow up on RSVPs. Then use event planning software to share your final guest list to your caterers, party helpers, or anyone else involved in the planning process.
Create and begin sharing your party hashtag. Check out these event hashtag trends while you’re at it.

Party Planning Tips: 1 Day Before: It’s almost time, keep going!

Go grocery shopping. Or hire a TaskRabbit or grocery delivery service to do it for you.
Pick up your bakery order. You’ll probably be in a hurry when you do but try to remember to take a peek inside the boxes before you drive away to make sure everything is there and looks how you pictured it would.
Prepare tip envelopes for party entertainers and staff.
Place catering orders (if you’re not working with a chef). The same applies to your fast-food options like sandwiches or pizza. Again, double check the companies ordering rules beforehand.
Prep your event space. If it’s at your home or a private residence, hire a maid or clean the party areas and restrooms yourself. If you’re renting a space, double check your contract to see if you’ll be responsible for cleanliness at any point. Here are some cleaning tips to get your house party ready in an hour or less.
Prep non-perishable food items.

Party Planning Tips: Day of Party: You made it – finish these last few tasks then go enjoy yourself!

Buy ice. Don’t be afraid to delegate this task to someone else. Just make sure they bring a cooler to store it in.
Set up your event decor and centerpieces. If you find you need some more ideas last minute, here are budget-friendly centerpiece ideas you can diy.
For outdoor events, prepare according to the weather forecast. Citronella candles, umbrellas, string lights, blankets, and umbrella caddies add a nice touch.
Clean up after it’s all over. Or hire take down staff to help you disassemble your rentals and decor.

Party Planning Tips for Working with Venues: We’ve already mentioned some of the specifics of dealing with rental spaces in the party checklist above, but here are some more things to add to your list if you’re working with a commercial event venue:

Confirm what time your party crew will be allowed to enter the venue for set up. Note where deliveries can be made as well.
Ask if there is a hard out time as part of your rental or if you’ll have the option to come and pick up left items the next day.
Get the contact information for the venue manager in case of emergencies (like being locked out or other issues).
Sort out the parking situation. Where is it? Is it free? If not, who will valet and collect money?
If you need audio or visual equipment for slideshows or presentations, does the venue offer those tools?
If the venue works with a list of preferred vendors, make sure you review their selection before finding your own (if that’s even an option).
Consider using a party planning app or party planning website to organizeeverything.

ADULT BIRTHDAY PARTY ETIQUETTE FAQS (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Planning a birthday party can be a stressful event that is why you must never hesitate to ask for help whenever you can. Here are a few more helpful tips to keep you on track:

Should I serve alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks at the party?

Serve a variety of drinks. Not everyone wants to drink even it is a weekend. Serve both kinds of drinks and let your guests choose. They’ll appreciate it even more that you’ve thought of them when you planned your menu.

Is it really ok to ask my invited guests to help out during the party?

Absolutely. You can ask a really close relative or friend to come in early to help you set-up the food, decorations, tables and chairs. The party will go on more smoothly if you delegate some of the work.

How do I become the perfect host?

Make sure you go around and talk to all your guests. They came to the party to share your special day with YOU. Don’t stay with a group too long because the other guests may feel unattended.

How do I get to have fun at my party when I worry about how it’s going?

That is the importance of delegating some of the tasks to other people. It will relieve you of some of the stress so you can have fun too. After all, it is your birthday bash, so celebrate!

CONCLUTION

Using a party planning checklist and creating an event timeline are just some of the many things you can do to make sure everything goes smoothly. Even if you don’t have any experience with party planning, you can still throw a memorable get together. At the end of the day, parties are all about bringing people together and having fun. Keeping this in mind throughout the process and using it as a compass as you make your major party planning decisions is a foolproof way to throw one of the best parties of all time.