5 MAJOR PARTY PLANNING MISTAKES

So you've got a party in mind. Maybe it's your child's Birthday Party, or an engagement soiree or a special gathering to commemorate a milestone in your life. Congrats! Now begins the wonderful blend of tediousness and fun in creating a party that you believe is going to be the best one to happen in 2012!

Before you roll up your sleeves and get crackin', here are 5 Major Party Planning Mistakes that you will want to avoid. (Oh yes I could go on forever but I have only have a word count to adhere to...or try to adhere to anyhow):

1. THEMES THAT ARE NOT PROPERLY THOUGHT OUT

When deciding on a theme for your party -- whatever the celebration -- make sure you really think it through. Will it excite your guests? Is it suitable for the celebration? Will the guest of honor like it?  For example, while Planning an "Over the Hill" Birthday party for your family member or dear old pal might seem like a fun idea and, of course, the theme has the best (humorous) intentions, you have to consider the feelings of that person who has to sit through it. Maybe they're NOT OK with turning a ripe old age. Maybe they've been dreading this moment their entire life. And now they have to grin and bear a party that blatantly throws that fact in their face and pretend that it doesn't bother them.

That Tackle-Football themed party (complete with tackle-football game) or Ultimate Frisbee party may seem like a wild and awesome party to your college buddies...to your older or less physically capable friends or family...not so much.

Properly thinking through a thematic concept by keeping your guests, your guest of honour and the logistics in mind will help you create that party of the year...in a good way, rather than "THAT party of the year" in a bad way.

2. BAD HOSTS/HOSTESSES

This might leave you scratching your head a bit so let me explain. If you are the host of a party, relying on your guests to get the party started is a really, really bad idea. Your guests are arriving expecting to be entertained. Not the other way around. Whether it's chatting up your guests, breaking out the Karaoke or Rock Band or...eek...introducing an Icebreaker Game, it's up to YOU to get that party rockin'.

Hiding out in the kitchen prepping food/drinks is not the model for a good host/hostess either. As the host you should be making your guests feel welcome and mingling among them. If you have to enlist the help of others -- professionally or family/friend related -- then do so. If there's two of you hosting a party then take turns throughout the night as the kitchen maid and the host.


3. SENDING OUT INVITATIONS TOO LATE OR TOO EARLY (YES THAT'S POSSIBLE)

Not giving your guests sufficient time to plan in attending your fete is a major boo boo. Your guests need adequate time to sort out their schedules, find babysitting, purchase gifts (if that's what they want to do), arrange transportation, etc. Don't let your invitations be the last thing on your Party Planning To-Do List. It should be one of the first.

At the same time, giving your guests too much notice of your special gathering can backfire on you as well. Invitations sent too far in advance can be forgotten or misplaced. Here is a rough idea of when you should be sending out invitations (of course this depends on location, etc):

Birthday/Formal Dinner /Anniversary / Graduation Parties - 3 to 6 weeks
Cocktail Parties - 2 to 4 weeks
Weddings - 8 weeks to three months (local), 6 months (out of town/country)
Bar/Bat Mitzvah - 1 to 2 months
Thanksgiving Parties - 2 weeks to 2 months
Christmas Parties - 1 to 2 months
Housewarming Parties - 1 to 3 weeks
Lunch/Tea Parties - 1 to 2 weeks


4. MAKING THE PARTY LAST FOREVER

Sure, you never want this day to end. But your guests do.

Most parties that require a reception such as Weddings, Anniversaries, Bar/Bat Mitzvah typically go for on for 5 -8 hours or more. This is because there is usually a multi-course lunch/dinner followed by dancing set in place. However for parties arranged for Birthdays, etc, it's important to keep in mind your guests' comfort factor, age and, of course, food and entertainment. Remember, the longer the party the more food and entertainment needed.

Need a rough guideline? The average child's (in-home) Birthday party should be anywhere from 1.5 hours to 2 hours, depending on their age (younger means less time). The average adult (in-home) Birthday party should be anywhere from 2 - 3 hours. The average cocktail reception should be 2 to 4 hours. If you think that most of your guests typically arrive late, add an extra half hour buffer.

We've all been to that party where there wasn't a clear ending time and it seemed to drag on forever because no one wanted to be the first person to leave. By setting out a clear start and end time and building a proper timeline you'll have happy guests who had a good time and now can go about the rest of their day/evening not feeling guilty for "bailing early".


5. NOT PLANNING AHEAD

This is pretty much a staple in planning ANYTHING. You have to think about all the "what if's" that can happen during your soiree or else you could wind up looking like a bad host/hostess, no matter how beyond your reach the situation is. Having a party that involves a backyard BBQ? Plan ahead for increment weather. Having a Birthday Party for your 4 year old? Expect that not all parents are going to drop off their kids and leave (in other words, have adult drinks/munchies on hand!). Assuming that not all your guests are going to come? Forget that noise! Assume that ALL your guests are going to come and if you don't have enough space in your home to accommodate all invited guests, rent out a space somewhere else! Having a lot of guests or want your party to have a huge visual or entertaining impact? Budget appropriately!

By ensuring that all your i's are dotted and all your t's are crossed you can focus on throwing the best damn party ever instead of staring up at the threatening storm clouds wishing to high heaven you had more than one umbrella in your closet.