Do you ever look through the family photo album and struggle to recall the venue you’re at celebrating your last big birthday? Or reminisce about that restaurant you all loved that was the start of each of your anniversary photos? If you never cater or host your big family events at home, you might be missing out. Yes, it takes a little extra planning and organization, but it can make the whole celebration so much more personal and bespoke. Here are just a few of the best tips for making it easy to celebrate at home, whatever the occasion:
The Big Anniversary
You might be wondering how on earth you can keep this one a surprise. Why not collaborate with your partner to create the ultimate anniversary bash? And no, you don’t have to do all the work on this one. Hiring a caterer can make the whole party so much more relaxed for you both. Many private catering services can also provide waiting and bar staff. Then you can enjoy the party without having to worry about your guests having enough to eat or drink.
When you choose a private catering service, look for someone local that can come to your house and make a full assessment. They may choose to use your kitchen for food preparation and will need to know what facilities you have. Alternatively, the food might arrive ready to serve, and you can just lay it out for guests to help themselves buffet-style. Choose the level of service that suits you both and your budget. Most importantly, make sure you sample the menu!
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You might also be interested in hiring a party planner, or an event designer. These are the people that can convert your comfortable family home into the party event venue of the year. They’ll take care of the storage of your furniture, and manage all the decorating on your behalf. You simply need to pick a theme, and the rest is done for you. You might even engage some entertainers to wow your friends and family too. Hiring someone instead of managing this yourself should also cover any licenses you might need.
Of course, taking care of the entire party yourself is still doable. Download a party planner’s template to give you a checklist of tasks you might need to do. Choose a menu with dishes that can be kept warm or chilled easily for a fun party buffet. Serving hot plates are ideal for this. You might choose to buy them, but if you ask around your friends and family, chances are someone will have one or two you can borrow. As for decorating? Pop to your favorite online party store and pick balloons, garlands, centerpieces and more. Enjoy!
Kids Birthday
Entertaining your child’s select friends at home will always cost less than hiring a restaurant or ordering a party pack at a play center. That doesn’t mean it has to be hard work or boring. There are lots of things you can do to make the occasion memorable and lots of fun for your son or daughter. Start by asking what they would like. It’s often best to sound out your kids’ ideas because it’s so easy to be off the mark.
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There are three things you need to ask them about. The first is the entertainment. Are they interested in it at all, or is music and disco ball adequate? The second is the activities. What kinds of activities would they like? Activities are often preferable to entertainers these days. Mini soccer, trampolining or jumping castles, or even a homemade treasure hunt could be ideal. Have a look at http://www.mykidsadventures.com/treasure-hunt-kids-guide/ for ideas about how to do this. The third thing to consider is the theme. Many under-tens are keen on movie or TV characters. Even fairy tales can be quite popular and trendy options.
When you know what their expectations are, you can begin to manage them! Explore their ideas but don’t go to extremes to make their dreams come true. It’s not usually practical to have pony rides in your backyard. The risks might simply be too high, especially when other people’s kids are invited. The next thing to do is to recruit your happy helpers. Grandparents and siblings are great for baking cakes, preparing the catering, and helping to decorate.
On the big day itself, why not present your child with a birthday boy or birthday girl top to wear? You can even personalize it with their name and age at stores like http://www.zoeyspersonalizedgifts.com/birthday-boy-shirts/. Kids are often keen for everything to be about them on their big day, so think about what else can be personalized. The cake, the banners, and even the party favors can bear your child’s name and the date of the party. These are great for keepsakes and those all-important photographs too.
New Baby
These events are often held at the home of the new Mom, but they are also one of the most tricky to manage. For a start, poor Mom is really tired and probably a little sore! The other problem is that there is no end to the guest list. Every member of the family and all the close friends want to be there to meet your little one. That can add up to a huge amount of socializing and handshaking. To make sure you have time for everyone, try these tips to help you set up the party to run smoothly from the start.
This is the one party that really does have to cater to every age group. There are likely to be other babies, children, adults and even very senior members of the family. Finger foods are not only easy to prepare and present, but they tend to suit better the wide range of dietary requirements that will be in your home. It can also be a good idea to label each plate or dish with the name of the main ingredients and any potential allergy warnings. This will spare you having to answer questions about the food when you’re trying to meet and greet so many of your guests.
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Leaving all the drinks out for people to serve themselves isn’t a good idea, though. Alcohol should be supervised when there are children about. Instead, ask a member of the family to help you out by running a bar or serving drinks. Alternatively, have an alcohol-free party. You can still enjoy wine, beer, and punch without any alcohol in them. The nursing Mom might appreciate that too!
If you are hosting a Christening or Naming party, you might find that many of your guests bring gifts for you or the baby. With a large party, this can become a little problematic. Decide in advance where you would like the gifts to go. Alternatively, place yourself somewhere that you can open each one as guests come in to meet the baby. Make sure you can still nurse or pop out of the room as you need to.
The party essentials for this kind of event include:
extra packets of baby wipes,
extra chairs to seat all the guests, and extra burp cloths so everyone can have a cuddle!
Balloons aren’t really a good idea. Kids can get carried away with them, and if they pop, they may wake the baby. They can also be very hazardous if there are any crawlers or tots prone to putting things in their mouths. Keep decorations and small foods out of their reach.
Wedding Reception
Yes, you can host a major event like a wedding reception at home. This can make the celebration far more intimate and poignant. It will undoubtedly be a smaller affair than a hotel-hosted reception, so the guest list will be smaller. Most importantly it can reduce your spend, or help you allocate funds to things like the dress, the ceremony, or the honeymoon. Best of all, it means you can have complete control over the event from the decorations, to the catering.
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Many families that choose to officially marry after having kids prefer a home wedding because the house is such a big part of their lives. Having your own living room or garden as a backdrop to your wedding photos will mean so much more to you over the years. It will also provide more meaning to those all-important family memories. It's wonderful if such an important family occasion took place there.
If you are the bride, it’s important you enlist the help of friends and family on the big day. After all, you have a lot of bridal duties to perform as well as being the hostess for the day. You might hire some waiting staff to serve food and drinks, or you might prefer the reception to be quite informal. If you’re having a summer wedding, make the most of your garden and hire a beautiful gazebo for the setting.
When it comes to the first dance, any floor will do, but hiring a small dance floor needn’t be too big a drain on your budget. Use some fairy lights to soften the light and create the right mood and atmosphere. Definitely, don’t worry about clearing up until the morning. Congratulations!
