give yourself plenty of time to plan your party
If there's one thing I learned early on, it's that partygoers have party/party host radar. If you were/are stressed out over planning and throwing your party they will pick up on that instantly. And it can doom your party to failure if they pick up on that vibe.
On the other hand, if you have FUN yourself planning and throwing your party they pick up that vibe too and will be as excited as you are about your event.
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I always gave myself 6 months to 1 year to plan a party, especially for a client. When I explained to them why I did this they were completely on board with the idea - IT SAVES YOU AND THEM MONEY in throwing the party. And who can afford not to save money? Very few of us.
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By planning that far in advance, I could save a bundle of money by shopping annual sales, etc. for needed items. Nor did I stress myself or my clients out in doing so. Having sufficient time to plan also meant I could pay attention to every detail of that party and it's what I became known for as a party planner with my clients. They knew I wasn't rushing through planning their event and just throwing it together haphazardly, that I paid attention to every little detail of their event.
set your budget and stick to it
If you're planning for a client, they will set the budget for you. Either way, you want to set your budget and stick to it. I always came in under budget by planning as far in advance as I did and my clients knew I passed that savings on to them. And if you're planning your own personal party, then that savings stays in YOUR pocket.
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As far as throwing my own personal parties went, I'd put the money I'd saved in coming in under budget in a personal party bank account. At the end of the year I'd saved enough to throw one heck of a bash.
get the proper venue
Most of the time your venue will be your own home. But on those occasions you have to book a venue, do so wisely. You want a venue large enough to accommodate all of your guests comfortably and allow traffic patterns to remain unobstructed. If you're holding your event outdoors, what contingency plan do you have in place in case of inclement weather? Can you move your event indoors quickly without that bad weather ruining your entire party? Is your venue conveniently located for your guests?
When I had to deal with a venue I always sketched out where everything was, especially electrical outlets for staging purposes! Then I knew exactly what I had to work with as far as lighting, etc. I'd always ask venue staff what they had available that I might need and if so, what would they charge to provide it? More often than not, I could provide what I needed more expensively myself. I'd also ask them what they would NOT allow me to do as far as staging, activities, etc.
get a party co-host
Believe me when I say that if you think you can singlehandedly handle 12 guests singlehandedly, you need to get your head out of the clouds - especially if those 12 kids are hyped to the max over the party to begin with!
You need at least one co-host for your parties. The unexpected will almost always crop up or there will be something you'll find last minute you need to do - pulling you away from your guests. This is where you co-host comes in.
He/she can handle what you can't at any given moment. Your co-host can be a family member, a friend, a neighbor or just someone who enjoys parties as much as you do.
go for the wow! factor from the start
While we live in an age of technology, when it comes to party invitations sending a digital invite to guests isn't necessarily the best way to go.
I actually did a study on this with my clients in order to learn their psychology when it came to accepting or declining a party invitation.
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The results were that if the invitation itself captured their interest via the WOW! factor, they'd plan on attending the party out of curiosity itself if nothing else.
"If the invitation had that much thought and work that went into it, what will the party itself be like?"
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For that reason, I usually spent a lot of time and effort on the party invitation itself because that is the very first impression your guests are going to get of your party.
If they think you invitation is HO HUM, they draw the conclusion the party itself will be HO HUM. So why bother attending?
KNOW YOUR GUESTS
If Uncle Billy Bob and Aunt Sadie Mae have been feuding over the secret family moonshine recipe for decades, do you really want to risk inviting them to the same party? Speaking as an ex-cop, not unless you want the Po-Po showing up as uninvited guests at your shindig to handle the ensuing broohaha between Uncle Billy Bob and Aunt Sadie Mae!
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Similarly, you want to know which of your guests have outgoing personalities, that are usually up for anything
and will help you pull reserved wallflower type guests in to the party action. Nothing will kill a party faster than disputes and wallflowers who plant themselves in a corner, drink in hand and merely observe the action.
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Even when throwing parties for clients (especially for kids!) I'd get a 'read' on each child's personalities from the client. Who got along well with whom? Who tended not to get along? Which of the kids were the most outgoing and which were more reserved? Doing this saved me a whole lot of headaches because as you likely well know, kids inevitably get into tussles over one thing or another.
costumes
Ideally you want to make your party guests feel like they're time travelers, going forward and backward in time appropriate to the theme/time era of your event. You need only create this ILLUSION in their minds, their own imaginations will do the rest. For example, for my Titanic party I wanted my guests to feel like they were the actual Titanic passengers they were portraying at that Titanic party. If I'd not accomplished this, the party wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it was.
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I always asked guests to come in costume to help achieve this time travel effect and transport them either forward or backward in time. Inevitably, they'd show up at the party already "in character".
I'd also use the costuming as an activity!
food/menu
Your food/menu will depend on what kind of party you're hosting. You can do snacks, finger foods, or a full more formal sit down dinner. No matter what kind of party you're hosting, your food should reflect the theme of your party and be theme-appropriately displayed.
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Rule #2 - Unless you're serving simple foods that can be prepared ahead of time, DO NOT FIGURE ON DOING ALL OF THE PREPARATION YOURSELF! You'll have enough to do the day of your party without being chained to your kitchen! You won't have time to do this come the day of your party and you don't want to miss your own party, do you? I had a couple of professional chef friends, a couple of cake decorators, etc. I could call on to prepare more elaborate meals for me. If nothing else, consider a potluck where everyone brings a dish or hire a caterer.
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For kids parties, kids don't tend to eat a lot at parties. They're too hyped up over the activities to care much about food. So you can keep their menus relatively simple.
take an inventory of your home
Before planning your next party or event, take an inventory of your home. What do you already have that would lend itself to your party as far as staging, props, etc.? I know this sounds silly but when I did this, I discovered items I didn't even remember purchasing or having...and saved myself a bundle of money as a result.
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Nor do you have to purchase all of your needed party items new. Whenever possible I'd purchase secondhand and simply and inexpensively refurbish that item. I'd borrow needed items from family and friends if they had what I needed. I'd check with my local rental store to see if they had what I was looking for and rent what I needed for a day. This is one of the major ways you'll save money when planning your parties.
take stock of your skills and hone them
I'd graduated with a BA in Graphic Art and Interior Design. I'd worked on set construction for theatrical productions. I knew woodworking, carpentry, scrapbooking, arts and crafts, how to sew, how to do calligraphy, etc. No, I'm not saying that to brag... all of those skills came into play big time in party planning and doing so inexpensively by doing it myself. The more adept you are at DIY, the more inexpensively you can plan and throw an event. And honestly, DIY can be a whole lot of fun! I've created items I didn't believe I could make myself
On that note, on to DIY skills you'll need for staging your own parties...