About two weeks back I received a beautifully packed chocolate bar with an invitation inside for a dinner party. The invitation was from a dear friend who is famous for throwing parties. Averse to parties in general, I shoved it aside, refrigerating the chocolate. A few hours later, my friend called to confirm my presence. I tried to avoid going, but ended up confirming, and a week later found myself in her lounge, mingling with other guests.

The party was very well arranged and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Towards the end, before saying good-bye, I asked her the secret of throwing such wonderful get-togethers — after all it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. She smiled and said that failing to plan is planning to fail. Here are a few tips she shared with me about planning successful parties, whether they be birthdays, friends’ get-togethers, dinners, lunches, and Eid milan.

Pick a place, time and date

Plan properly and have a blast

These are the most important pre-event things and should be on top of your to-do-list. Be careful while choosing a date so it doesn’t coincide with any other event happening your guests may be invited to. If it’s a birthday, try having it on the same day or on a Saturday, while dinner /brunches are surely weekend affairs. Weekdays are never a good idea since your guests have to work the next day.

Similarly, decide on suitable party timings keeping factors like commuting and children’s bedtime in mind.

As for the place, pick one that is convenient for all the guests to reach. If you are booking a restaurant or any other outdoor venue, consider sending your guests a map with the invitation to avoid any problems. Also, don’t forget to book the venue at least two to three weeks in advance.

Budget allocation

The bigger your party is, the heftier your budget should be. Therefore, calculate the budget before beginning any preparations. You can reduce the expenditure significantly by hosting the event at your home instead of a restaurant. You can erect a marquee in your lawn to have an open door, one-dish party, which is a great way of having everyone’s contribution with lots of variety. But, of course one-dish is not for celebrating a birthday or an anniversary.

Invite your guests

Once you have decided the first four essentials, it’s time to make your guest list. It’s important to bear in mind the theme of your gala before drawing up the crowd list. For example, your kid’s birthday bash will include more of his friends than yours. Similarly, you will see more of your immediate as well as extended family members on a Sunday brunch or in a Mila’ad gathering. If you are throwing a cocktail party, you are more likely to invite and socialise with your colleagues and business partners.

It’s very common to call or email your friends about the party. Try doing something out-of-the-box for your next big bash. You can choose a fancy hand-made invitation card or use an accessory to excite your guests. For example, send a masquerade with invitation or choose fancy plastic balloons for kid’s birthday.

Once you have sent the invitations, do a thorough follow-up for confirmations. An absolute head count is important to order sufficient refreshments.

Usually, approximately 70 per cent to 80pc invitees show up for an event, therefore it’s always wise to invite 20 people additionally.

Prep for the party

Now comes the fun part: decorating the party place. If you have a theme lined up, like Games of Thrones or Harry Potter, use complementary banners, streamers, costumes and colourful confetti to create excitement. Inform your guests about the costumes too, well before the event.

If yours is a rock party, then you can set up a dance floor with strobe lights, lasers and a fog machine with DJ playing music continuously. The party I attended was a simple girls’ night in, therefore mood lights with multi coloured paper lanterns were used to brighten up the place. Soft country music was playing in the background with a buffet laid for the guests.

For foodies

A party can be a hit or miss simply because of food. Therefore, order or cook what your guests like. Pasta, Chinese, chicken dishes and BBQ are always safe choices. For kids’ birthday, choose healthy munchies like pin-wheel sandwiches, breadsticks with tomato sauce dips, fruit twigs (different fruit slices on a stick) and mini strawberry or lemon tarts coupled with fresh juices or shakes.

If it’s a causal get-together, consider kebabs, desi curry and roti / rice dishes including plenty of fresh salads, fruits and juices. Avoid serving heavy foods like Nehari and Paye unless your guests wish to indulge in such a treat. As for brunches, the trend is Halwa Puri; however try the new and delicious Nutella or Cheese roti as they are becoming quite popular.

There’s a famous quote “live the party, love the party, be the party”. Hence, plan a party soon and let the fun begin.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, August 2nd, 2015

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