Our top tips for planning your children's birthday party

Life as a parent can be busy enough without having to find the time to plan your child's special day. You want their party to be as magical and perfect as them.

Pretty Little Event has come up with our top tips planning checklist to make your day as stress free as possible.

Don't forget to keep us in mind while you plan!

1. THEME

First off you want to choose a theme. Is there a particular princess or superhero that they look up to? Is there a colour combination they love? Or one of their favourite characters from a TV program or film perhaps?

Don't worry if you are unsure on what theme to choose, we have lot's of inspiration on our 'Party Theme Inspiration' blog post.

2. SET A DATE

Once you have figured out what theme you are going for, choose the date you would like the party to take place on. Getting the date set in stone early on will give you plenty of time to plan and keep the process stress free.

3. BUDGET

This is very important. This is what the whole planning process is based on. Are you looking to host your party at home or at a venue? Catering.. will you be doing this yourself or hiring a outside company to do this for you. Will you be creating your own favours or ordering these online? Invitations.. will you be making these yourself or ordering custom ones online? Will you be having entertainment at the party? Will you be ordering a cake, buying one from a store or making one yourself? Do you want to hire a photographer?

There is so much to think about and if you are unsure where to begin, keep following our tips below:

4. VENUE

If you are planning to hire a venue for the party, I recommend reaching out as early as possible to avoid disappointment. If you are thinking on having the party at home, you will need to take into consideration the weather if outdoors and size of your guest list.

5. CATERING

A party truly isn't a party without a good spread! Depending on your budget, hiring a caterer is always a good option. Choosing a venue that includes food is ideal, that way you don't have to worry about what food to prepare and whether you have enough etc.

If you are doing the food yourself, here are some buffet style options:

Sandwiches, wraps, pizza, garlic bread, sausage rolls, chips, crisps, carrot/cucumber sticks, pitta, cheese twists, breadsticks, hummus, dips, popcorn, fairy cakes, biscuits, sweets.

If you are planning individual food party boxes, it's a good idea to include at least five things in each box. For example, a sandwich (ham or cheese), crisps/carrot or cucumber sticks, cheese string, a fairy cake, a piece of fruit and a napkin.

It's not always necessary to feed adults as that can be quite costly depending on the amount of guests. If you would like to put something out for the adults to snack on crisps, breadsticks, cheese, crackers and dips are always a good idea.

Be sure to find out if any guests have any allergies!!

6. FAVOURS

Party favours are a good idea but not always essential. If it's not within your budget simply handing out a piece of cake at the end of the party is more than enough.

If you are making your own favours, here are our recommendations on what you can include:

Colouring book with crayons, pens or pencils. Stickers or tattoos, small toys, a piece of cake, something related to the theme of the party, bubbles, sweet cones, popcorn etc.

7. GUEST LIST & INVITATIONS

In order to have a party, you need to invite guests! Write down all the guests you plan to invite so you know how many invites to order/create. If you plan on making your own invites Canva have great tools to help create your own invitation: https://www.canva.com/invitations/

We can create and incorporate the theme of your event to custom invitations made by us if you have chosen to use us to plan your event. Ask us for a quote for invitations upon booking.

I recommend sending your invites out at least three weeks prior to the party. This gives them enough time to save the date and RSVP.

8. ENTERTAINMENT

This is a must to keep your little guests entertained. Whether it be from little games such as pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey, a pinata to a mascot. You want the party to be as joyful as possible!

9. CAKE

The second most important part of the party.. CAKE!! (First being the guest of honour of course). Cheapest options will be either making your own cake or picking one up from a supermarket. If you are thinking on hiring a cake maker, sooner would be a good idea to get in booked in and to discuss themes, ideas and pricing!

10. DECORATIONS

Adding decorations to the party adds a lot of fun and excitement. Pretty Little Event has lots of party styling to offer. If this is out of your price range then simply adding some streamers, balloons and some traditional party decorations will be a great finishing touch.