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In later life we all have plenty of things to celebrate –
the 50th or 60th birthday party (or even the 65th, when Her
Majesty gives the male of the species his pension), the
birth of a grandchild, the Ruby or Golden Wedding
Anniversary, Christmas and so on.
Whatever type of party it is, you want it go with a swing
and for your guests to go home saying what a wonderful time
they had.
Unfortunately, these things don’t just happen; organising a
party is a lot of hard work and, if you choose to do it
yourself, there will undoubtedly be times along the way when
you wish you hadn’t! There’s a lot to think about and very
often the big day arrives and you suddenly realise you have
forgotten something.
So, to help you out, make sure you don’t forget anything,
give you some ideas and enable you to organise a party to
remember we’ve put together this Guide to help you. The aim is
to provide you with some guidelines on the key areas to
consider, together with useful links, so you can use your own inspiration to plan a party
that everyone will remember.
It’s putting all the ingredients together and making them
into a coherent whole that is the ultimate test for you as a
party host. If you think about your guests and do everything
with them in mind, you will have a very special party – one
that people will talk about (for the right reasons) for a
long time.
What Type of Party?
Almost everyone enjoys a good party – but what sort are you
going to provide? The list of possibilities when organising
a party is (almost) endless, but you need to decide at the
outset what sort of party you are going to have. Here are
some ideas for you, but you will be able to think of some
more of your own, so get your imagination working!
- Year you were born party
- Bring a bottle party
- Themed – The Great Gatsby or James Bond, for example. If
it's for someone (a retirement party, for example) have a
theme that reflects one of their hobbies or interests.
- Garden party
- Progressive party – sometimes called a Safari party, in
which you move from house to house
- Formal black tie party
- Murder mystery
- Bring a cocktail
- Bring a plate
- This is your life party
- Fancy dress
- Wig party
- Treasure Hunt party
- Fun Casino Party
- 60s party – bring a photograph of how you looked in the
60s
- Riverboat party
- Year you were
married party
- Pool party
- Party on a London bus
- Hire a castle party (with medieval banquet)
- Party in your favourite restaurant
- Theatre or cinema followed by a meal
- Trip to a sporting event followed by a meal
- Red Letter day – ballooning etc
- Village hall or pub party
- Surprise party
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Something in that list should appeal to you – or at least set
your mind working so that you can come up with your own, even
better, idea!
The type of party might well determine (or be determined by) the
time of day you have it. Lunch time or afternoon parties can be
great – but remember that it might be difficult persuading
people to leave if you don’t want them there in the evening,
too!
Your options are limited only by your own imagination. Get it
out, polish it up and give them a party they’ll remember.
Whatever you choose, make sure that both you and your guests
have a great time.
And make sure
your party invitation reflects the great time you want them
to have.
Budget
Until you know how much you are prepared to spend on the party,
there are very few concrete decisions you can make. It may
determine whether you have it at home or elsewhere and will
probably be the dominant factor in deciding the overall nature
of the party, as well as how many nice little extras you can
throw in. It may even determine whether you are going to ask
people to bring a bottle or a plate.
So think carefully about how much you are going to spend and
then, as you go through the rest of the planning, make sure you
cost each element. You don’t want to spoil the ship for a
hap’orth of tar – but you don’t want to go broke over it either.
For further information on organising that special party,
click on the links below:
Venue, Guests and Invitations
Food and
Drink
Making it go with a swing!
Something Completely Different
Visit our
Pre-retirement Courses
section here on laterlife or our
dedicated Retirement Courses site
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