So, you’re having a small event and you want to make it the best.  Maybe you just want to impress your friends.  Maybe you want to just allow your creativity to show through.  Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are several ways you can create an impressive and fun event for your attendees.

1) Food.  Food is one of the first things we think about for events, apart from the alcohol. Get creative!  Food can be fun and dramatic.  Try some things you haven’t before.  Use the resources at your disposal.  There are so many websites with some great recipes.

Find your favourite celebrity cooks and chefs to see what they’re making. Use websites like the Food Network’s Recipe or BBC’s Food section to inspire.  Pinterest is the perfect tool to keep serving ideas.  Just search “food” pins or whatever category of food you’re interested in serving, pin them on a board for your next soiree.

NOTE: Try the recipes before the day of.  Many times you’ll need to adjust the recipe to make them work for you.

Plating is one of the most important things to consider when preparing for an event that people will talk about for weeks following. Whether you are serving your creations dish by dish or en buffet, plating can really make the difference.  From just adding a drizzling of Balsamic Glaze to vegetables or a Caprese to garnishing with fresh herbs.  For some tips about “Food Styling” check out this article on Stylist.co.uk.

Don’t forget the sweets.

2) Decorate for the occasion.  You’ll obviously want to plan the decorations around your event.  This is another high impact way surprise your guests.

The use of candles can go wrong real quickly, but they absolutely add elegance and ambiance to the event space.  Rice paper lanterns, hurricane lamps, pebble filled vases, sconces, pedestals, and glass votive holders are all great ways to add atmosphere.

Choose your décor based on the event type, venue, theme and season.  You can find them decorations in many places.  Try not to over saturate the space with gaudy items.  A few well placed items to tie in your theme can be enough.  Bare in mind that this is not your Mum’s Christmas Dinner.

NOTE: AVOID discount store decorations. Just don’t!

NOTE 2: Keep it classy.  Less is more…in most cases.

3) Guest List. It is important to invite the right people to your event.  If you’re having family over then there’s not much of a way to avoid having some drama, but if it’s friends and associates you can.  Choose the guest list to minimize drama.  We all have that friend or relative that has a tendency to just over indulge. There’s a time an a place and more than likely your event is not it.

If you have a friend that has been invited, it’s probably best to avoid inviting their ex or their sworn enemy. The drama we want at our events is the kind of drama that inspires awe, not the throw down, bottle smash that some of our family events turn into.  Keeping this in mind when creating the list is always a good idea.

NOTE: Prepare your list and send invitations several weeks in advance. We get busy, having enough time to plan accordingly is priceless.

4) Planning is essential. Give yourself plenty of time to make this event amazing.  I suggest starting anywhere from two months to a month and half to plan for a spectacular event.  Why? Think about your last event when you didn’t plan that far ahead.  It was more than likely wrought with anxiety and missed opportunities. Giving yourself that extra time helps eliminate that stress.

Preparation begins with the idea.  Are you building your event around a theme?  A theme doesn’t have to be something like “I’m having a Doctor Who Party!”, it can be as simple as “It’s Autumn” or “I wanna make pasta!”. That theme or idea is the first key to planning the event you want.

Budget is the next thing to consider.  Once you have you’re theme, evaluate how much you want to spend on this event.  This will help you plan how to

NOTE: Give your self a reasonable buffer to go over when you set your budget.

After the budget you’ll want to think about the venue. It’s the next most important item to have secured when you’re getting everything in place.  Is the venue your flat or is it a ballroom?

The venue either limits or permits.  How much space do you have?  How much do you need?  Plan everything around those questions.  Surprisingly, it can sometimes be more difficult to work in a space that’s too large than too small.  When you have a large venue, you want to make sure that it doesn’t feel like it’s empty.  Do you have the budget to decorate the space in an adequate manner?

Food and beverage are your next task. How much do I make or order?  There are several websites that will offer you a rule for food preparation.  Use these sites to help you plan how much to make or order.  Also, will you be charged with the task of preparation, or are you ordering catering?  Both options are viable, but are both options within your budget?

5) Keep it fun! If this is too much work for you and you become so stressed that you’re hair begins to fall out, cancel!  Gatherings are meant to be fun and to share in a communal experience.  If it’s getting to you, either find some help, call in a professional or cancel the event.  It does nobody any good if you’re grumpy up to and during an event.

Most importantly, your guests need to have a great time.  The ultimate satisfaction the host can experience is when everyone is having a great time, enjoying the food and atmosphere and sharing amazing memories that they will share with others.

Now, go plan it and they will come!

 

 
Source: GROOP!Place Blogs