Planning a party for whatever occasion can be stressful, particularly if you’ve got a tight budget in mind. But you shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that you’re organizing a fun and sociable event, that you should be getting everyone excited about! To ease the fear factor of laying on an event, there are simple steps you can take to make it as straightforward as possible. Here are four things you should be thinking about:

Draw up a checklist

You need something that will be the backbone of your party planning. That should come in the form of a checklist. It’s something you can write on a piece of paper, in the good old-fashioned way, or you can use an app.

You need to write down all the things that you need to achieve in your party planning and the key dates, whether that’s sending out invites, booking a venue or arranging the catering. As you work through the list, check things off and you will be clear on what’s left to do.

The worst thing you can do is to try and arrange everything in your head and lose track of where you are and what tasks still need to be achieved. Also, don’t feel like you have to do it all alone. Why not ask a friend or relative to share some of the planning too?

What kind of party?

Depending on the occasion that you’re celebrating, you’ll want to decide what kind of party you’re hosting. If it’s a birthday party, for example, do you want to have a fancy-dress theme to spice it all up? You could have a superhero theme, characters from history or retro food products. Let your imagination run wild!

If you’re not going with a fancy-dress theme, you still need to think about the dress code. Can people come as they are? Or should they wear more formal clothing? As the host, you also need to think about what you’re going to wear. Why not head online to get some inspiration, you’ll find all sorts of options to get you in the party mood, including petite clothing ranges.

How many guests?

Another key thing you need to decide on is how many guests you are going to invite to your party. This will, of course, depend on how big your budget is, the kind of event you are laying on and how much capacity your venue has. Write out a list and then go through a shortlisting process to get it down to the numbers you’re aiming for. Try and get your invites out as much in advance as possible, to ensure you get your party in diaries before people get booked up.

Catering

Another thing you need to keep on top of is the catering. Will you be providing free food? If so, you could consider organizing a buffet, with guests helping themselves to a range of options. Make sure you cater for all tastes and dietary requirements, ensuring that you’re across any allergies. How about drinks? You could organize a bar at the venue to sell drinks, you could buy your own supplies, or you could ask guests to bring a bottle with them!