When you are planning a party, or even planning an entire event, being well organized can set you apart from those who have a difficult time of it.  Organization is your best friend when it comes to successfully planning and having a party or event of any size.  And, the key to having successful organization skills lies in your shopping list.  When you have an excellent shopping list, then you are sure to have all of the supplies you need on the day of your party or event.

It is very easy for most people to become overwhelmed when they enter a store or mall.  You walk in thinking that you know exactly what you want, and then you find yourself amongst so many amazing things that you start to question your original thoughts and decisions.  This often leads to purchasing things you hadn’t planned on.  In a worst case scenario this means you forget vital items.  In a best case scenario it generally means that you spend too much money and go over your budget.  The simple way to avoid having this happen is to make a good shopping list and then stick to it when you shop.

The first step in preparing your shopping list is to gather up a pencil and a pad of paper.  You want to label the first page of the notepad with the date of your event and any location information you might need later, such as an address or phone number if your party will not be held at your own home.

The second step in preparing your shopping list is to decide what the menu will be and what ingredients your menu requires you to have.  Take the time to go through each recipe for your menu and write down each of the ingredients you will need to purchase and the quantities you will need.  Each of these ingredients, with their amounts listed, will go under the heading of “food” on your master party shopping list.

The third step to preparing your shopping list is to decide on any beverages which you will be serving and the quantities you need to obtain.  Each of your beverages, with their amounts listed, will go under the heading of “beverages” on your master party shopping list.

The next step to preparing your shopping list is to decide what party and paper goods you will need for the event or party.  Consider things like plates, cups, silverware, serving bowls, centerpieces for tables, flowers, tables and chairs, etc.  Make sure to write down anything you could possibly need on your master party shopping list.

Now that you have an all inclusive master shopping list, it is a good idea to break that list down by stores and times when you will be buying the items listed.  For example, you will likely want to shop twice at the grocery store.  The first time you will want to shop for everything which will last until the date of your event; the second time you will want to shop for perishable items such as fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and breads.  This means that you want one page for the items you will purchase on the first trip, and another page for the items which you will purchase at the last minute.

As you make your sub-lists, you will want to add in your shopping times to your master party planning calendar.  You will likely have two grocery shopping trips, a trip to the party store, a trip to the liquor store, and a trip to the florist as well.  By taking the time to schedule shopping at each of these venues, you can ensure that you do not forget to go to one store or another, and that you will have the time needed to obtain all of the things you will need to have a successful party or event.  As you can clearly see, creating a master shopping list is the only way to plan a successful party or event like a professional party planner.  And, through the use of sub-lists you can zero in on just what you want and ignore the other things in the store that might have otherwise tempted you.

The invitation to your party is the first glimpse into your celebration for your guests.  For this reason, your invitations should match the occasion in both style and theme as well.  Your invitation is meant to inform your invited guests about your event, but also they are to give your invitees a small glimpse into what is to come at your party.

You will want to send out your invitations at least four weeks before a smaller party and eight weeks prior for a larger event such as a wedding.  You may also want to make sure that your party or event is not held over a holiday weekend when many of your friends and family may already have other plans or will not want to deal with holiday travel.

The wording on your invitation should be done in a very standard way.  This means that it should include the following:

All phrasing should always be in the third-person.

Punctuation is never used at the ends of lines on an invitation, only on names and addresses which require them.

Try not to use any abbreviations on your invitations.  Spell out names, addresses, etc. fully.  The one exception to this is the use of Mr. And Mrs.  Both of these abbreviations are appropriate for an invitation.

Days, dates, and times should all be spelled out completely.

If you have a husband and wife couple who you will be inviting who happen to both be doctors, you can simply address your invitation to “The Doctors “Last Name” and it will be correct

It is always socially unacceptable to write “no children” or refer to gifts (even when specifying “no gifts”) on any invitations.

Each invitation should have the following information contained on it:

The name of the host or hosts.

The purpose of the event.

The name of the guest of honor.

The day, date and time of the event.

The location of the event.

The address of the event with the street address only, not the zip code.

Once you have your invitations completed, then it is time to get a friend to read over them for you and let you know if you have any mistakes in your text.  This is very important because the last thing you want to do is send out all of your invitations with the wrong date or time on them.  It is so much easier to catch and fix mistakes before the invitations are ever sent out.

You might find it surprising to know that in this day and age you can have your invitations printed at a very reasonable cost online.  In addition, if you have a good graphics program and printer, you can do them yourself.  If you will be having a smaller event, it is perfectly acceptable to purchase a package of the hand-written invitations from your local store and simply write in the information on them.

If you will be having a very informal party, you can have some fun and informal invitations.  If you are planning a much more formal party or event such as a wedding, then you are best to stick to professionally printed invitations.