BabyN's Birthday Party Highlights & Tips for Party Planning in a Budget
Planning events and parties can be quite a daunting task. There's so my much that's involved - from preparing the guest list to the invites, getting the food done, party decor, arranging the venue and so many other nitty-gritty things to consider. If you're on Instagram, you must have got a sneak-peak and may now know about what I'm talking about. We arranged BabyN's birthday party recently and it went really well so I thought of writing a few party planning tips for you guys!
Prepare a Check List - For me, this is extremely important and I have a check-list for everything. REALLY! It just makes my life easy and stress-free and I don't miss anything because of that check list, readily available on my mobile.
Guest List - In the most recent event that I've organised, I've observed that when it comes to everyday routine, there are just a handful of people who stay in touch but when it comes to an event, all of a sudden there are so many people who come to the mind and enter the list of out prospective guests. Due to budget limitations, we cannot just invite everyone and have to cut down the number. Include the closest ones who regularly keep in touch or those who invite you to events regularly.
Venue - Depending on the availability and your choice, you may opt for your own house as the venue. Of course, the work you need to do when throwing a party at home increases and not to forget the after-party mess that needs cleaning but you can keep things in your control and arrange food accordingly. I personally prefer arranging parties at home because I can do whatever I like, in my own way. Unfortunately, due to the distance for the guests and the layout of our current house, we couldn't do it at home. The next option can be a party hall or a restaurant.
We opted for a Halal buffet restaurant called Jimmy's World Buffet at the O2 in London. There were lots of other options too, but we wanted to opt for a buffet to give our guests the choice to eat whatever they like. I didn't have to worry about the food at all and since it's a restaurant, there were some limitations with regards to party decor. We bought our own cake, but they don't allow party poppers, any decor on the walls or those flaming candles. So, we simply reached there 30 minutes before our guests were supposed to arrive to settle BabyN' down, and to do some table decor that included a bunch of helium balloons (got 3 decent sized filled balloons from ASDA for £5 - bargain!) and got some other balloons from Pound Stretcher (a pack of 25 balloons for 75 p).
Now it's not necessary that you can always find the cheapest things at the 1 pound shops but sometimes you can even find cheaper stuff at other shops. Just be on a look out. During my research, I also observed that Pound Stretcher also sells other party stuff cheaper than the pound shops but we didn't need them because the restaurant was already providing the plates and cutlery. You can read my detailed review of the restaurant, here (details on parking, food and interior).
Since it was festive season, the restaurant had increased their rates so it was £16.99 per head and £2.75 per drink on that Sunday. For children under 10, they charged half price and for every 3 children, they charge the price of one half price buffet. Our guests enjoyed the party and the food and we were happy because they could enjoy whatever food they fancied.
Party food/Cake - Stores such as Tesco and Iceland do provide party food, which is highly convenient. If you're doing the party at home, keep your work minimum and simply get things from outside. I also did some research on bakeries and bakers around but their prices were too high and since we had already opted for a buffet restaurant that served a variety of cakes in their dessert section, we just picked up a cake and a candle from the bakery section of a store.
Party Favours - This is something what the kids really look forward to, as chocolates or candies are the most interesting part for them. I would advise picking up a big pack of candies and dividing them in all bags. The cost gets lower that way.
I was really glad that everything went as planned, the guests enjoyed the food but unfortunately we couldn't do the games I had planned because of the issue of space and time allowed at the restaurant.
Jimmy's is a great restaurant and it is not a bad price either for an all you can eat buffet. A guest list is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Nowadays they're having discounts so make sure to subscribe to their mailing ID to receive your vouchers!
DeleteI am happy everything went well. I know how stressful it can be to plan a birthday party! My grandson had his first birthday party last month and all was well, until the photographer failed to deliver the pictures as per contract. After several weeks of heated message exchange, he finally sent the pictures.
ReplyDeleteI remember all the childrens birthday parties I have given in the past and they can be really expensive even if you host them at home.The party bags are usually the highlight at the end and each child delights in the goodies to be found there. I;m glad your party was super successful.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips shared! I could relate points mentioned by you for planning any event or party!
ReplyDeleteI know that there are small groups of people (companies or associations) working in the organization of children parties and in the end they can be even cheaper than a DIY organization. Collecting some info before the party could be another way to spare time and money, maybe
ReplyDeleteI agree its really a great deal to arrange for a kids birthday party so many tasks at hand. And everything has to be just perfect from food to decorations to guest list. Thanks for these tips
ReplyDeleteGreat tips for organizing a birthday party! A check list is always helpful and I totally agree with keeping the guest list sort. I also love the idea of a buffet, it's so practical and everyone is happy.
ReplyDeleteYes keeping the guest list short will help keep you within your budget. These are some good tips that I will need for my son's next birthday.
ReplyDeleteAww!! So cute and I love your tips. I've never planned an actual party for a friend, so I don't really have any times. However, I've planned a group dinner at a restaurant for birthdays and I tell people to arrive at a certain time. Usually, that time is 45 mins before the reservation because someone is always late preventing us from starting and eating on time.
ReplyDeleteHi ...I was thinking on same lines for my sons first bday party ..what was your guest size??
ReplyDeleteWow this is amazing cake ideas. I love the decoration. I mostly order cake online for every occasion in family.
ReplyDeleteI want to thank the author for sharing these great ideas. Simplify your party plan with these tips for meaningful, fun and inexpensive birthday parties.
ReplyDeleteI think most important things for every birthday is your budget. You have to strict on you list first and second most important thing is your Birthday Cake. Visit our portal for https://www.way2flowers.com for more birthday cakes.
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