How to Spend Your Money When Planning a Party

Planning a party is a lot of work, and for many people, it can be an overwhelming task once they get started. Even if you feel prepared, you may face costs that you weren’t planning for or setbacks that leave you scrambling to find solutions at the last minute. Whether you’re throwing a huge wedding reception or an intimate holiday party, it’s important to get organized. One of the major considerations you’ll need to think about is funding the party, so thinking ahead of time about where your money will go is important. Work out a budget ahead of time and allot funds to certain areas, with backup ideas in the wings in case something doesn’t go as planned.

Here are some budgeting ideas from Scottsdale Private Event Venues to use as guidelines.

How to Spend Your Money When Planning a Party

Budget for Food First

You can’t have much of a party without great food, but it can become costly if you don’t plan well. Catering is much easier than cooking everything yourself, so think about your favorite spots to eat and find out what their menu is like. Feeding a lot of people is the best way to drive up your budget, but if you ask about discounts and search online, you can hook up with offers from your favorite restaurants. This way, you don’t have to work yourself to death cooking for two days, and every one of your guests will be delighted at the menu. Your wallet will thank you.

How to Spend Your Money When Planning a Party

Create Atmosphere, Not Decor

One of the things you can easily spend too much money on is decor. After all, you want to spruce up the event space and make it look like a party, right? The thing is, once you pay for balloons, streamers, photo booth props, and all the other details you can find at a party supply store, you’ll find yourself having to cut the budget somewhere else. Instead of spending a ton on those little decorations, focus on creating an atmosphere. Dim the lights and use candles to make the space warm, inviting, and cozy; mirrors will make the space look bigger and will add light. Turn down the heat if your party is in the wintertime, as a house full of people will become uncomfortable pretty quickly. Twinkle lights are a great touch across a mantel, especially at holiday parties, and you can find all the ingredients you need to make a gorgeous wreath or centerpiece at your local dollar store. How to Spend Your Money When Planning a Party

Cut the Paper

Paper invitations are a lovely touch, but for anything other than the wedding, they aren’t necessary anymore. Just about everyone is online these days, and an e-vite is much better for the environment. Not only that, you’ll save a ton on cardstock and postage, and you won’t have to worry about nailing down everyone’s home address. There are several options online that will allow you to create adorable or classy invitations, or you can just make an event on social media.

Social media is a great tool to help spread the word about your event. To help, think about creating a meme about your party or an infographic about the theme. It’s easy to do online; check this out – it’s a free infographic tool. You can quickly customize a template to provide eye-catching instructions or info about your event to assure that your guests arrive in style. How to Spend Your Money When Planning a Party

Only Provide the Necessities

Lots of parties are casual enough that you can tell your guests to bring their own alcohol, side dishes, or desserts. Make a cookout or Friendsgiving a potluck so that everyone will have something they enjoy, and just provide the basics. For instance, you might take care of the meat at a barbecue and let everyone else bring the rest. If you’re going this route, it’s a good idea to create a sign-up list so that your guests won’t bring doubles. How to Spend Your Money When Planning a Party

Figuring out your party budget can be stressful, but by planning ahead a little, you can create a soiree that your guests will remember for years to come. Focus on the most important parts and don’t sweat the small stuff, since no one else will, either.

If you’re searching for the perfect place to host your next event, contact Scottsdale Private Event Venues today! How to Spend Your Money When Planning a Party