My Love-Lee Party Planning System

OUR LITTLE PUMPKIN, EMERSON,     IS TURNING ONE!!

I am knee deep in planning and prepping for our little girl's 1st birthday.  October has always been my favorite month.  I love all Fall Festivities and I look much better covered up in warmer clothing. Ha ha Bring on the sweaters, scarfs and boots!!! I digress...So I feel like it was a special treat for me that my little darling was born in October! Her birthday is going to be at a local farm and I am so excited.  Mommy may have taken advantage of the fact that she is still too little to say what she wants do to for her birthday.  

As I am throwing myself into my usual party planning process it occurred to me that my friends have asked me how I plan such cute parties and that others may not have a system for doing so.  "I don't know how you had the time to do all of this!" is a comment I hear pretty much every time.  So here is my super simplistic approach to Party Planning.  

My Love-Lee Party Planning System:

First Step - Decide on the theme, vibe or color scheme.  I resort to Google image and Pinterest searches for inspiration. 

Second Step - I open up paint on my computer and I sketch out a rough draft of what I want the main cake, dessert, food or whatever table to look like.  For me everything else coordinates with that main focal point so that is what I nail down.

Third Step - I print off my sketch. I select to print it in 4x6 size so it leaves plenty of room for my notes.  You can also simply free hand a sketch. 

Fourth Step - I'm visual, so I use the sketch to break down exactly what I have and what I will need to buy.  I have even noted where I think I will buy them.  This helps with having a plan for when and where you will make your buying trips.  This also gives you a better idea how far in advance you'll need to start shopping so you don't feel last minute anxiety.  I use to wait till a few days before and I ALWAYS under-estimated the amount of stuff to buy and also the number of stores I needed to make it to.  

Online Buying can be very helpful. My advice is to get as many things per place as possible.  Most of the stores the items are going to be shipped together which means one shipping fee or the store will ship for free if you spend a certain amount.  So try to order bigger orders with the same seller/store.  You can also save on cost and the worry of marking each item off your list all week long. Try to find a place you really like that offers a rewards/points system for added saving. Just remember shipping can be costly.  You have to weigh convenience over savings.  I usually have no more than three shipments coming in and the rest I physically shop for to avoid shipping fees.  Amazon is a great place to find the items you are unsure if you will find in stores and that could cause you to "run around" and still end up empty handed.

The biggest part of online buying for a party is your time frame.  If you tend to do the majority of your shopping online I suggest starting to order your items the month before to avoid things not coming in, back order situations, etc.  Also make note that "ships in three days" does NOT mean you will get it in three days.  That means they will get the order together and boxed up and on a truck in three days.  So if it ships in three days and your party is in four days maybe you should rethink buying it online.  There a chance it won't make it or you will be calling them trying to expedite it and paying more for shipping than the item itself.  Be nice to yourself and don't cut it that close if you can avoid it.  

Fifth Step - Extra Pages....I staple extra pages to the front "main table" sketch page and begin to build my party planner.  

Projects or Other Tables, Etc. - This is where I like to break down each "project" I plan to tackle or other areas/tables at the party.  I do the same thing. I sketch it out and then label what I need.  Then I add these items to my front page of what to buy creating one master buying list.  If you don't want to sketch you can always print off a picture from online and use that.  This helps because when you sketch and label you will find you are forgetting something small like tape, etc.

Food - I will use some of my sketch pages and actually sketch out my food table and place what food is going where.  This gives me an idea of what food I want to serve and what serving dishes and serving utensils I'll need.  From there you can look at each dish and collect recipes you are going to use and make a grocery list.

Sixth Step - Look at that laundry list of things to buy.  Is there anything you can skimp on?  Narrow it down to must haves.  Is your planner more of a binder than a notepad?  Are there too many projects and made by hand items to complete?  Again, narrow it down to must haves...the things that make the most impact.  Then create a realistic budget and find coupons.  

This process should give you an idea of what your whole party will look like and cost BEFORE you buy a single item...which makes for a budget, time, and sanity saving good time that will have your guests saying "I don't know how you had the time to do all of this!" This system may not work for anyone else but I thought I'd share just in case it does.