YOU GUYS! I am literally gushing over the party details that are coming together for my daughter’s 3rd birthday in about a month in a half! Spoiler alert, it is a ballerina theme, and it’s the cutest dang theme I have ever planned! And I am going to tell you how you too can plan a stress free party, and actually enjoy it!
It’s crazy because everything I have designed for this party, the client loves! Oh wait. That’s because the client is ME! 😉
No but seriously, if I was designing this party for a client I would still be just as stoked because the theme is an absolute dream! Who doesn’t want to plan a pink and gold party for children running around in tutus? I mean? SQUEEEEE!
But I digress. I know that some people are less than thrilled about planning their kids birthday parties. And I get it. There are a lot of things to think about.
Luckily, I created the below list of the top 4 ways you can throw a stress free party – oh ya, AND I wrote an entire eBook about it too! Check out, Your Pinterest Perfect Party Planner – a complete guide to planning a pin-worthy party for your child from everything from the guest list to the thank you notes!
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So let’s get into it ! Here’s my top four tips for planning a stress free party for your child!
1. PLAN AHEAD
Hey. Have we met? I like to plan. Planning is my jam. It’s literally my peanut butter and jelly. It’s literally the number one reason I excel at anything in life. (i.e. when I work out at home, I always lay out my workout clothes the night before and put them on well before it’s time to work out. It’s literally the only way!)
So it’s no surprise that when it comes to party planning, planning ahead is THE KEY to success. When you plan ahead, you find more opportunities to save money, and you can accomplish so much more with way less stress.
While the party is more than a month away, I have already picked a date, booked the venue, created my invite list and invitations, AND sent them out! I’ve also already started on the decorations, because IT IS SO FUN!
Could you die? I know me too.
I get it, planning ahead isn’t everyone’s jam. That’s why I pay people to do things for ME that I am terrible at LOL. So let me help you out with this one. I have created a free resource to help you plan ahead for the next party you’re planning! It is a timeline and checklist to help you think through all the prep work for your party and reduce stress! It EVEN has an item to remind you to TAKE THE PICTURES of your party, because if you want a pin-worth party, you’ve GOT to take the pictures, amiright???!
2. Get organized to reduce stress
I mentioned this one time in an Instagram post, (Are you following me?! If not, you should be!) but you know how your parents told you stories about you doing things when you were little that totally predicted who you were going to be when you grow up?! My mom told me that I used to organize the candy and gum in the checkout isle at the grocery store! Yup. That was me!
I feel like I used to be ashamed to be all “Type-A”ie! But I fully embrace it these days because it sure comes in handy when you’re planning a party, and in so many other places in my life! And hey, if you don’t like it, then it’s highly unlikely you’re reading this! 😉
So what does a type- A person love to do, and encourage you to do as you plan your party?! LISTS, of course! Lists are my favorite. And I have a ton of notepads to prove it!
Right now, as I plan that ballerina party, I have so many lists going – the grocery store list, the list of people being invited, actual kids who are participating in the dance portion, ALL the decorations I am making, and son on and so forth.
Before I started A Touch of LA, I would have a million notepads, with a million lists. Then I would be emailing my husband with, “what is so-and-so’s address again?”. Everything was all over the place. Organized chaos as they say?!
Well, there’s an app for that! Okay, it’s not an app. It’s a spreadsheet in a Google Doc. This document, which I call the Pinterest Perfect Party Planning Spreadhseet, although a mouthful, is an incredible tool to keep all your lists in one place!
THE PARTY PLANNING SPREADSHEET
The document will help you clean off your desk of all of those notepads and get really organized! And also, now you have all your friends addresses in one place so you don’t have to ask people again. You know those people who ask you EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. What your address is?! It’s like, GIRL, I have NOT moved. Store it in a spreadsheet! 😉
Now that you have all your info in one place and can share it easily with your friends and family helping you plan the party, it’s about to get a whole lot less stressful.
3. Get creative with party planning
I love getting creative when it comes to creating a less stressful planning environment! That means doing things like, asking asking for discounts n the party venue if you pay in full up front, planning the party so far in advance that you pay a little bit over time, and finding deals all over town. My all time favorite thing is going to Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and home goods to find unexpected inexpensive items for the party.
The best way to get creative, in my opinion, is to go ALL IN on a theme! The more cheesy and theme-oriented you can make the party, the more fun you and your guests will have with it. If you aren’t the creative type, think about asking a friend, your mom, or mother-in-law to help you plan it. I also offer consultative services on my website so we can work together to brainstorm ideas for your party including, theme, food, favor ideas, and more so that you can feel as confident as possible while planning and executing your party.
4. Have fun while you plan!
Remember the home videos that you have from your childhood?! The clothes? The hairdos?! The decor?! Think forward to when your son or daughter is watching those videos in 30 years. He or she will be glowing with pride to see their parents cared so much about making the day so special, even if all you did was make a Funfetti cake and sing happy birthday. Our kids are only small and actually WANT us to attend their parties for so long. We have to make the best of it while there’s still time.
You Got this!
Need more ideas for your party? Make sure to follow me on Pinterest to see all the fun ideas I have for party decorations and themes!
Good luck planning girl! You got this! Remember, you control your own destiny. And if you need help in that arena, go read my blog, My Gift to You to help you with Daily Gratitude.https://atouchofla.com/my-gift-to-you-to-help-you-with-daily-gratitude/
Lastly, thank you so much for taking the time to read about 4 Ways to Plan a Stress- free Party for your child! Tell me below what you thought! I love to help you celebrate life through party decorations and beyond. Above all, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram and let’s chat, or continue celebrating your life with The Celebration Effect.
xox
Lindsay
