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It’s Time to Celebrate!

March 22nd, 2022 by Kenneth Abrahams

Spring and Summer are fast approaching. It is the time of year where celebrations of all kinds are being planned. Who doesn’t love a great party? So many of us have missed those gatherings of family and friends the last two years. For some, the news from the CDC that masks may not be required, Omicron seems to be fading, and as of this writing no new variant has been discovered, is music to their ears. Weddings that have been postponed again and again may now proceed, graduation parties appear to be poised to make a return, and let’s not forget a summer or holiday weekend BBQ.

We thought this might be time to talk about some event planning tips. If you have a photographic memory or, for whatever reason, you’ve recently reread some of our old postings, much of this information has been provided before. Read on because we have thrown in some new wrinkles as well.

So, if you are getting ready to plan or throw an event here are some tips. We hope they help.

1. Plan ahead. There are so many reasons to start planning your event even earlier than you think necessary.
   • Other people may be thinking of doing an event around the same time and it creates an awkward situation when 2 friends plan events for the same day.
   • It helps you budget and spread out payments more easily.
   • You get the vendors and the location(s) that you want.
   • If people are coming from out of town they can let employers know, book travel and secure reasonably priced accommodations.
   • It lessens the stress on everyone involved.
2. Don’t try to do it all yourself. People offer to help because they truly want to be involved and take some of the load off you. Even small tasks, like running errands the week before, are a huge help. Those “small tasks” add up and always take way more time than you imagine they will. Remember many hands make light work.
3. Keep it simple. Now more than ever the real attraction is just being together. Recently, one of the kids in the neighborhood was talking about the school mask mandate being lifted and they said, “I’m not sure I will be able to recognize some of my classmates without their masks.” They are not alone in that sentiment. So, you really don’t need an expensive or elaborate menu. Nobody is going expecting Elk Pâté, they just want to enjoy being together celebrating whatever the milestone, major life event, or simply being able to have drinks and dinner with folks they haven’t seen in a few years.
4. If you are serving food, plan the menu according to the tastes of your guests, your budget, and your ability, if you are doing the cooking.
   • If you have people that are fairly plain eaters, plan accordingly. It doesn’t need to be crazy fancy to be enjoyable.
   • Make sure to consider allergies.
   • If you plan ahead, you can always create a budget friendly menu.
   • If you are not very confident in the kitchen, and you are doing the cooking, this may not be the best time to try out new recipes, go with what you know.
5. Send invites or emails, don’t just post on Facebook or social media. Yes, I am showing my age but not everyone checks Facebook or other social media on a daily basis. If there are people you really want to come, make sure to send them an invite. There are lots of services that do electronic invites. Feel free to post on social media if you want, but make sure to keep your invite closed to only the group you want.
6. Have games or activities. Think about a “traditional” wedding celebration. It is scripted from the ceremony, to the introductions, the first dance, parents’ dances, cake cutting etc. You are keeping folks engaged and then the dance floor opens, and a number of your guests often jump right on to join in the celebration. If it is a different type of an event, make sure to plan activities. There is nothing wrong with scripting those events as well. Remember that not all the invitees know one another. Find creative ways to get them to interact. Perhaps have different color nametags and they need to find 2 or 3 people that have the same color name tag they do to meet and share a fact or 2 about themselves. Having name tags at events, in general, is not a bad idea. People can be creative in how they decorate them and identify how they are connected to the host or hostess.  Trivia or other games are often easy to plan and orchestrate and provide a lot of fun and opportunity for your guests to mingle. For an outdoor BBQ or graduation party, things like corn hole or ladder golf are great ways to entertain the crowd and are simple to set up.

Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, we do still need to talk about COVID. We need to remember to have some grace. There are still a number of people that aren’t comfortable with where the country is in this phase of the pandemic so have a bit of patience and understanding. Some that you have extended an invitation to may choose not to attend. Don’t take it personally they are not ready to rip off the mask and hang out eating with people they don’t know or know where they have been. There are also things that you can do to make people more comfortable. First, no mask shaming. If someone comes to your event and they want to wear a mask they shouldn’t be chastised for that decision. Also, try to make sure that other guests don’t harass them either. If you want to do a buffet, you may want to hire a server or two so that it is as clean and hygienic as possible. Or book a food truck that will serve food in individually packaged containers.

Of course, if you need help planning your event give us a shout. We have helped people plan events for over 30 years. In that time, we have seen some great ideas, fantastic themes and money saving tricks. You would expect that after three decades we would have learned a thing or two.  Please don’t hesitate to call us if you are looking for ideas, are stuck, have a problem, or want to book something, we are happy to connect with you. We wish you all the best as you plan your next gathering.

About the author:

Ken Abrahams and his wife Jill love to entertain. That may explain the multiple food smokers on the patio. He is always looking for new ideas for ways to make parties better so if you have an idea please share with him [email protected]. Who knows you may make the next blog or newsletter article.

To find out more about the company go to our website www.funent.com you can also go to this link to sign up for our newsletter which comes out about 6 times a year https://funent.com/subscribe-to-the-funny-pages/.  Our newsletter will tell you more about the company and the products and services we offer as well as some games, things to do and the occasional cooking tip.