Are you hosting a party soon? Here are some tips for your next celebration no matter what the event!

Whether you are celebrating a birthday, wedding, or baptism, follow these tips and save yourself a lot of trouble. There is nothing worse than attending a party or celebration that has hiccups along the way. If the food runs out or there is no music or entertainment it ultimately reflects poorly on the host or hostess. Don’t let this happen to you.

SD State Society Cocktail Reception
SD State Society Cocktail Reception (Photo credit: Kevin H.)

1. Get your invitations out in plenty of time. People are BUSIER than ever. Not only are people forced to work more than one job to get by, they also have families to spend time with, while also finding time to have a life of their own. Attending your party may not be at the top of the list of their priorities so the sooner you get the invites out the better! For those you really want to attend, go ahead and email them a save the date and let them know the formal invite is on the way, however it their presence means a lot to you so you wanted toget them the date asap.
2. Work party prep into your week. If you are providing the food, make something each day the week of so that way you won’t be overwhelmed on the day. Recruit help! Have family and friends bring a dish. People always ask, “Can I bring something?” Take them up on their offers! That is why they ask.

3. If you are hosting at your home make a list of what needs to get done and then clean a little each day. One day clean all appliances, another dust, clean a bedroom a day, plan your music during your lunch break or commute if you have one. However you do it just give yourself time so you can get it all done with out feeling overwhelmed.

After the party. Photo: D.M. Vernon Date: 2006
After the party. Photo: D.M. Vernon Date: 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4. Set up a sanitation station. THIS is so great! Pick a space that is out of the way like the garage or laundry room. Set up a can for garbage, recycling, and have buckets or tubs set up with soapy water for dishes. There will be no mess lurking in the kitchen, and if you let the dishes soak overnight it will be a piece of cake to either load them in the rental dish containers if they are rented items, or load them into your dishwasher.

5. If you are hosting the event at your home have a signature drink pre-made! Be sure to make enough to last ALL NIGHT! When you’ve think you have made enough…make more! This eliminates the need to fully stock a bar or play bartender when you should be enjoying your celebration. If you are having an event with a large number of people 100 or more and hired bartenders, you can still have a signature drink to avoid the long lines that usually occur around the bar.

Strange things on the menu here
Strange things on the menu here (Photo credit: leunix)

6. Plan your menu right when you decide to have a gathering! Come up with menus and practice them. Make whatever you can ahead of time and if items can be frozen, terrific you can make these weeks prior so they will be ready to go on your day. If you are a very busy person with minimal free time this is definitely the route for you to take. The more you have done prior to the event the more relaxed you will be at the party. Just be sure to make more than enough food to ensure you won’t run out. There really is nothing worse especially if people in attendance are from out of town.

7. Have appetizers ready and available when guests arrive especially when alcohol is involved.

Lidya Little Smile
Lidya Little Smile (Photo credit: Geoff LMV)

8. If you are planning on having servers or bartenders that is great, just be sure you are hiring professionals – not a friend of a friend. A hired professional is just that professional, leaving minimal chance that they will not show up when the day comes. Maybe you will save a few dollars an hour by hiring someone you know but the risk of them not showing, and the disaster that will ensue is priceless and will leave a lasting effect on your guests.
9. DON’T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW! Sure, all of those Pinterest ideas you see look awesome and you want to do them all. Be realistic! How much time do you have to mod-podge all of those candles in that pretty paper, or make lanterns? Find a few elements that you can’t live with out and start ahead of time so they are done in advance of you day, if you complete them and time allows, add on another and etc.

The biggest mistake we see is everyone wants to be over the top and out do the next party. That is great and we get it, but how great will your party be when you realize you don’t have the time or energy to finish all of these great ideas that you thought would be a snap to produce only to realize you are running yourself ragged and are so stressed from planning this whole thing and you would like nothing more than to call the whole thing off. Don’t be that person!

Follow the tips above and most of all be realistic. There is no need to be an over achiever when it comes to a party! As long as there is food, the booze is flowing, and the music is festive, everyone will have a good time. Focus on what is important and most of all have fun!

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Unsure whether or not to insure your wedding or event?

insurance
insurance (Photo credit: Alan Cleaver)

When planning a wedding there are so many decisions to consider and usually wedding insurance is not one that seems tangible for many and is not even a consideration.  More and more we are seeing a trend in venues requiring clients to produce insurance for their event and including the venue as an added insured.  Even if your venue does not require this from you, we strongly suggest gaining knowledge on what wedding insurance will protect you from.  Luckily, we will take some of the burden off of you and get you started with a little 411.

English: PostIt-note with text "Ordlista ...
English: PostIt-note with text “Ordlista – Vocabulary” Svenska: PostIt-lapp med texten “Ordlista – Vocabulary” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let’s start with the basics, a little VOCAB:

Policy – Your insurance contract or certificate of insurance.

Policy Holder – The name in which the insurance policy is registered to.

Negligence – The failure to exercise care that is expected of a reasonable person in similar circumstances.

Deductible – The portion of a claim you pay out-of-pocket.  The higher deductible you choose, the lower your insurance premiums will be.

Damages – Money that one party becomes legally obligated to pay another party.

Liability – Any legally enforceable obligation or responsibility for the injury or damage suffered by another person.

Named Insured – The person or entity listed on the policy declarations page.

Premium – The price of the insurance policy that the insured pays in exchange for insurance coverage.

Ok, now that we have gotten a few common terms out-of-the-way let’s go over two types of insurance you may be obligated, or thinking of getting in preparation of your big day.

Wedding Liability:

This type of insurance covers the bridal couple and their families.  When you hear the word liability – hear the L and think of lawsuit.  This type of coverage protects you from property damage or personal damage.

Let’s say someone falls down the stairs on accident, purely an accident, the couple or their families risk being sued.  Wedding liability insurance addresses the possible consequences of negligence, inebriation, or misconduct.

The fee for this is rather inexpensive and can range anywhere from $50 to $400, depending on where you live.  It can be done online and you will have the coverage in minutes.  Once you go online and find the right plan depending on location, budget, etc., you may then process your payment and print out your proof of insurance.  You can place your venue on your policy as an added insured for a small fee, or possibly free.

You can purchase coverage all the way up to the day before your wedding as well so if you are getting married soon and are reading this don’t flip out, you still can get coverage up to a day in advance.

Wedding Cancellation/Postponement Insurance: 

Let’s say your photographer flakes out on the last-minute and now you are stuck scrambling to find one on the fly, oh and not to mention a hefty fee for last-minute arrangements too.  The insurance will cover these unforeseen expenses.  If you can not find a replacement photographer on the day, it covers you to re-enact the wedding for photographs on a later date.

Insurance
Insurance (Photo credit: Christopher S. Penn)

If severe weather should strike and you have to postpone just think of all of the money you would be loosing out on.  Hotel reservations, all of the vendors fees and deposits, basically a gigantic portion of your budget is just gone into thin air.  If you have wedding cancellation insurance they would cover the expense for you.

This does not cover change of heart cancellations – but this can be added on to certain plans for a fee usually.  Unlike the liability insurance you usually need to have coverage within a few weeks or more of the wedding so be sure to research this in a timely manner.

Now that we have gone over the two types of coverage available decide what will work best for you.  Once you have chosen a plan READ THE FINE PRINT.

We hope this gives you a little insight on a topic that is not often discussed.  While no one wants to imagine any catastrophic even happening on the best day of their lives, be prepared.

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