Decide how much time you have available to spend on your party. Remember when you plan a party at home it's like having a second job. You will still have to do all your regular chores like housework and cooking meals so you need to be realistic about the time you can spend on party planning.
If you need help ask for it or pay for it, but get it - especially if you need to be very available for your guests for example if the function is to entertain a new client or business account. Be practical about the length of time tasks are likely to take for example, pre-party house cleaning or meal preparation and shopping for party materials.
If you plan a party at home, be prepared for emergencies and add a VERY BIG time buffer into your calculations. This way if anything goes wrong you will be able to deal with it and still have time to spare.
* How Many? How Much?
Make a decision as to how many people will be attending your party. Remember that each guest you invite usually ends up as a group of guests as you realize you can't invite Brad without inviting his roommate Mike too etc, etc.!
Write up a guest list, especially if the party is being catered or your menu is complicated. The number of guests you invite when you plan a party at home has a great influence on your budget so be as realistic and accurate as possible without over-inflating it completely.
If you decide to hire a caterer to provide food, make sure you protect yourself against getting ripped off! Get out the yellow pages and call several caterers, restaurants, supermarkets and rentals companies. Request a range of menus, price sheets, and lists of services/inventory. Do the same for beverages and bar service.
Once you have them all, compare similar services and items and see which one offers the best value for money. It's probably cheaper to serve wine and beer than cocktails and make sure, too, that there are drinks available for those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages.
On average your guests eat about 8 hors d'oeuvres per person, per hour of a cocktail party. Don't let this figure fool you. If twenty people arrive at 6 and dinner is at 8 that is 'er'….320 snacks! Your platter presentations should be included in that number when you estimate how much food to provide. Cheese and vegetable trays are a good choice and if friends want to help you plan a party at home by bringing one along, say yes please!
Hors d'oeuvres bought in-store are pricier than homemade ones, but you may not have the time to do all that labor so make a choice between time and money saving.
If you will be serving a dinner dish in addition to cocktails, work on a minimum of 8 ounces of protein, 4 ounces of starch and 3 ounces of vegetable per person. Ensure there are extras for people who want a second helping. It's not a good idea to provide more hors d'oeuvres after the main meal has been served.
