Planning an Angelina Ballerina Birthday Party

One of my most favorite things to do is plan little events for family and friends. This year in April or May I have decided to have a joint birthday party for my two beautiful girls Georgia (Turning 3) and Ruby (Turning 1) After giving Georgia a few options to choose from we ended with an Angelina Ballerina Party.

I now will take you through the beginning to end of organising this Birthday Party. Who knows maybe this blog will help you with organising  your own party.

Guest List:

Working out a guest list can sometimes be quite hard depending on your budget or if you have issues with feuding friends or family. In this particular case it is quite easy. 1st thing I do is write a list of guests down and have my partner check it off just in case I have forgotten anyone or he might like to add a few guests.

Once you have numbers of guests it is easier to move on with the rest of your planning. There will be a lot of things you will need to leave until your RSVP's come back but you will have a general idea of how many you will be catering for from this list. As your RSVP's start to return don't forget to check them off the list as they come in to avoid any confusion.

Invitations:

I like to get the design of an invitation in my head. Normally I just make one up but since this year we are having an Angelina Ballerina theme I used Google for a bit of help.
After goggling for a few hours I have decided to attempt to have a go at this invitation that I found on Google images: 

 If I fail at this one I thought the one below can be my back up (also found on Google images)

 Once you have worked out what you want you will then need to work out what information will be required on the invitation. This will lead onto the next steps you will be required to work out before you can start working on them. However the girls and I have been to spotlight and purchased some material to give a sample one a go.....Fingers crossed : ) 

Here is a basic guide on the kind of information you will need:

1. For formal events the first thing you should put on your invitation are the names of the party hosts or sponsoring organization.
2. Your invitation wording should include the type of event (birthday party, business networking meeting, Engagement, Baby Shower etc.) to which your guest is being invited.
3. The next item you should write on your invitation is the place where the event will be held. If your guests aren't familiar with the party location, include directions in the envelope with the invitation.
4. Clearly write the date of your party, including date and day of the week.
5. Your invitation also needs to tell your guests what time to arrive and approximate or definite length of your party if there will be a specific end time.
6. You'll want to ask your guests to RSVP to your event, in order to let you know if they will be attending. Give them a date by which you'll need a response. Also include with your invitation information telling them how to RSVP. This might be a phone number, email address, or response card.
7. If there will be a question regarding how guests should dress for you party, be sure to let them know. Is it a black tie party? Should they come in dressy business attire? Are bathing suits the only garments necessary?
8. Provide a rain date if you're planning a party outdoors and don't have an indoor backup plan in case of bad weather.
9. Be specific about who is invited, whether addressee only, with guest, or with spouse and children.
10. If you will be providing food at your event please make a note asking if anyone has specific Food Allergies or needs.
11. In this day and age sometimes the hosts have wishing wells instead of receiving gifts, If this is the case please indicate so.

After thinking about the invitation for a while I have decided to go with an entirely different one. And I have a new plan for the tulle I bought. Below is my Invitation final & as this is only my 2 beautiful girls birthday party there is no need to post the invitations so I will be sending these out electronically to the guests. (This is also a good little money saver)

Tips:

1. Always send written invitations for formal events such as business gatherings, formal dinners, and special occasions like showers, weddings or events honouring someone.
2. If guests are not from your local area, include a map to the location of your event.
3. Send invitations anywhere from 8 - 2 weeks in advance depending on the formality of the occasion. Weddings require the longest lead-time; casual dinners and brunches require the least.

There are many different ways to present the information you require on you invite. Here are a few I have done previously:

 

Picking a Venue and Date:

One of the hardest things to do when planning an event is choosing a date that will suit everyone. Here is a little tool/site that I came across that will make this task easier for you to do. www.whichdateworks.com

Once you go to this site the first thing you do is enter the details required e.g. "Name Your Plans" then "Additional details"  Then click "Who's involved". In the "Who's involved" section please add all of the e-mail addresses of the guests you are planning to invite. Then enter your details in the boxes below then click "Select your availability" and select the dates that are best for you by clicking the green tick that appears when you hover over the day:

NOTE - If you have to book a venue please call them 1st and check for availability.

Now click "Preview Invitation" Just before you send it please check all of the details you have entered are correct.

Your guests will now receive an e-mail from your e-mail address requesting they choose a date which is best for them. Once your guests have chosen their dates you will receive an e-mail requesting you to check who has responded and chosen which dates. Its as simple as that!

NOTE - If you are using a venue please book the agreed/best possible date as soon as your guests have gotten back to you to avoid missing out.

When choosing a venue there are a few things you need to ask first:

1. Ask if this venue will allow this type of event e.g. some local clubs do not allow children's events if there is not enough Adult supervision.
2. Be sure to check with the venue about decorating, hiring play equipment and entertainers as some venue will not allow these.
3. Be sure to inspect the location site to insure that it has all of the amenities you will need in order to make your party happen.
4.  Be specific, look for things such as access to a kitchen, bathrooms and parking.
5.  Know what the hours are that you have booked, if there is a limit to the volume or length of time you can stay please stick to it as most venue start charging immediately if you go to far over your cut off time and this can end up quite costly.
6. Find out about deposits, insurance for breakage or bad weather if this venue is outside.
7. Review all contracts and be sure to get everything in writing. A contract will protect you as well as the venue that is hosting your party. The contract will ensure that you receive everything that you are paying for.
8. The facility might have connections with a florist, pastry chef and even entertainment and a photographer to round out your event. Most hotels or banquet facilities make recommendations for specific vendors, but they do not require you to go through a specific one. Often times they can save you money, by hiring a vendor that the facility suggests, that vendor may offer you a discount for mentioning the facility.

Remember no detail is to small!

Catering:

Once you have confirmed the date and venue for your event it's time to start to think about food. Food is one of the most important things at an event. Think about some different events you have been to.....Food seems to always be something you can remember, especially if it was horrible or even worse if there wasn't  enough!

There are many different types of foods you can serve at your event and here are a few:

Fingerfood

Gourmet Fingerfood

Cold Food 

Hot Food

Party Platters

Roasts 

Buffets

Cakes

Gourmet Deserts

Sit Down Menu

& Beverages

There are also diferent types of formal catering e.g.: Christmas Party Catering, Funeral Catering, Office Catering & Wedding Catering.

Depending on the type of event you are hosting will depend on the type of food you will be offering or weather you will be booking a catering company to come in and do it all for you. In my case as this was a casual event I chose to cater it myself. When I send out the invitations I always ask my guests to let me know if they have any particular food requirements or allergies. In this day and age every second person seems to have an allergy to something so it is extremely important to always ask prior to choosing your menu.

Keeping in mind that I was catering for both adults and kids I chose to do the following foods:

- Sweet & Savory Mini Tarts

- Fruit Platters

- Cup Cakes

- Mixed Varietys of Sandwiches

- Fairy Bread for the kiddies

- Buiscuits

- Vegetable, Cracker & Dip Platters

- Sweet Lollies e.g. Marsh mellows and rasberry jellys

- Hot Frankfurt's 

- Hot Mini Pies

- Hot Sausage Rolls with sauce

- Room Temperature and Cold Water

- Cordial

- Soft Drink & Sparkling Mineral Water 

- Birthday Cake

Entertainment:

Choosing the right type of entertainment for your event is crucial as the appropriate entertainment has the ability to enhance the overall appeal, thus making your event a memorable one.

Staying with the Angelina Ballerina theme I chose to book a local teenager at my daughters Dance School to spend an hour with the kids doing exercises and teaching them a little routine. The Kids Loved it and it gave the parents a chance to have a seat, relax and drink a cup of coffee.

As with everything that needs to be organised entertainment is the same. It will always depend on the event and type of guests you are expecting.