Party Planning Addiction
Hi, my name is Alex, and I have an addiction, and it consumes me. But, really, I can stop whenever I want.
No, honestly, I can’t stop – each week, I try, and I think I have the will power, but I don’t.
I have a NEED to plan parties.
So here we go again… Hi my name is Alex, and I have an addiction to planning parties. There it’s out!
I host upwards of 20 parties a year – some casual and some formal. It’s in my make-up I have always planned and hosted parties since I was a little girl. From tea parties with friends to birthday parties, it was just something I have always loved to do. I love to be social and chat with good friends.
Just recently, I hosted a baby shower for my friend Izzy; We just had the best time! So I wanted to share some of the easy tricks and tips from this party that could be applied to many occasions.
Baby Shower Ideas and Highlights:
Invites – I really like to use an evite if I don’t have time to send out proper paper invitations – which I do much prefer, but an evite is a great time saver. I do really like how evite keeps track of my RSVPs and sends me a reminder. You can also send out updates as needed.
Drinks – Mix up lemonade in a pitcher and make sun tea in a drink dispenser, provide sugar cubes, lemon slices, berries and vodka for guests to mix and match as they like. An Arnold Palmer is one part lemonade and one part iced tea, and if you add vodka, it makes a John Daly. It is always fun to have a signature drink – guests enjoy that.
To make Sun Tea: Fill up your drink dispenser with water, place 6 to 8 tea bags in and let it sit for 6 to 12 hours in the sun.
Display – I used a cake plate to put the pitcher of lemonade on and a stack of magazines to elevate the drink dispenser so you could easily put a cup under it. This helps the guests get to the drinks easier, and it is less messy. I do love my little caddy that holds my plastic glasses, straws, napkins, and plastic-wear. There is something so wonderful about using paper placemats for your bar – it makes everything look unified. I also love to use the cake and a paper runner as my table centerpiece – it is always striking.
Bites – At this event, I served a cheese plate, fruit plate, veggie plate (made by friend Heidi), popcorn cups, and a beautiful cake (made by friend Katie). Keeping it simple with the food always works well- it will go a lot further than you think. Of course, you don’t want your guests to go hungry, but I always have tons of leftovers.
Gifts – Since this is Izzy’s 3rd baby, I asked her what she needed as she had said she had most everything and did not have a registry. What she was really in need of was diapers, wipes, and basics like onesies, so I passed that along to the guests. I gave her a diaper bag from J.W. Shorter and Son, and she just loved it. If you are looking for a gift, look there – they have the most beautiful, special, and original gifts to gush over.
Games – We had some fun ones! Freeze tiny babies in ice cubes, and then the first lady to have her ice cube melt in her drink yells ‘my water broke’ and wins a prize. I just love that one – so funny. The other one that we did was handing out tiny diapers with tiny safety pins on them. The ladies unwrapped the diapers, and one found a little piece of chocolate inside a ‘dirty diaper’ – ha! The person with the ‘dirty diaper’ wins a prize. I gave out pump hand-soap and cocktail napkins as prizes. Lots of laughter took place, and the games livened things up. Check out other baby shower game ideas here.
Clean – up – I always recommend having your garbage, trash, and dishwasher empty, so when the party ends, it is easy to clean up.
Help – If your friends offer to help, say yes! Or team up with a friend to throw the party, it will alleviate the stress off one person. In this case, Katie made the most beautiful cake, Heidi brought a homemade and fresh veggie tray, and Angie brought a very nice set of paper plates. These were all helpful things and made the party prep go much faster and smoother.
Enjoy parties, embrace entertaining, and lower your stress level by accepting help.
Until Next Time,
Alex Shorter
West Coast Shorter Wife
