Family gatherings and parties undeniably represent one of the few loving and fun moments where everybody can spend quality time together. As family party time has been scarce these days due to an abundance of work and hectic lifestyle that people are leading, preparing yourself for a family party has to be done smoothly and with an adequate checklist. There are plenty of things to be attentive to, to prepare the right food that everybody loves, to indulging your greedy cousin with special music selection. In order not to lose your temper over a family get-together, here is a thorough plan on how to prepare yourself for a family party and organize things meticulously for your guests.

Make a thorough plan

Having some form of a party checklist is a must. The secret to a successful family party is getting prepared in advance, even if all guests respond to your invitation or only a few. A very good idea would be to anticipate what scenarios you can expect and get ready for them all. A thorough family party plan includes a detailed checklist with basic food and drinks amenities to know whether to put your noisy aunt next to a cousin who doesn’t prefer long chats. Check all the vendors and inspect what things you can make upfront and freeze and what things you can order and save time on cooking.

Food and beverage party tricks

First things first, when planning a family party you ought to decide on food and beverage. Trying to please all your family members is no plain sailing, but it’s not impossible, hence, ask around and purchase the drinks you know they would drink. Ensure there are plenty of fizzy and non-alcoholic drinks, especially freshly squeezed juices for the young ones. When it comes to food, the trick is to prepare a menu in advance. Include appetizers, a main course with soup and ready-made dish, and a dessert, and don’t worry about the dishes and pilled plates. Another nifty party-planning trick is to rent quality ultrasonic cleaners to place all the excess dishes, cups, trays, forks, plates, or anything else that has plenty of grease to help you thoroughly scrub those nasty bits.

Have plenty of room

Depending on the size of your house and dining area, and of course the number of guests you would have, you need to carefully plan out where you would place the dining table and set the ambiance for your guests. If you have a large enough kitchen and dining space, then you can rent a larger dining table and bench chair where you could fit all your guests. In this way, everybody would sit together and nobody would have to eat in “phases”. Another solution is to plan an outdoor party that would take place on your patio or garden area. If you have more room outside, then you can rent some nice outdoor furniture with elegant tablecloths and lush centerpieces to make the party more sensational.

Entertainment for all

Whether you are planning a birthday, cocktail, or garden party, you should consider implementing some enchanting entertainment features. No party is complete without music. Set the mood by creating a fun and relaxing dinner party playlist with smooth jazz. If you are planning a birthday party, inflate a few balloons, hang garlands, and spruce colorful string lights. What’s more, hanging vivid lanterns and a few other decorative amenities is a good idea no matter the family party theme. If you have more money to spare, you can hire a DJ so your dad won’t go on playing his old-school rock tunes all night long. For the small kids, you can rent a movie or prepare board games for extra enjoyment.

Get (mental) support

We are all well aware that family gathering time could be a real burden as no matter how well in advance you plan out everything, some minor mishap or a word can trigger somebody and ignite some commotion. To ensure everybody has fun and talks to everybody in a calm and soothing manner, you should, in the first place, not invite a person who is not on good terms with your grandma or mother, for instance. Poor interaction and bad conversation can lead to all sorts of unpredicted outcomes, hence to save yourself the nerves, try generating your guests. Next, small or big, a family party could be hard to manage, especially if you don’t have a helping hand. Therefore, call a friend or two outside of your family who would help you combat your struggles and support you mentally. In addition, your friend can help you pass the food and maybe serve drinks, too.

Do the cleanup (before and after)

The very last (if not the most vital) point you need to get prepared with when planning a birthday party is doing the cleaning. Clean the whole house in detail a week before the scheduled party so you would have enough time for food preparation one day before the event. If you cannot manage to do the full-house clean-up due to the abundance of your chores, then call professional cleaners if necessary. Logically, it would be rude to offer paper or plastic cups to your family guests, so just throwing rubbish after the party is not possible. Prepare to do another full-house cleaning after the guest leave. However, divide this into chunks. Wash the dishes the same night, but dust and vacuum one day at a time.

Casual or formal, big or small, with this guide you will be able to plan out a fantastic, fun-filled family party that everyone would talk about for ages.