Party Planning 101: How to Manage Party Logistics

Dec 2

Welcome to the final installment of party planning 101. Possibly the biggest installment: logistics. My bread and butter, really. It’s why I started this blog in the first place, to talk about the logistics of hosting parties to help people see it really wasn’t all that scary if you have a plan in place and understand the timing of making things happen.

At this point, we’ve been through:

Why are logistics important to the party? They’re the part that helps the execution run smoothly. Coming up with a plan ahead of time, thinking about how you need to lay out your time leading up to the party, and visualizing what people are going to need throughout the party can help avoid unwanted or awkward situations.

At this point, if you’ve determined the theme, venue, guest list, invitations, and menu, you have a lot of the logistics under wraps. You know who is coming to the party, you know where and when the party is going to be, and you know what they’re going to eat and be doing for the party duration. It’s time to execute.

About a week before the party, I recommend starting to make a list of things to do with a calendar and time frame schedule. Here are some things you might want to add to the list.

Confirm the RSVP headcount
Plan the decor
Go (grocery) shopping
Schedule the plan
Schedule any additional items that need to be picked up (or dropped off)
Clean the house (or at least tidy it up)
Send out a reminder email or text message with any last details and to get people excited
Put the drinks in the fridge
Set the stage
Play host or hostess
Clean up the mess
Send any thank you cards

I know it looks like a lot of steps, but there are actually only three lists that I make that really help with the execution, which you will read about below. They are:

The Plan for the Week of the Event – this gives you an overview of what to expect and when things need to be done.
The Setting-the-Stage List – the final list of things that needs to be done before your guests arrive.
The What-to-put-Out List – this list helps you avoid forgetting to put things out and then ending up with way too many leftovers (not that I’ve ever done that before).

Let’s dive a little further into each of these things.

Confirm the RSVP headcount

This is the first thing you want to do when it comes to party logistics because if the headcount changes dramatically, your food and drink total may also change.

There are always a few stragglers – and some who may have even had really good reasons for not knowing what their plans are yet. Remember that it is absolutely acceptable to reach out to your attendees the day before, or the day of your RSVP to find out if they will be joining. The message is quick and simple and just says, “Hey, just checking in to see if you’ll be able to join us for the _ party on _. Let me know!” Or recently, while using an evite, I said “Just a reminder that I sent along an invite for Saturday night’s party to your email, not sure if you saw it / got it.” I always forget that people aren’t quite as attached to their email as I am.

Plan the decor

For someone like me, this doesn’t deserve a party planning post of its own because I don’t do much decor planning. I’ve often found that the space itself can set the backdrop for the party.

When I was really feeling creative, my best décor has been paper chains and freshly cut flowers, but I had smoorelovin’ write a guest post for me on Party Decor 101. If you’re a decorations person, you should definitely check that out. Or look at Pinterest. But don’t overwhelm yourself. Choose one or two things, and add it to your party logistics list.

Go (grocery) shopping

I usually divide this into multiple steps. A few weeks out, I may buy things that are non-perishable – pastas, alcohol, things that come in cans, etc. (This is usually because there’s some reason I have car access and will be closer to some of the bigger, cheaper chains out in the suburbs.) A few days out, I buy things that are perishable (or non-perishable that I forgot). And then the day of the event I usually need to make a final run for things like bread, ice, or fresh flowers – and anything/ everything else I forgot along the way.

Some things to consider adding to your grocery list include toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, or trash bags if you might run out of those. Possibly Benadryl if you have animals and people may be allergic.

And if I’m feeling really fancy, sometimes I add party favors to the list. I have a whole Pinterest board of gift and favor ideas because I love them so much. Sometimes I do this kind of shopping at a grocery store (because who doesn’t love food?), but a CVS, TJMaxx, Homegoods, Dollar Store, Christmas Tree Shop, or Five Below have also proved to be useful in the past. Admittedly, there have been a lot of times that I have forgotten to give them out though, so if you plan to do this either write yourself a note, or mention them to somebody, put them write near the door, or put them in a prominent space so you don’t do the same.

Schedule the plan

This is the most important step of the party logistics execution and your first important list. Because even if things don’t go according to plan, at least you would have already considered the alternatives and as many variables as you could.

The cooking and baking plan

If you take some time to think about the cooking and baking schedule ahead of the event, you may be able to save yourself some stress. There are a lot of items that can be made a day or two before the party, and/or items that can be mostly made a day or two before the party and then just popped in the oven before your guests show up. Be aware of how long items need to be refrigerated before they are served (for example, my go-to spinach dip needs at least 2 hours in the fridge before the ingredients taste like they belong together – or if you’re waiting for something to set, make sure it has time to get there before you try to cut it). While fresh vegetables are best right after they’re chopped, to save some time, you could definitely prepare a vegetable tray ahead of time (I recently added a wet paper towel in with the seran wrap so that they didn’t dry out). There may also be a component of needing to remember to setup a crockpot hours beforehand. Make sure to write each of these things down on a schedule to say when things need to be done in order to have time to fit everything in before your guests arrive.

Things that I never remember to add time for are things like – cleaning and chopping basil, parsley, cilantro, or any other kind of spice that comes in a bunch; cleaning and preparing fruits and vegetables, waiting for pots of water to boil; and waiting for ovens to preheat. Try to foresee those ahead of time and add them into your schedule to make sure that you can plan accordingly.

Everything else

Cooking and baking aren’t the only items on the party logistics list. You’ll also need to do every other item from this post (decor, cleaning, etc), so I suggest making a list with everything on it that you can check off as you go. First of all, checking off things is gratifying. Second of all, seeing everything listed in one place can definitely help with getting the time frames right.

Another important thing to add to that list is time to get ready the day of the party, including showering and getting dressed.

My friend Johanna uses mini post-it notes and writes one action item that needs to be done on each. She puts all of the post-its on one cabinet door, and as everything is finished she moves the post-it to another cabinet door. I always thought this was a pretty genius way to visualize what’s left to do.

Schedule any additional items that need to be picked up (or dropped off)

You may need to factor a few other items into your party logistics to-do list revolving around pick-up and drop-off. This may include catering order pickup, children or animal drop off, or a helium or balloon pickup. Make sure that you, or someone else – maybe even a guest on their way – has this on their radar.

And if you’re hosting the party outside of your house, you’re going to have to make sure everything is packed and ready to go that you’re going to need – including food, decorations, music, and party favors.

Clean the house (or at least tidy it up)

While I would love to fully have time to clean my house every time I had people over, that’s definitely not the case. There’s not always time for that with our busy lives in the party logistics schedule. There are a few things that I always make sure to do before anyone gets there though:

Hide the stuff (that doesn’t need to be out)
Dust the stairs (or whatever your equivalent of a high traffic area is)
Shake out the rugs
Sweep the front steps
Clear off and wipe off the bathroom counter
Make sure there’s (obvious) extra toilet paper in the bathroom
Clear off and wipe off the kitchen counters
Clear off and wipe off any tables you will be eating at
Wash any obvious kitchen floor, cabinet, or appliance splatters
Do the dishes (because you’re going to be dirtying more)
Fluff up the pillows on the couches and refold the throws

I’ve found that these things give the biggest bang for your buck and at least make it seem like you tried.

If you have outdoor space that you plan to use for the party, you may need to do some outdoor cleaning and/or bug spraying in order to get spaces ready to use. Don’t forget to do – or assign – this task before the party begins.

Send out a reminder email or text message with any last details and to get people excited

One of my favorite things to do the week before the party is to send a reminder text or email to people letting them know that you’re excited to see them and reminding them what to expect. Some of the electronically invitation services do this automatically. It’s also a good opportunity to remind them of anything worth reminding them of – where to park, what time to arrive, what to bring, etc. I also always try to include some kind of teaser to get people to start thinking about the party (even if it’s just telling them what the icebreaker is ahead of time so they come prepared – more on that to come).

Put the drinks in the fridge

This is one of the steps I usually forget in the party logistics process, but –

If you remember to do this ahead of time it helps to avoid that “oh no, I’ll just put the wine in the freezer and hopefully remember it when people arrive” thing. White wine should be chilled for a few hours, red wine should be chilled for about an hour, anything else should be put in with enough time for it to get cold.

Set the stage

This is where the two other lists you use come into play: the setting-the-stage list and the what-to-put-out list.

There’s a few things you can do before people arrive to set the stage. I’ve found that these things are helpful in making your guests feel comfortable when they arrive and throughout the party because you’ve already thought ahead about what they’re going to need. These things include:

Hang/place out the decorations
Set the table (if you plan to sit down to eat)
Put out extra toilet paper (yes, I’ve said this before, it’s important)
If the party will be outdoors, make sun screen and bug spray easily accessible
Designate an area for coats, if necessary
Light a candle in the bathroom, this helps to keep it fresh, but also serves as a light so people can see the switch
Set out the appetizer/snack food
Put out a pitcher of water so nobody needs to ask for it
Find a way to identify whose glasses are whose (most recently I just used washi tape in different colors and taped it to the bottom of each glass)
Put some music on
Label useful things – like the trash and recycling – and possibly even which light switch goes to what and how to secure gates.

The other I’ve started using during the party planning process is a list of food to put out. There are so many times that when I was grocery shopping I added an extra item to my cart that I thought would be fun, but has since been shoved to the back of the refrigerator and I forget about it before the party. Or if I’m serving tacos, I forget to put out one of the toppings, and then I end up with a heck of a lot of sour cream left at the end of the day. So in addition to your “to-do” list, consider creating a “to-put-out” list so you don’t miss anything. My Aunt Lisa actually uses post-it notes for this as well. She puts them on the serving table in the space that the food is supposed to sit, that way if there’s a gaping hole with a post-it there, she knows what she’s missing.

As a quick exercise, leave your house and walk in, imagining that you are a guest entering for the first time. What are the things you want to know? Your goal as the party host is to set them up for success. Speaking of which –

Play host or hostess

During the actual party, as the party host, it is your job to make sure your guests are well attended-to. This may mean that right at the beginning and while food is being served, but that is one of the responsibilities that comes with being the host. Once people have settled in, you can start to relax a bit more. You’ll want to make sure:

Someone is monitoring the door (maybe you, or that may be a task you assign to a spouse or one of the first guests that arrives)
People know where things are that they need
The snack food bowls are refilled when necessary
Everyone always has a drink
People have had enough to eat
No one looks lost and confused
No one looks lonely (This is not to say that no one is alone. While you want to make sure no one is sad alone in the corner, you also want to make sure you’re not stealing an introvert’s only moment of peace.)

My favorite thing to do as a party host is to have an icebreaker question or game at the beginning of the party for people to get to learn each other’s names and something about each other. I’ve found through the years that it makes it easier to start conversations. I’ve been doing this for so long, people expect it to happen, which is always fun. (It also means I always have my work cut out for me, but that’s part of the gig.) If you’re looking for a place to start with ice breakers, you can check out this post I wrote about 5 icebreaker games for your next party.

Never be afraid to ask for help either. I know that as a party guest, one of my favorite things to do is help. I love to be put to work, it makes me feel at home. People like to be useful. Ask for help if you need it. There is a good chance that at some point you will have an oven timer go off, someone will knock on the door, and a guest will break a wine glass all at the same time. That’s when it’s time to play the help card. Just ask with a smile and you’re good to go.

If you’re willing to put a little money towards the cause, I’ve heard of people who hire folks to help during parties. I have no experience with this – yet – but I could definitely see how it could be great to have someone there with you to help refill bowls and take guest’s coats.

Also, one of the things that I’ve added to my repertoire over the years is to always have more wine glasses than I need in the basement, that way if anything happens to any, you can just go downstairs and grab more. Thanks, Ikea for helping to enable this.

Clean up the mess

It would be excellent if the work ended when the party ended, but unfortunately, there’s still some things left to do – like clean up. After the party you’ll want to:

Put the leftovers away (and maybe consider giving them away to guests as they go if you don’t want to be stuck with all of them)
Put recyclable things in the recycling
Rinse dishes (if you have the motivation, do them, but if you don’t, at least rinse them – and if you’re one of those lucky dishwasher people, rinsing them is definitely enough to get the job done)

Then after that, if you’re really feeling motivated, you can clean the floors. I’ve never made it quite that far though – unless I’m hosting in my mother’s house, then I know it’s a non-negotiable.

Send any thank you cards

Thank you cards aren’t always needed, but they’re a nice way to wrap up a party. If anyone brought you a hostess gift – or a birthday gift – or really any other gift, consider mailing them a thank you card. Also, there have been a few times in the past that I’ve taken a group photo and then had them printed as postcards and mailed to people to remind them of the day. I always enjoy going over their houses later and seeing those cards on the refrigerator. It makes me feel like the enjoyment of the day can continue to live on beyond the end of the party.

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And that’s it. All of my best tips about planning the logistics of parties. It involves a lot of list making, many post-it notes, and some thinking about who needs what and when.