We have all spent the last two summer’s stuck indoors and staying away from friends and family. Now that things have begun to settle and we can resume social gatherings the universe has blessed us with the perfect BBQ weather. I am a summer baby and this year I got to spend my July birthday in the garden with the sun beating down surrounded by people I love, exactly as it should be. The only thing missing was proper planning and preparation so things were a little thrown together last minute.
With summer still going strong we are planning of having a few more garden days and specifically at the end of summer for my sisters birthday. This time we are starting early, I was sent the link to this Ningbo’s blog post a week ago with tips advice for planning the ultimate social event and even provides some standard event planning checklists to help you on your way.
These lists lay a great foundation for you to build on and tweak to fit the type of event you are planning to ensure nothing is forgotten, a couple of items I added to my list that I felt was really important with it being an outdoor event was regularly checking the weather forecast and making sure we have access to a marquee in case anything changes, also having a designated person to man the BBQ as I wouldn’t have a clue where to start. Another thing that is really important to me is accessibility, making sure everyone is catered to and will be comfortable.
Having a checklist really helps to keep things organised and allows you to keep track of what still needs to be done. It’s a great tool when you are delegating tasks and also great for when friends and family ask if you need any help with anything or if you want them to bring anything, it’s all right there and you don’t have to rely on your memory. My list is a little more detailed that a lot of people would do as my memory is terrible, one of my worst nightmares would be having a garden full of people in the burning sun and realising I forgot to get ice so I have a bunch of additions to put my mind at ease even done to a child friendly playlist for the kiddos to dance to.
For a stress free party planning process definitely check out the aforementioned blog post and see how their lists can help you plan an upcoming event.