One of the most important aspects to ensure that the big day runs smoothly is planning. Leaving things until the last minute may be the easy option but is definitely not the most stress free. So if you want the important day to leave you feeling satisfied
A birthday party does not need to be planned down to the final detail, sometimes impromptu events can be the most memorable though with a little bit of planning you can make it run more smoothly.

Throughout the year be aware of bargains and what you may need and buy at sales or end of line clearances. This will reduce the cost drastically allowing you to spend more money elsewhere. Start stockpiling supplies of tableware and keep a notebook of ideas and themes that may pop into your head. How many times have you thought of a brilliant idea and then forget about it?

So roughly start your more specific planning between six weeks to four weeks before hand. Set a date and confirm your theme. Start looking into venues and costings. It is important to do this now as external venues are becoming more and more popular and the good ones get booked up well in advance.

Also think about entertainers and research them. The good entertainers will have copies available of their acts that you can watch and judge for yourself.

Around a month beforehand decide on the party guests. This can normally dictated by the capacity of the venue you have booked or the stamina you have if you are having the party in your house. Start sending out the invites as this will give the guests ample time to reply. It can sometimes be advantageous to put aon the invites a request for any dietary requirements and a deadline for replying, especially if you have to confirm numbers with a venue.

Two weeks beforehand start planning the menu. You should by now have received any information regarding dietary requirements and you can start planning accordingly. Also start gathering together the items you will need for the activities.

As some children do not normally inform their parents that they have been invited to a party until either the night before or worse a few hours before the best thing to do is to phone anybody who has not replied. This will ensure that no invite will be left languishing at the bottom of a school bag.

Also around this time start buying the non food items ie candles, tableware etc and start assembling the party bags. It can be surprising even if you are only having a few children round how long putting together party bags can be. If you are one of the people who are against party bags then one option can be to wrap small presents at leave them in a basket at the door so the children can pick the up as they leave.

Finally the big day arrives. It can sometimes be best to get the birthday child away from the house for a couple of hours as this means that you can get a lot more done. Buy the food that you have to buy on the day and then prepare it. Decorate the house or rope someone in to doing it while you are preparing the food and setting out the party games.

So once all the guests arrive you can appear unflustered, organised and ready to throw a fantastic party.