When Melissa sent me this post I was so excited to share it with y'all. Cheap party planning is my forte, and definitely how we planned our wedding. These tips are great for saving money on parties as small as a baby's birthday party to a full blown wedding. Leave Melissa some comment love and let her know your favorite tip!
Top Party Planning Tips for the Budget Conscious
Parties are usually expensive, unless you put forth some
effort to cut costs. If you’re planning an party, you may be wondering exactly
how you can save some money and still throw the best party possible for the
occasion. Here are some of the things you can do to cut back on the expenses of
the party without skimping on the essentials:
·
Choose a venue carefully – Hosting the party at
a party hall or other venue will usually cost you more money than hosting it at
your own home would. If you’re throwing something like a rehearsal dinner for a
wedding, you might not be able to get out of hosting it at a venue. If this is
the case, you might want to ask friends and family members of the guests of
honor to help you cover the costs. People are usually more than happy to donate
a little bit of money to help make the party a success. Swallowing your pride a
little bit and asking for financial help may feel uncomfortable, but it can
save you some money.
·
Invite fewer people – You may be thinking: “A
party is no fun without tons of people!” However, this isn’t always the case. A
smaller, more intimate party can be more enjoyable for everyone involved. At
smaller parties, the guests have a chance to meaningfully interact with each
other, instead of having to mingle and stick to small talk. Plus, if the guest
list is short, you’ll have to spend less money on food and supplies to
accommodate the guests.
·
Consider DIY Decorations – Pick some flowers
from your garden and stick them in vases. You can make a beautiful, elegant
floral centerpiece out of flowers you’ve purchased from a local florist or
flowers you’ve picked. There’s no need to pay for someone else to design the
centerpiece. Just get creative and pair complimentary colors together, while
focusing on keeping the overall appearance of the centerpiece balanced.
You can also spend some time making
pretty paper decorations and banners. For instance, you could do something as
simple as cutting stars out of colorful construction paper and then taping
those stars on the walls around your home. There are a lot of attractive and
festive party decorations you can make on your own, and DIY party decorations
save you money.
·
Make all the food yourself – You don’t have to
be a pro chef to make delicious party food. You just have to have some time.
Look up recipes to make things like baked ziti and pizza. Generally, you can
make Italian food in bulk for pretty affordable prices, and many Italian dishes
are pretty easy to make. There’s no need to spend money having the party
catered.
If you don’t have time to make all
the food yourself, consider making the party a potluck, if that would be
appropriate for the occasion. Potlucks ensure that you don’t have to spend a
bunch of money on food and that there’s a delicious variety of food for the
party guests to munch on.
·
Skip the DJ – You can hook your computer up to
your stereo and play music from your iTunes account or from online music
generator services like Pandora, Last.fm, and Spotify. You can pick the music
for the party and create music playlists on Spotify and iTunes, or you can let
a service like Pandora or Last.fm play random songs from a specific music
genre.
In order to hook your computer up to your
stereo, you’ll need to purchase a shielded stereo audio cable or other, similar
kind of cable, depending on what kind of stereo you have. This type of cable
will cost you around $7, which is considerably less expensive than what it
would cost to hire a DJ or band for the party.
Saving
money as you plan and throw a party does require some effort and thought.
However, it’s completely possible to pull off a delightful party without
breaking the bank. So, try out the tips above and stick your budget!
Author’s
Bio: Melissa is a guest blogger and event planner. She writes for a variety of
blogs about things like party planning, kids’ party planning, and party
supplies, like Mario party supplies and baby shower
supplies.
