Birthday Parties 101:How to Keep the Guest List Down (Part 2)

Throwing a kiddie party can be fun and exciting with all the creative options to explore, yet the task becomes overwhelming when faced with all the planning details. Aside from finding the best and cost-efficient suppliers, the dilemma often comes down to deciding who should be invited to the party.

Yesterday, we gave you tips on how to pare down your kid’s party guest list as the number of guests will definitely affect the whole planning process – from deciding where to hold the event to determining how much food to serve. There are no hard and fast rules in preparing the list but a common method through the years is inviting around the same number of guests as your child’s age. It has been said that this practice aims to gradually expose your child to a larger social group each year. However, for those who want to invite more but are challenged by certain limitations, here are some tips to simplify your guest list.

1. Know your budget. Decision making will be a lot easier once you determine how much you are capable of spending for the party. Be practical and begin with a conservative budget and try your best to work within it. This will serve as your basis in finding the appropriate venue and in negotiating with party suppliers.

2. Finalize the venue. Planning this detail before everything else will help you set the limit on the number of people you can accommodate. Work on your guest list based on your venue’s capacity and around the kind of party you wish to have.

3. Make an official guest list. Identifying who should be invited is crucial in making a proper guest list. This task can be quite daunting so it would best to really sit down and take your time. Do not forget to seek your child’s opinion before making the final decision. Let the guide below help you in narrowing things down.

- Start with immediate family members. If you belong to a huge family, you may want to consider just inviting those relatives you are closest to or frequently have interaction with. Another consideration would be the age of children. You may choose your child’s cousins who are within the same age range.

- Invite your child’s closest friends and playmates. Invite your child’s best or closest friends and the ones he or she is constantly interacting with. These kids may be neighbors or fellow members in a club or organization.  You may help on this one to avoid missing out on anyone your child may forget to include.

- Select from schoolmates or classmates. Unless your child belongs to a very small class, do not feel pressured to invite all of his or her classmates. Select only those whom your child considers to be his or her closest companions. It would be best not to give out the invitations in school to avoid hurting the feelings of those who are not invited. Address the invitations to the children’s homes or hand them directly to the parents. Talk to your child openly about the situation and ask him or her to avoid discussing the party in class.

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4. Come up with a theme. A little creativity can bring you the best excuse to limit your guest list. For example, throwing a pretty-in-pink event for your daughter will allow you to make the party exclusively for little girls. Another idea would be a movie premiere theme where invites can be designed as ADMIT ONE movie tickets which guests will have to present before entering the party. This theme scheme will help prevent having more guests than expected.

5. Send out specific invites. Make sure you address your invitation to the specific person you are inviting. Do take note that inviting little children often requires a guardian. With that, you may choose to indicate a note in your invitation that says, “(number) seats have been reserved for you”. This will help in dropping hints that the party is limited.

6. Know who to expect. Placing an RSVP on your invitation is the best way to track the head count. Kindly request your guests to confirm their attendance by a certain date, preferably a week or two before your party to give you enough time to come up with contingency plans based on their responses. Be prepared that not everyone will call so do not hesitate to politely follow up on their confirmation. Additionally, do not assume that those who did not confirm will not be attending; avoid surprises by preparing some extra food or giveaways.

Planning ahead and being realistic on what you can afford will prevent unwanted scenarios. Give yourself ample time to prepare and maximize whatever resources are available. At the end of the day, the party is not about the number of people involved but the quality of fun and memories your child will have.

Photo from sxc.hu