PartyPlanningMag.com

How do you plan and arrange a party, birthday or wedding at a lower cost? Here are some tips and ideas:

Find the right party venue
You can save a lot by having your party and the right venue. The price of hiring the venue is of course important, but whether or not they have BYO can make a huge impact on your budget. Many venues require that you buy their alcohol and this may triple the price of each drink. You can save a lot by finding the right venue, here are some suggestions:

•    The cheapest venue are always someone’s private home. If you don’t have one that you can use, then ask your family and friends. You can for example have it in their garden. You can even hire a party tent as an insurance for any kind of weather. Just remember to warn your neighbours!

•    You can often rent halls or rooms in club houses, schools, retirement homes etc quite cheaply. They usually have a kitchen you can use as well. These venues are usually gray and boring, but you can use the money you saved on the venue to buy great decorations, hire a sound system etc.

•    If the alternatives above aren’t an option, then call as many venues you can think of. Write down the price and ask if they have BYO.

Centrepieces
A surprisingly large part of you budget often goes to centrepieces. To save in this area you have to be creative. Flowers are expensive, but you can use candles instead or in addition. For example, floating candles and roses in a bowl of water. It costs less and looks beautiful. Make sure you test how long the candles last.

Entertainment
Great entertainment is important to the success of the party, and you can save a lot by using you contacts. You probably know some musicians, jugglers, fire dancers etc. If you don’t then someone in your family or your friends probably do. Ask them to perform. Most entertainers would love the opportunity to show their talent amongst friends.

Weddings overseas
You can actually save quite a bit by having your wedding on a cheaper location overseas. Fiji for example. The party will cost less as long as the guests pay for their own airfares and accommodation. In addition, it will get cheaper as fewer guests will be able to make it.

Don’t say it’s a wedding
Some venues actually add up to 30% to the price if you say it’s a wedding compared to other parties or events. You should therefore not say it’s a wedding until after the price is decided.

Electronic invitations
This is obviously not as personal and traditional, but it is practical and free! At evite.com you can send invitations for free via email and keep track of who has responded etc. It’s a good way to keep track of all the responds.