Are you in charge of organizing a party or shower? Maybe you’re trying to help a friend plan a big bash. If you’re like me, then the decorating and hosting portions are the fun parts. However, managing some of the little details (like who you already sent invitations to) has potential to get a little confusing.
I’m a list-maker, but sometimes I make too many lists and can’t find the one I’m looking for. I have friends who try to make organized lists, but their mind is already jumping to the next thing and they have trouble putting everything down on paper. So if you’re like me and my friends, this post is just for you.
Here are a few things that have helped me when planning a party or shower.
1. Write down the names and contact information of all the people you want to invite. It’s important to include their address and any other contact information you might need so you don’t have to go look, or ask, for it later. Keep all of this information on the far left side so you have room for other details later on.
2. Check off each person as you address an invitation to them. This is a great way to make sure that you don’t accidentally miss anyone. The larger the guest list, the more likely it is that this will happen.
3. Write RSVP information on the same list. Having this information on the same page will allow you to easily see who you might need to call as a follow-up to the invitation.
4. Record the gift list on the guest list. It might sound a little silly to put these two together, but this is actually one of the best points because it’s so helpful! Give this list to the person of honor (whoever the party is for). They will love you for having the people, addresses and gifts listed on one page. It will make everything really easy for when they write their thank you notes.
5. Check off each person you write a thank you note to. This means you’ll have two check marks for everyone who gave a gift. If you want to take it one extra step, you can even include the date of when you sent the thank you note. I know it sounds silly and ridiculous, but I’ve had distant relatives follow up to make sure a present came because they never received the thank you note I wrote. Having the date logged let me judge the time it would take to get through the postal system and even write a new thank you if it was needed.
I hope these are helpful tips/ideas for you. It really helped me to get everything in one place. I’ve even created a document (see the photo above) to help with future events. You can click here to see some of the different styles included.