Making Sure Birthday Party Planning Doesn’t Get to You

As fabulous as birthday parties can be for friends and family, they are always super stressful as well. Making sure the parties go off with a bang is a lot of work upfront. So, what does it take to ensure that you can cope with the challenges of organizing a birthday party? Here’s a few tips that I swear by!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Start as Soon as Possible

Lots of people wait until the last moment to prepare for a massive birthday party. Worst. Idea. Ever. Trust me! Party planning is one of THE most stressful jobs, so if you wanna pull this off you better not rush. One of the biggest mistakes many people make, especially those attending the birthday party, is that last-minute rush to get something. This goes for those attending the party too, you don’t want to be struggling to find the right birthday cards or locate the right presents and it’s far better to leave yourself plenty of extra time. When we get started as soon as possible, it allows us that breathing space. 

It also means you can take advantage of early bird discounts and deals if you are looking to book venues or services. One of the biggest reasons we procrastinate is because we underestimate just how much is involved, but when we get started planning details, there are a number of different things that we must keep track of, and the overwhelm sets in. Start early, and you will not regret it. I have a fabulous Party Planning checklist to help out with just this thing!

Set Realistic Expectations

As far as planning a party is concerned, we want to give our kids or loved ones the event they deserve, but it’s so important to manage expectations, especially when it comes to the budget. Make a list of all the expenses that you expect, whether it’s decorations, entertainment, drinks, and so forth, and then you need to prioritize them based on your preferences. When it comes to an event like a party, there are so many things that we can splurge on, but if you’re like me, then you want to save a buck everywhere you can.

There are PLENTY of ways to save money, but my fave is making our own invitations and baking our own cakes. It also helps to borrow items from friends or family when you can. I’ll never forget when I saved $100 bucks on table and chairs by recruiting friends and family to bring some before the party. It’s so important that before you start letting your finances run away with you, you find a realistic balance.

Don’t Stress Over Every Little Thing

One of the biggest issues we have in planning a perfect party is that we think it’s got to be perfect. Things will never go exactly as planned, and we should be prepared to adapt or improvise if something changes at the last minute. “Done is better then perfect”, is my motto! You may think it’s ideal to have an outdoor party, but if the weather goes bad, you will need to have a backup plan to take everything inside. The same goes if there are extra guests that turn up unannounced (this almost always happens). Having some extra food and drinks available, or at least be prepared to run out in hot second, it will make a big difference. And don’t forget about spillages, it’s always worth having enough cleaning equipment on hand to counteract the damage, especially with kids!

My point it is that you’ve got to be adaptable and stop stressing over every little thing, or else you’ll drive yourself cray After all, the party will be over and done within a matter of hours, so is it worth obsessing over? (Don’t answer that LOL!)

Learn the Art of Delegation

Delegating is one of those things that we need to learn as soon as possible. This is especially true when it comes to planning and preparing for a birthday party. We think that we need to have control over every little thing, but it is going to make for a far more stress-free time when you ask for help from friends or family members who are willing to get involved. Throughout the course of the party, there’s always going to be people asking if they can help, and I know it may feel awkward to accept the help, but take advantage of it. People are HAPPY to to help and a little bit of help form various people can add up to BIG help.

You can also delegate to family members during the planning process, even before the party has started. You could ask people to help set up, pick up supplies, or send out invitations. There is a lot a lot to do when trying to get a party ready, and if we’re feeling the pressure weeks before the big day, this is where delegating will always make life easier. It also allows you to focus on the things that only YOU can do (like DIY those decorations!). When planning ahead it’s important to make sure you have a complete list of things to do, but also a list of people that can do these things, will always make life easier for you.

Think About Guests Unique Needs

This is something that we’ve all got to consider these days because there are a lot of children with nut allergies and specific dietary needs. There’s also, of course, the potential for accessibility issues. If one of your child’s friends has a wheelchair, they’re going to need to get into the venue, and it’s important to make sure that the venue is wheelchair-friendly or, at the very least, accessible for them. It’s important to make sure that nobody feels excluded, and it can be so tough when we have young kids who feel singled out already because they’ve got allergies and can’t have a specific type of food or birthday cake. Asking parents ahead of time is key when planning the menu and the venue for your party.

Lots of parents don’t think about dietary requirements until the very last second because they don’t have any dietary needs themselves. It’s one of those little things, but it’s such a small touch that will make the biggest difference.

Prioritize Fun!

It sounds very simple, but a birthday party is meant to be a celebration rather than a chore (sometimes we forget this when in the planning phase). There’s a lot you need to think about to make sure the event goes off without a hitch, but don’t forget to have FUN. Yes, planning a party can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself and stop worrying about what others expect of you. There’s a lot of pressure in doing kids’ birthday parties because you may feel like you need to better than the party that Suzie had. Or heck, better than your LAST party! The fact is that when it comes to planning a party for our kids, this can be a very stressful thing that happens every single year. The reality is that they are only going to remember the amazing memories you made for them!

When your kids are young enough, all they want to do is have fun, and as simple as this sounds, if you start party planning with this very basic idea in mind, you will be surprised how effortless it can all be. Yes, we can have worries about finances, diets, themes, and so forth, but that’s not what’s truly important, it’s the memories that we make!

If you’re stressing out about planning your next party, than you need my FREE Party Planning Checklist so you can plan and organize*all the things*! When you sign up for the party planning checklist, I’ll also send you lot’s of fun, easy, and budget friendly ideas for your next party too!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love these Birthday Party Planning tips? Make sure to PIN it for later!