Despite the stress associated in planning and hosting parties, some people enjoy preparing parties. When you plan to host parties, there some things that need to be considered and taken into account to have a successful party. If you lack information and knowledge in party planning, read this article and follow the guidelines mentioned below.

No matter how big or small the party you hosted, gourmet dishes, desserts and finger foods served during the event are among the things that determines the overall success of parties.

Most often, guests gauge the success of parties not only on the quality of accommodation they received from host, but also entertainment given and the quality of foods served to them.

If you have limited budget and intend to cook foods yourself, then you must have basic cook ware and quality cooking utensils in your kitchen. They are needed in producing quality and sumptuous foods not only for parties, but also for meals served during dinners, breakfasts and lunch. There are menus or viands that need to be cooked on specific kitchen tools.

Suggested basic cooking ware for your kitchen:

• Measuring equipment such as measuring cups and spoons are needed in measuring ingredients. These kitchen gadgets come in different sizes and are sold in stores.
• Knives — it is needed in cutting and slicing ingredients. It comes in different sizes and types like bread knife, serrated knife and steak knife.
• Bowls – it is needed in mixing dry and wet ingredients, storing foods and cooking. It also comes in different sizes and shapes.
• Basic tools like electric can openers, spoons, whisks, pots and spatula. These are basic tools needed in cooking.
• Pots and Pans – These are needed in cooking soups, viand and other menu.

• Checklist. When planning for your party, take into consideration the 5Ws, like who, what, where, when and why. When you considered all these things, you can move to details of planning for the party.
• Budget. Before organizing a party, you must consider first your finances. Evaluate how much money you can allocate for the event.
• Guest List. You must list all the individuals you like to invite.
• Theme. Select what type of theme you like to have, such as masquerade, cowboy, fairytale or superheroes.
• Venue. Choose a location that is associated with the theme chosen and the number of guests invited.
• Time. Select the convenient time to hold the party. Choose one that is convenient to both the host and guests.
• Food. Choose foods within the reach of your budget. Select a menu related to the theme of the event. Avoid preparing foods that can be cause of allergy to the guests.
• Entertainment. You can hire DJs,  music bands, magicians or clowns.
• Games. Most often games are associated with children’s parties.
• Transportation. Some hostesses or organizers that provide transportation facilities to their guest.
• Invitations. If your budget permits, send invitations to your guests. When sending invitations, always ask for RSVP on these invitations to help you with the reservation, seating arrangements, budget and food.

New Year’s is the time when many say goodbye to the year that has passed and welcome the New Year ahead. This is the time for parties and various  celebrations where everyone does their own thing to ring in the New Year.

f you are planning a New Year’s party, it is important that you plan ahead so that you can enjoy along with all your guests. Here are some New Year’s party planning tips and ideas to help you plan the best party of the year.

Make A Checklist
Having a New Year’s party planning checklist is a must to keep you organized and prevent you from forgetting anything. This should be the first thing to do when planning, which should include your guest list, food, decorations, etc.

Budget
Make sure to set a budget so you know how much you have to spend for invitations, food, drinks, gifts, and other items needed.

Send Out Invitations Early

Everyone wants to throw a New Year’s Eve party so it is important that you get your invites out as early as possible so that your friends will know that the party this year is at your house.

Get Help

Once you have a list of everything that has to be done, start delegating. Certainly doing everything yourself is too much work so get some of your friends to help out with certain things like decorations, music, etc.

Decorations

You can keep your holiday decorations and simply add streamers, balloons, party hats and fun noisemakers that can be used during the countdown.

Food

You can’t have a party without food, and when it comes to New Year’s Eve parties, it is best to stick to finger food that your guests will enjoy. Have a buffet table set up with a variety of food such as a cheese and cracker tray, mini quiches, cold cut platter, mini sandwiches, chicken fingers, fish fingers, and of course a range of sweet treats and snack-size cheesecakes for dessert.

Drinks

A must-have for a New Year’s Eve party is alcohol. Set-up a bar and stock it up with wine, beer, and a variety of cocktail mixes. If the budget allows, hire a bartender for the night to keep the bar organized.

Music

Music is a great way to keep the party alive. If you have a DJ friend, then perfect! If not, you can choose to hire a DJ along with all the music equipment needed to keep the party pumping.

Gifts

Don’t forget to give your guests a small gift to remind them of the great night they had. You can easily give out something they will appreciate like fruits or mini cheesecakes that you can order and buy online with delivery right to your door. It is the perfect festive gift that doesn’t require much effort.

All you need to planning the perfect New Year’s Eve party is right here. Make sure to make use of these helpful tips and ideas to make party planning easier for you. Also, remember to have confetti and noisemakers for all your guests when the clock strikes midnight!

Traditional wedding etiquette says that the maid of honor acts as a kind of committee chair for the other bridesmaids, and that at least one of the bridal showers should be organized and hosted by this group. Expenses are usually split among the maids; if their budget allows, they may choose to forget about the cleaning, cooking and decorating that a home-based shower calls for, and leave the work to professional event coordinators. A typical bridal shower can be a luncheon, champagne brunch or a tea with light snacks. If it fits the budget, utilizing all-inclusive banquet rooms or event planning services will relieve everyone from stress, as there are many other things to focus on when the big day is approaching.

Rehearsal dinners are traditionally hosted by the groom’s family. In most cases this event will include the entire wedding party, the bride and groom’s immediate family, the person who will be conducting the ceremony (and his or her spouse), and any out-of-town guests. This could be quite a big task, depending on the amount of guests and the size of the wedding.

Venues such as larger restaurants, hotels, private clubs and meeting rooms at local attractions such as a zoo or historical landmark all offer appropriate banquet rooms for these kinds of occasions. They can often accommodate small groups for intimate gatherings or much larger parties numbering 100 or more guests. The benefit of renting a banquet hall is the fact that all the staff and the entire space are entirely dedicated to you – this is an especially exciting option if you have a lot of guests.

Banquet halls frequently offer full use of expert event planners, who can assist in the formation of a theme, menu design and itinerary. With the staff of the facility, you need not worry about set-up, and they are able to provide cash bars, catering, wait staff, entertainment, and of course, clean-up as well. This takes the burden of putting together these events off the shoulders of already busy families and friends. There is also the advantage of having an enjoyable and efficiently run event for all your guests – a complete package of memorable celebration for all involved.

So, if the thought of hosting a shower or rehearsal dinner in your home has you running in frantic circles – consider running to a banquet hall instead.

If you’re looking for premiere banquet rooms in Chicago, online marketing specialist Stephen Daniels suggests European Chalet Banquets. With gourmet food, personal planning services and decadent European-styled spaces, they strive to provide the best venue for you and your guests.

The first step it to start getting some notes together. You will have some funny stories about the things you have done together. Try to avoid stories that will embarrass anyone. Stories that show the groom’s character traits are good. Tell some stories involving his relationship with the bride. If you need more material, do some research with the family. If you have a long friendship you will probably know as much as they do. If you have a long, close friendship most people will know that and you can get away with a friendly banter type of speech. Your audience will know this is your way of showing the high regard you have for your friend.

When you have done your homework and gathered the material you need, write your speech. The most important step in any speech is its preparation. If you spend the time on your best man speech you will do well. If you spend the time on it you are less likely to stumble or to mess it up. This does not do anybody any good – you will be disappointed, the bride and groom will be disappointed, but forgiving, and your audience will be polite but disappointed. No one expects you to be a great orator but they should be able to expect you to have prepared well. After all, this is your best friend or your brother or someone close and you agreed to give a wedding speech.

There are some steps you can take to make sure you are well prepared on the day. Have your speech handy so you can refer to it, but be careful not to read from it all the time. Limit your drinking until after your speech. It would be a pity to waste all the research and speech writing by not staying sober and maybe causing some embarrassment. To help with nervousness, take some deep slow breaths a minute or two before you get up to speak.

When you stand to speak, pause for a moment and look around the room. This will help you get your thoughts together and to calm you nerves. If you follow some of these tips your best man speech should be a lot of fun and add to a happy occasion that everyone will remember with pleasure.

Good luck!

- Invite only those with whom you can have fun. If you wish you can include only classmates from middle school or from high school, office colleagues and etc.

- Your friends might have different spending limits. Keep in mind the financial condition of each of the invitees. Do not overspend on highly expensive hotels, limos etc.

- When negotiating with a hotel or a mall, only one of you should be talking at a time. If all the girls start speaking at the same time, the other person is not going to listen at all and you will hardly be able to bargain.

- You will have to walk a lot and a pair of new shoes may cause sore feet. This might spoil your evening. Hence do not wear new shoes for the evening.

- Regarding clothes, it is not a good idea to carry too many clothes. A pair of blue jeans is good enough to be mixed and matched with a couple of T-shirts and also something to wear while you sleep.

- If you are planning to drink, eat well before you lift the glass.

- Be within your limits when you start drinking. The fun that you had in the evening will fade away if you will have to spend the next day in the hotel due to hangover or headache.

- Be yourself and be happy for what you are.

- Do not dump your friends for the handsome hunk sitting next to you. Your friends will be hurt if you leave them behind for a one-night stand.

- Do not get into any argument when you are inebriated, neither with any of your friends nor with somebody outside your groups. Leave the issues at home as you have gone out to enjoy the night.

- Do not shout or scream on the top of you pitch in the bar or while you are on the road. It will disturb others.

- Do give a decent tip to the bartender before you leave the bar.

It is good to be with friends once in a while. If you have not been with your girl friends for long time, quickly plan a night out and enjoy what you might be missing in life.

About the author – I am a nightlife enthusiast and creative director at Avital – Chicago limousine company. Avital limousine is the premier Chicago limo rental company. I am an expert in all aspects of successful marketing and public relations. I enjoy interacting with people and advising on things to do in the city.

Share Your Special Day With The Right People...

Wedding attendants include: the Maid of Honor, the Best Man, the Bridesmaids, the Groomsmen, the Flower Girl and the Ring Bearer. For managing the show well, one needs a pair of attendant for every 35-50 guests. Though it is not fixed, each of attendants is expected to take care of certain responsibilities. Let’s see the various responsibilities linked to each attendant traditionally.

Maid of Honor

The maid of honor can be a special friend who helps in finding the wonderful wedding dress, keeping the group of bridesmaid on time and help you through the jitters of wedding on the wedding day. She may also be willing to help the bride do the wedding related shopping, writing the details in the invitations, putting labels on seating cards, planning for Bachelorette party and wedding shower, take care of minor details of dressing on the wedding day and put her signature on your marriage certificate.

All these can either be performed by a sister, a cousin or a very close friend who is willing to take up the responsibility.

Best Man

Best Man does similar work for groom as the maid of honor does for the bride. He plans for the Bachelorette party, helps you reach the church on time, counsels the groom through the wedding, helps in finding the perfect wedding suit etc. Best man can be your brother or a friend who matters to you and is happy to do the duty.

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids are the group of girls who can take up the responsibilities and at the same time add fun to the environment. They should be willing to buy matching dresses as per your choice. They should keep a track of wedding shower gifts, help with the ceremony rehearsal, and plan for shuttling guests who are coming via air. Bridesmaids can be chosen from sisters, cousins, close friends as well as groom’s sisters.

Groomsmen

Male siblings from bride’s as well as the groom’s side, cousins and friends can be the groomsmen. They should be willing to rent a tuxedo, assist the best man to plan for the Bachelor party, come to the wedding venue before time and greet the guests, decoration of getaway car and dance with the bridesmaids.

The Flower Girl and the Ring Bearer

These two child attendants are chosen from family. They can also be children of close friends. The Flower Girl carries a basket of flowers till the aisle on the wedding time while the Ring Bearer carries a pillow which has the original or replicas of the wedding ring for the bride. The children chosen for this kind of responsibilities are usually above four years of age.

The group of attendants helps in making the occasion special for the bride, the groom, the family on both the sides as well as the guests. When all of them do their work well, a wedding ceremony becomes memorable for all.

This article was kindly contributed by Avital , a Chicagoland limo company. Avital limousine is the premier Chicago hummer limo company.

A birthday theme is meant to excite everyone in the party. You can put the theme as “water world” or “jungle” (yes, this is definitely not only for kids). Ask your friends to dress up accordingly or at least put a mask of an animal. Decorate the room as per your theme; include the concept in the food. Think of some games that you could include in the party such as tug of war to prove who is the mightiest animal or fishing game.

“Happiest days are back again” theme can ask the guests to dress up as their mom/ dad used to dress up when they were kids. They may mimic their parent’s behavior while you could serve the food which you liked as a kid.

“Golden Memories” theme can be created by creating a guest list from kindergarten friends, your primary, middle, high school friends, your ex-ones and/or your favorite neighbors. Do not forget to include your teachers who would tell the guest about your mischievous acts of childhood. You will also get to hear many forgotten stories that would still be afresh in the mind of your guests.

You can organize a “Treasure Hunt” on your friend’s birthday at your home. You throw a surprise party for your friend and ask the guests to come 10 minutes before the scheduled time. All the guests may hide their gifts and ask birthday girl/boy to find them. Instead of writing your names on the gifts, you can ask him/ her to guess who has gifted it.

Another option is the Mexican theme. Dressing up in Mexican style is easy and tortilla with salsa will make your snacks part.

You can convert your home to a virtual gambling place by putting up a blackjack table and supplying your guests with chips or monopoly money.There should be a special prize for the winner at the end of the evening. Do not forget to set up a bar for the guests and hire a bartender.

About The Author:

I am a nightlife enthusiast and creative director at Avital – Chicago limo company. Avital limousine is the premier Chicago wedding limousine company. I am an expert in all aspects of successful marketing and public relations. I enjoy interacting with people and advising on things to do in the city.

1. Electronic: This is probably the most popular form of music for DJ’s to listen to because it embodies the DJ culture. When you explore electronic music you will find that there are hundreds of different subgenres, each representing their own smaller culture. For example, Ambient, Breakbeat, Disco, Downtempo, Garage, Industrial, Chiptune, Trance, House, Hardcore and Nu Rave are the main breakdowns. But within Garage, for example, are 2-step, 4×4, bassline, breakstep, dubstep, funky, grime and speed garage, all of which sound slightly different from each other. To become a master DJ means to immerse yourself in these forms of electronic music so that eventually you can use your own DJ equipment to take what you’ve heard and reinvent it.

2. Hip-Hop: For a long time, DJ equipment and a professional audio mixer have been closely related to this genre. Due to the need for a beat over which to rhyme, the electronic mixing of music with professional DJ equipment has long been a part of hip-hop. Today, the melding of the genre with electronic music shows that hip-hop is being reincarnated into a more personal, emotional genre of music and less of a gangbanger associated style.

3. Rock n’ Roll: The oldest genre of music on this list, rock and roll evolved from the blues, gospel, and folk music during the 40′s and 50′s. With heavy emphasis on electric guitar, this genre still finds listeners today but has morphed into an electronic rock that can be called any number of things, from dance-punk, to new rave.

4. Indie: Today Indie rock is a verified genre of its own, and its influence is far-flung. With its roots in alternative rock, post-punk and new wave, it grew out of American and English music in the 80′s and thrived in the 90′s and 00′s. With the mainstream success of bands like Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, and more recently The Arcade Fire, the influence of Indie music has mixed with hip-hop, rock, and electronic to produce sounds that shy away from the need to sell records. Thanks to the internet, music has begun a modern revolution, and indie is just part of it.

Modern music can be generally broken down into these four genres, but that doesn’t limit what you should expose yourself to. To be a really great DJ means, first of all, getting professional DJ equipment, and second of all, listening to whatever you can. Good luck!

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Till next time!

The selection of music for most karaoke sessions relies on the type of audience you have. The majority of people favor a pop or rock song, whilst others decide on country music. Even a few groups are brave enough to hold opera karaoke sessions. Karaoke CDs are available in all these ranges, and therefore it is very difficult to identify a list of the top 10-karaoke songs. Some people may think it is the best songs, and other might think it is absolute trash.

On the other hand, when you play music for a big audience, it is vital that you cater for everyone’s tastes. Otherwise, the crowd will be bored in a matter of minutes. Usually the fast contemporary tracks are a huge hit at any party. Ideally, though there should be a blend of tempos for the best entertainment. You should also have an equal allocation for male and female solos and duos. If your crowd likes to sing, you must have songs that let the superior singers show off their voices. Also, have some songs for those that are not so good, and have to keep up appearances.

The top-10 karaoke songs to sing are based on the accepted view and requests made at karaoke bars all over the world. What will follow below is a list of the 10 best karaoke songs to sing.

1. Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams
2. Hotel California by the Eagles
3. What a wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
4. Imagine by John Lennon
5. Girls just wanna have fun by Cindy Lauper
6. I will survive by Diana King.
7. Jailhouse Rock by Elvis
8. Man, I feel like a woman by Shania Twain.
9. Summer Love by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John
10. A whole new world by Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion

There are more songs that you may not have at your karaoke event, but is worth putting in. In the end, it is up to you to read your audience and select the right music for the evening.

Some songs might not have made the top 10 list, but they are also very popular at most karaoke events. Take “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. Some might see it as clichéd, but most crowds just love to sing with the “bah bah bahs”. This ensures that it remains a very popular karaoke song. One well-known song for singing along with is “Livin on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. People just love to join in at the “whoaaa-ohhhhh, livin’ on a prayer” part. Although well worn in, these songs are still must haves at every karaoke event.

It is also a good idea to throw in some songs that are favorites amongst the girls and favorites amongst the boys. This will get everyone involved in your karaoke evening.