Birthday parties are always a fun time to celebrate with you and your loved ones, but depending on how big you’re wanting to go, they can also feel stressful and overwhelming. Whether you’re planning a birthday party on a budget, or going all out for your special day, we wanted to give you some tips and tricks on how to plan a birthday party like a pro.

Birthday Party Planning Checklist

1. Budget

The first thing to tackle is your budget. You will want to layout your overall budget and then break it down into smaller categories such as the venue, décor, invitations, furniture, additional staffing, food, drinks and so forth. If you’re trying to budget, this will ensure you don’t overspend and stick to the budget you laid out initially.

2. Venue

Second, you will want to look at venues for birthday party. Are you looking for an indoor birthday party venue or an outdoor venue? Did you want a large space or a more intimate space? What type of amenities will you want for the party? A stage? Top of the line sound system? Built-in moody lighting? These are things you will want to consider when you book a venue. You will also want to tour numerous venues so that you can compare them against one another, and it gives you more leverage for price negotiations as well.

3. Invite List

Next, you choose who you’re going to invite to your party and make sure your venue can hold the guest count. It’s important to make sure the number of guests you want to invite can be hosted with the venue’s capacity. It’s also important once you establish your guest list, to get invites sent out as soon as possible. You want to give people enough time to add it to their calendars and plan ahead.

4. Theme

Now for the fun part, coming up with themes for the birthday party. There is an endless list of options to choose from and once you decide, this will affect the rest of the design and décor when it comes to your event. Make sure you choose a theme that can play well with décor and the venue, and it's always fun to incorporate the theme into food, drinks, and entertainment as well.

5. Food and Drink

Next, you’ll want to plan food and drinks for your guests. Depending on the venue you choose, they may have different options when it comes to catering. You can do a buffet style, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres or you could do a more formal seated dinner. For drinks you could have self-serve stands and pre-made cocktails, or you could have an open bar that guests can go up to throughout the night and order from.

6. Entertainment

Finally, you will want to provide entertainment for you and your guests. Are you going to have live music? A DJ? Craft cocktail bartenders? Will there be games? What about photo opportunities or a photobooth? Entertainment is what will keep your guests talking about your party for months to come and is also what keeps guests happy and at the party for longer. When you work with an event planning team and a venue, they can always help plan out ideas and give suggestions too.

The next time you find yourself searching for a ‘birthday party venue near me,’ give us a call instead at Ovation Square and we can help you plan out the birthday bash of your dreams. With an entire event planning team behind us, we have you covered.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is it a bad idea to only look at one venue?
A: Not necessarily if you know that’s the venue you want. However, touring multiple venues can open your eyes to things you hadn’t thought about and help with price negotiations,  however, it isn’t necessary.

Q: What do you think is a good amount of time to send invites out?
A: We suggest 4 weeks at least, however, if it's around a holiday or a busy time of year, preferably 6 weeks ahead of time.

Q: If I need help with a theme, can Ovation help plan that?
A: Of course, we have an entire event planning team behind us and we can help you out any step of the way.