Although many people like to think that the parties that are the most memorable are the ones that you don’t remember, the fact is, that if you can combine innovation with relaxation and give your guests a truly exceptional evening, you will not only have their respect, you will also establish yourself socially as a person who can be relied on to create the right kind of evening to appeal to people.

The first thing to think about when planning a party is the kind of people that you are going to invite. While conventional wisdom is that your party should reflect you, the fact is that if you want to impress your guests and give them the most remarkable evening, you need to push their buttons. Think about what would amaze you, then think about what kind of things your guests are likely to be impressed by, and then do that. You do need to make sure that the event has your impression upon it, as otherwise it will look inauthentic and not suit you.

Once you have finalized the guest list and the style of the evening, you should look at the various other factors that are likely to impact on the enjoyment of your guests. Consider the menu, the availability of alcohol, the entertainment, the decoration of the venue, and even aspects such as events during the evening.

One of the most memorable events I went to was a black tie function that was hosted in a fenced enclosure on a summer night, and featured flaming torches around the enclosure. The entertainment was a string quartet that performed a Bach program throughout the evening and interspersed the classical music with reinterpretations of Iron Maiden and Metallica tunes.

On the evening, the menu was Haute Cuisine featuring hare, pheasant and venison, and the wines had been specially selected to go with each course of dinner by a sommelier. After dinner, there was a speaker who was a former politician, who may as well have been a stand up comedian. He told jokes and gave away political secrets for the best part of half an hour as we enjoyed brandy, and then introduced the second band of the evening – an ultra camp 1970’s tribute act that performed classic hits through until the early hours of the morning.

The most important thing to understand about that party, which I found so memorable that it was a 40th birthday party and was a no expense spared affair hosted by a friend who valued the company of a small number of very close friends, yet was able to call upon more than a hundred people to come to his event in order to celebrate with him. The host considered who we would like to spend an evening with, and even through he did not know all of the guests personally, he managed to get around everyone through the course of the evening.

The host of course had the time of his life, and although he has not had another party on that scale since, we still talk about it 5 years later, and he claims that he has something planned for his 50th birthday that will make the last party look like a quiet breakfast meeting. I can hardly wait!

Tags: Catering, Event Preparation, Party Planning