When the sun comes up, the clothes come off, and patio parties become the ‘must haves’ for all Vancouverites. As much as we love to attend these summer celebrations, what better way to celebrate summer than by planning one yourself?
Here are some tips and tricks on how to plan a summer party!
Venue
When the summer party light bulb comes on, it’s time to search for a location that would fit your budget to host that party.
Things to think about are the number of guests you’ll be expecting, do you want it indoors or outdoors, what non-negotiable decorations would you like, but most importantly, what is the overall vibe that you want your party to have!
For my birthday fundraiser, I hosted it at my friend Ana’s amazingly CUTE beauty studio in Vancouver!
Food
Now that you’ve got your venue set, you need to think of how to feed your guests!
If you decide on a restaurant to host your party, that would pretty much settle one aspect of it- but then you’d need to think about what kind of food to serve. Try going for finger food as it’s easier to eat and you can still hold a glass of bubbly!
If you decide on an open space as your venue like I did, catering would be the way to go! Vancouver is filled with amazing caterers you can contact to suit your party needs, and remove the hassle and headache of running to the grocery store the night before.
The Social Caterer & Social Meal Prep is a great place to contact as you can pre set and choose your unique menu to suit your tastebuds! From wraps to vegetable platters, you’ll be able to pick and choose from a variety of items and have it made for either a large or small party of guests. The Social Caterer prepared an incredible spread for my party which was both tasty and healthy!! Did I mention they delivered all the way from Richmond?
Alcohol
A tricky but arguably the most important element to your Summer party is the alcohol! You’ll be saving some headache by hosting your party at a venue which already has a liquor license but be sure to keep that and the age of your guests in mind when hosting a party!
Something Sweet
If you’re looking for things on the sweeter side- cakes pops & macarons are a sure hit with all your guests! Specially made with your event in mind, Sweet Petite Confectioner is the perfect place to go for your corporate or private party needs. They specialize in unique, and specially crafted desserts to suit the theme and vibe of each event.
Décor
Nothing says summer party more than adding some balloons to your event! There are a couple of options from buying helium filled latex or foil balloons at the Dollar store, or Party Bazaar. Another option for balloons with a little more ‘oomph’ would be to check out Fun Fiestas by Ili, where you can customize your balloons based on colour, how they look, having confetti-filled balloons and even the colour of the garlands!
Getting Ready!
Depending on the size and grandiosity of your summer party, you and your friends would want a hand at getting ready! It can also be inconvenient to get hair and makeup done at two separate places, so why not just one?
Ana V Boutique Beauty School is one of Vancouver’s top spots to go to get hair and makeup ready by the pros! She was also just named one of the top Vancouver makeup artists by Narcity Vancouver!
Need an extra hand with the planning process?
Getting an event planner professional isn’t as hard as you’d think and would help save a lot of headache!
There a variety of event planners in the city, each with their own expertise! A new company that just popped up specializing in corporate, wedding and private events is the Making It Happen- Event Planning! For my event, I valued the open and consistent communication with the company as well as having her on-site to help with the set up and making sure everything, including delivery of food went smoothly.
So.. it’s time to invite me to your summer party right?
Links:
The Social Caterer/ Website / Twitter
Making It Happen Event Planning/ Website
Images by Maria Dorosh.
