PARTY ESSENTIALS
When planning your Perfect Party, you need to consider what the party will entail and what you need to purchase. Will there be balloons? Party bags? Food? Party hats? Cake? Fireworks? The list is endless!
Your party will only be the best party of the year if you buy all the essentials you need! And sometimes, you can easily forget the essentials! Now, that’s why I am here. I will be your guide as you head to the shops pre-party to get everything you need in one clean sweep! There is nothing worse than going shopping and forgetting something and having to make a second trip for one item. You will resent yourself!
I would advise getting you party essentials at one of the main supermarkets, for example Tesco or Sainsbury's! They have designated sections of the shop for Parties! Definitely a must!
So, in no particular order, here are the Perfect Party Essentials!
BALLOONS! I think anyone going to a party would be disappointed if there were no balloons! Name one good party when someone hasn’t accidentally popped a balloon! Nope, didn’t think so! Nevertheless, you must buy some balloons! The best things about balloons is that you can get so many different ones now, relating to big birthdays and significant events in your life! You can even personalise them online and get your very own unique set of balloons! Don’t be scared to buy loads of packets either. You can save them and use them next year if you don’t use them all. However, don’t over work yourself blowing up those balloons! As much as we love playing keepy-uppy with them, we don’t want you passing out! Which leads me onto the next essential…
BALLOON PUMP! This will save you lots of time! Blowing up balloons is a task in itself, let alone having to sit down for twenty minutes to recover once you’ve finished. A handy and child safe essential for any party! If you want helium balloons, then you’ll have to buy a canister which would be faster to use. However, if you’ve invited children to the party then it’s worth just sticking to the pump!
PARTY CONFETTI! Confetti is a really easy decoration that you can sprinkle over the party table at any celebration. Again, this comes in many different colours and designs, so you can pick one that is specific to your party! It’s a bit of a pain to clear up, and you will find stray pieces’ weeks after your party, but it looks fabulous!
PARTY HATS! This depends on the number of people at your party. A lot of party hats come in packs of 10 or less so if you’ve got a bigger gathering then maybe give this one a miss! But if you’re going for a slightly smaller house party and want a big group selfie then this is a great way to get everyone excited for a group photo! You can get some really funky designs, from sparkles to quotes or standard birthday hats! But, they fit everyone and make it all a bit more fun!
CAKE! Every celebration needs a cake! Unless of course you want your guests to leave early. Cake is so important. It’s just associated with any form of celebration or party. You can choose the cake depending on its shape and portion size, and then see if you actually need to purchase two or three cakes so everyone gets a slice (and so there’s some left over for you the next day). Whether you plan on buying or making your cake, you still need to decide this early on so everything in the food department matches!
CANDLES! If your party is for a birthday (or any other celebration where you bring out a cake and sing) then you need candles! If you want to go for the traditional type of cake, then plain block colours or gold/silver candles will look great! If you want to be a bit adventurous and get some brilliant photos you can go for sparkler candles; numbers or names! Some candles even sing now?! How I don’t know… but there’s so many to choose from. I advise that you choose the cake first and then pick candles that match it! You don’t want a big sparkler covering the design on top of the cake!
PARTY POPPERS! The best party essential for a Surprise Party! They’re always mean a great time. Another party where they work brilliantly is a New Year’s Eve party! There’s always one that goes off a bit too late, or doesn’t go off at all and you break the string, but it’s all part of the fun. They’re also very inexpensive so you can get one for everyone!
PAPER PLATES! You don’t want to be getting out your best plates for your party. Paper plates are your saviour! No broken plates at this party! They are a little bit flimsy however if you’ve got wet food to serve. If you’re planning on serving wet food, then maybe buy some more substantial plates. Otherwise, they are cheap as chips! Don’t forget to get some fancy designs or bright colours!!!
NAPKINS To hand for any mishaps and perfect for everyone to have one each, instead of using your expensive Kleenex tissues! These can match your plates or be a completely opposite pattern or colour! Go wild!
PLASTIC CUPS With a lot of guests around for the party, you do not have time for “which one was my cup?” or “who moved my cup?”. Simply get a large pack of pint sized plastic cups which can be recycled at the end of the night! It also saves on the washing up…extra bonus. You can also get smaller cups for children’s parties, however, if it’s adults only then get the larger ones!
PLASTIC CUTLERY You don’t always need cutlery for the main food as, at so many parties, it’s usually finger food/buffet style food! It’s a lot cheaper this way! However, if you do have proper food then plastic cutlery is the way to go! You won’t be able to find a match pair of cutlery at the end of the party if you use your own, trust me on this! Even if you do have finger food, it’s an idea to get some forks at least for the cake :)
I think that’s all the essentials, but also think outside the box for other little party things you can get to make your party special! There's also some very basic but essential party items on Party Pieces the website, so be sure to check that out as well!
So, my advice is make yourself a list of what you know you need. Plan a trip to one shop so you can see all of your purchases together in one trolley/basket and you can tell if you’re missing anything! I hope I’ve helped you in the quest to host the perfect party with the perfect party essentials! x
Links:
- http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/home/party-essentials-44?langId=44&storeId=10151&krypto=vmYatXtM0X1sMtMKI1lKWtYqtl2UReF3m0%2FAqn2gJE4o1Uj%2B%2FsAKQ8gGYmj4yD%2F04vCadpoC8Bx1k5YOrYculTM4QnOE3518Z2XFWciAodBgcrcsfNsHIJp36whFHAkh&ddkey=http%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fhome%2Fparty-essentials-44#langId=44&storeId=10151&catalogId=10241&categoryId=283837&parent_category_rn=281806&top_category=281806&pageSize=30&orderBy=FAVOURITES_FIRST&searchTerm=&beginIndex=0 - http://www.tesco.com/direct/party-gifts-flowers/party-supplies/cat31560015.cat