Written by Dianna Candido
The inside scoop from a party planning professional to help you celebrate this season.
Tis’ the season, and if you’re anything like our team at Unica, you’re gearing up for a wonderful time of year. Now’s the time when many folks are well into the process of planning their holiday parties. Are you one of them? If so, you’re on the hunt for tricks and tips to make the process easier and smoother on all fronts.
We recently chatted with one of our favorite partners, Luciano Barajas, Co-Founder of His & Hers events. His & Hers is an event planning and design company servicing Northern and Southern California, as well as outside of the country including destinations like Mexico and Europe. Luciano gave us some key tips and insights to help you start planning your holiday party this season.
Start early
The holidays are a busy time: work tends to be busy for a lot of folks — there’s holiday shopping to be done, events to attend and host, and familial obligations. Your event is going to be clamoring for its spot in people’s busy schedule. Luciano said it best: “Everyone wants to celebrate and be celebrated during the holidays, but sometimes these festivities coincide, making it difficult to manage.”
The earlier you can start planning the better. This is especially important for events with a larger guest count.
Don’t wing it
We don’t mind being firm with this one. You need to plan out the details. From the transportation to the color of the tablecloths, your event needs to have all the nitty-gritty planned out.
There’s a high demand for most shops during the holiday season, so if you’re expecting to run out and grab napkins and cups the day of the party, think again. Not only will that add last-minute to-do’s that could fall through the cracks, but that will also add unnecessary stress to you and anyone involved in the party planning process.
Don’t wing it, friend. Get those details nailed down asap so things are smooth sailing from the start.
Consider attendees
One of the very first things you need to decide: the guest count. This will affect so many other decisions you’re going to make during the holiday party planning process.
Venue
Vendors
Atmosphere
Event date
Entertainment
Every single one of those gets impacted by the number of guests you want to attend your event.
Some tips to making the tough choices:
Venue: If there’s a venue you absolutely want to use, your guest count might be impacted, so if you’ve got your heart set on a venue make sure it can accommodate the amount of people you want to bring.
Consider the vibe: The amount of people will ultimately determine the vibe that you go for. Want raucous and fun? Go for it! And don’t hold back on the invitation list. Want something a little more subtle and intimate? You may have to pull back on the guest list.
Don’t forget your budget. The more guests, the more prices will climb, so make sure to keep your budget in mind when choosing who gets an invite.
There’s a lot to weigh out here, so if you have a party planner, make sure to get their take on all of this so you can feel confident in every decision you make.
Choose the right date
Luciano, told us that “Selecting the right date should be a top priority when planning holiday parties.” That’s because you want guests to be able to attend. If more than half of your guests are families with children, you may not want to choose a Christmas Eve party, because parents won’t want to have to transition from party guests to their other duties they’ll have to take care of later that night.
Keep in mind that a date with potentially high competition in your guest's calendar needs to be booked well in advance so people commit to YOUR party early.
Once you commit to a date, other details can fall into place: vendors can be booked and invitations sent out. Don’t get sidetracked getting excited about decor and entertainment before you’ve locked down your date. Make this a top priority.
Book vendors asap
Speaking of top priorities, vendors book up fast during holidays.
With everyone vying for event space, catering support, professional photographers, and entertainment booked, your vendors are going to get snatched up for all the holiday festivities. It’s crucial to get those contracts with your vendors signed and deposits made so you know that those bigger commitments are behind you.
(And that YOUR event can actually happen the way you want!)
Account for the weather
It’s that time of year. Which means weather is unpredictable. The more you can keep this in mind, the better.
“One of the biggest challenges we face during the holiday season is the unpredictable weather,” says Luciano.
If your party is after work hours during the week, understand that guests may be delayed due to tricky weather conditions going from work to your party. If your event is on a weekend, your guests may be attending multiple events, so consider that as well.
Here are some tips to accommodate for weather in your party planning:
Try to give a bit of wiggle room for guests to be a bit late.
Consider where your guests will be coming from. Try to choose a venue that’s convenient for your guests.
Convenience is more than just geographical location. It can also be somewhere with ample parking, or easily accessible via public transportation, or even near other venues so guests can easily get from one event to another.
There’s only so much you can do to accommodate the weather, but these may help you make some choices.
Expenses you can expect
Thinking about your budget? Good! It’s always beneficial to have a rough budget in mind when organizing your holiday party.
When we spoke with Luciano, he told us that “One of the biggest expenses we encounter is food and beverages, followed closely by entertainment.” This may come as a surprise, as venue is often seen as the highest expense. So don’t forget that your budget needs to accommodate food and beverage (and possibly entertainment) in addition to your venue.
Other expenses include: party planning, photography, decor, and fun additions such as photo booths, karaoke, etc.
Go the extra step with sensory thematic elements
Planning a party is more than fun decor and a full guest list. It’s about creating a unique experience your guests will love. Chances are they’ve got more than one-holiday party to attend, and you want them to enjoy yours to the fullest.
To create a more memorable and unique party for your guests, remember that ambiance and “vibe” are all about impacting all the senses. Think about things like:
What will your guests hear when they enter the event space? What kind of music will you play? Does the room echo? Will it be too loud or too quiet?
What will they smell? Is there freshly baked apple pie? Subtle cranberry apple notes from the cocktails?
What will they taste? Do the cocktails and menu have thematic elements that tie them together?
What do they see? Are there harmonious decorations that give off the vibe you’re looking for?
What do they feel? Is it warm enough or too brisk? Is there a fire in the hearth or hot cocoa and a coffee station for them to feel cozy and comfortable?
You want guests to be immersed with their senses for a truly unique experience.
Make everything easy.
Your guests shouldn’t have questions. If you have a preferred dress code, it should be in the invitation. They should know how to find the venue and what they should expect there. Your guests should understand things like:
Parking and transportation options
Food and beverage options
Start and end times
Can they bring guests?
Not all of these will be relevant to your specific holiday party, but always try and communicate with your guests, and set up the space to immediately welcome them and put them at ease.
The space should be easily navigable. Is there a clear area for the coat check? Is the food and beverage area easily accessible?
If you plan an event between mealtimes, try to make sure you still have plenty of food and beverages so guests don’t duck out early to grab a bite. Things like this help keep your guests satisfied and enjoying themselves.
The easier you make it for your guests, the happier they’ll be, the better your event will go.
Consider a holiday planner from the get-go
Remember those details? You’re right, friend, those details stack up fast. There’s a lot of “Do this! Do that!” that happens during event planning, and you may end up feeling pulled in a lot of directions.
Want to make the process go wayyyy smoother?
Hire an event planner. Asap.
If this is one of the first choices you make, your planner can help you put your focus in the right areas at every step of the way. They’ll be able to help you pick your venue, find your dream vendors, and create an event space that is truly memorable. They’ll also be there to help of fun and creative solutions that make the planning process super smooth and make your event stand out.
Have fun!
Don’t forget that all this has a purpose: you want to have fun! It can be easy to wrap up (pun intended) in holiday planning, but the party is meant to bring you and your guests joy. They’re coming for a good time! And you’re going to get the support you need to pull off a flawless event. Which means that there will be plenty of fun to be had for your guests — and you.
Hire the support you need for your next holiday party.
Party planning might seem simple on the surface, but so often we see individuals underestimating the effort it takes to put on a holiday party in the middle of such a busy season.
If you’d rather see your ideas come to fruition without stressing about every little step along the way, hire an expert who can make it all happen. His & Hers Events goes above and beyond to curate unique moments for you and your guests.
Reach out to them now, and mark “plan holiday party” off the list.