Here’s what Harriet has to say about advice she got from the book, and how she used it for her 25th Birthday party…
1. Ask Yourself Why You Are Hosting This Event.
And keep asking. I was having this party to celebrate my birthday. Why? Because I wanted to spend time with the people I care about who had supported me through the year and would support me through the next. Why? Because I wanted to thank them and celebrate our friendship. This helped me work on my next point…
2. Pick Your Guests Wisely.
Who to invite? This was very important to me and near impossible to stick to. I wanted to invite my friends. My close friends, not my acquaintances. One major failing of past parties was my ‘the more, the merrier’ policy. The book was completely correct to tell me that some people do not belong at your party. My birthday party was for people special to me. I didn’t want to invite anyone who was just alright. Significant others not allowed!
3.Prime Your Guests.
The party starts the moment the idea of the party starts. You need to set expectations and create excitement for your guests. If your guests arrive at the party enthusiastic and excited, you have a lot less work to do there and then to create the right atmosphere. I made the theme of the party pink and green. People were invited to wear pink and/or green to the party. This gave everyone a little bit of fun outfit-planning before the day. I hand made invitations and got everyone looking forward to receiving those as well.
4.Let The Environment Complement Your Intentions.
Almost like using Nudge Theory, create a room/location that brings out the best in your guests. A big bright warehouse with fluorescent lighting is not going to make people feel relaxed and intimate. The book contained a table which calculated the amount of space per person you should aim for. (15 square foot per person for the a ‘lively’ dinner party for example.) When it came to lighting, my very smart and tall friend Emily made pink filters for my spotlights and hung those to bring some soft light into the room. She also liberally sprinkled the space with fairy lights.
5.Awe and Honour Your Guests.
To make a memorable experience, remove your guests from the real world and create a world of your own. It needn’t take a lot of decorations. One technique is to create a passageway or threshold of sorts when they arrive. Give them a way to transition from ‘Work Kirsty’ to ‘Party Kirsty’. It might be through your introductory conversation or it might be by getting your mum to set up in your bedroom as a fortune teller to tell them their fortunes when they arrive…(in my case!)
To awe and honour your guests, you want to impress them with something special for them. Make them feel that they’ve infiltrated the club that wouldn’t accept them. My fortune teller gave personalized fortunes – she took the guests out of the real world…
6. Have Structure, But Be Flexible.
Importantly, it’s all very well planning a party, but you can’t plan for every eventuality. If something goes wrong or an idea falls flat, assess the situation to provide whatever it is the party is lacking.
Don’t let any one person dictate the party’s journey. If you are following the other rules, being mindful of the reasons you are there and giving the event some structure, it should develop organically.
