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The holiday season is coming and I know a lot of you will be planning Christmas Parties, New Years Eve Soirees or Boxing Day Dinners here are some ways to throw an event in style and on a budget. 1. Put Pen To Paper - Lets face it there's nothing more effective than actually "seeing" the bottom line. You don't need to be great at math or an accountant working for PriceWaterhouse, wether you use a spreadsheet or just a paper and pen write down all your expenses. Try to ascertain all those hidden expenses as well so that there aren't any surprises for example hidden vendor charges or random miscellaneous items you may require. 2. Trim Your Guest List - These are some serious times folks, you may not need to invite your sisters boyfriends cousins friend...ok!! No seriously think about who you want to be at your event, who you want to share this experience with. 3. Consider D.I.Y. (doing it yourself) - Of course I'm talking about small events because you know you need to hire an efficient event planner like myself for bigger and more complex events...right? But seriously there are definitely things that you can create which would save you money. For example you may have empty vases or bottles in your house that can be decorated to make beautiful centerpieces. Make sure you research your project to ensure that you are in fact saving money. 4. Pick your priorities - there are definitely essentials when planning an event...music, food and decorations. However sometimes there are things you can do with out especially if they scream CHA-CHING!! So make a list of what is going to make your party great, look at what are the must haves then prioritize them and select those that you can do without. 5. Look for innovative, creative and free websites that can help you plan your event. For example google docs, evite.com, microsoft office online or shutterfly.com. These are great sites to send out invitations via email, upload pictures from your event or find event planning tools. Happy Planning!
