AD Does anyone else feel that in the last few years we haven't had enough parties and fun with friends and families? Even after the world opened up again and parties began to be possible I haven't seen my friends and families as much as before and I feel it's time to change that. One thing I have organised in the last year is several children's birthday parties and if that has taught me anything it's: don't have the party at home. Get a venue. Get someone else to do the catering. And let someone else do the tidying up. Whether you are planning a baby shower, birthday party or any other kind of event these suggestions will ensure you find the perfect venue for your party.

So how do you find the perfect venue for your party?

First decide roughly how many people you want to invite

Estimating the number of people to invite allows you to decide the whole structure of the event. Unless you are planning a wedding reception or a really special occasion you probably want to balance out the fun with the price. If you want a party with 60 to 100 people for instance it is more affordable to have a relaxed event with a buffet and casual seating. A smaller gathering of say under 20 people can work really nicely as a sit down meal in a private room of a restaurant. It's also worth thinking about if you want to have children attend as that will influence the venue and facilities you need.

Choose a rough location

There are a few things to think about when considering where in the UK to have your event. Unless everyone you want to invite lives locally then some people will need to book accommodation for afterwards. Most UK parties include alcohol so you need to think how people are going to get back home too. If the venue is in the middle of the countryside it might be beautiful, but either a good proportion of your guests wont be able to drink or they will have to rely on taxi's. It's not just the inconvenience of needing a taxi, but the extra cost you are asking your guests to pay if they have to pay a lot for travel or accommodation. So generally the most convenient location for your guests will enable everyone to come.

Shortlist the best venues

If you aren't a regular party planner you probably wont know half of the venues locally which offer event hosting so it's worth checking out a site like Square Meal UK where you can specify location, numbers and requirements. It even lets you specify type of venue so you can choose something cool and original or more traditional.

Choose a date

This might seem a bit backwards, and yes there will be times that the date is key eg a birthday, but if you have flexibility then its' a good idea to think of a few suitable dates and then see if your preferred venue is available. If you are committed to a date all it takes is one person to have booked your ideal venue before you and you have to find somewhere else. 

Book the venue

Once you have cross checked the venues you like with their availability you need to make a booking and confirm the requirements so you can get on to the final key step...

Invite everyone

While a beautiful invite through the post is lovely you are making life a lot easier for yourself (and cheaper) if you invite people electronically. It's easier to send out reminders and follow ups electronically too. If everyone is on Facebook this makes it ideal as you can set up an event on there, everyone can see who else is coming, you can easily have updates and discussions in advance, as well as share photographs in a private forum afterwards. However not everyone is on Facebook and you don't want someone to miss out because they don't check their social media regularly.  

There are also services where you can design and send out invitations electronically and track the replies. The alternative is make a list and invite people by email or text, keeping track of who you contacted and who you have heard back from. Inviting people in person or by phone can be helpful initially, but you will need to follow up with something electronic (or physical) to ensure they have a record of the correct details.

And that's it. You can sit back, relax and start planning your party outfit.

If you want to plan a dinosaur themed party check out this post.