There are so many things you can associate Christmas with, but most notably for many of us, it's the amazing Christmas food that we all love and remember.Food is a massive part of the festive season and what you dish up to your guests is very important.
The party time is almost here with Christmas and New Year approaching in around one month time. It's time to start some serious consideration regarding preparation, and this becomes crucial if you are planning to organize a party right there at your home. The best option would be to start straight away because organizing a successful party is not an easy thing to do and involves a lot of preparation.
A lot of things contribute to making a party successful, and the most important and the major contributor is the food. There are two options that you can arrange your party's food through. The first is, of course, arranging the entire food on your own and second is hiring a party catering firm. Both the options are feasible, but if your party is considerably bigger, it's better to order catering for Christmas. But some people still think that hiring a caterer is a pricey task.
DIY in catering services
The biggest advantage of DIY party catering is that it can save you lots of money. No doubt, the clause of wedding catering is a high-priced issue, and before hiring them or even before deciding, you'll have to keep aside a set amount of budget for them. DIY catering services can be effectively handy if your party is smaller and have a limited number of guests. Apart from this, the benefit of DIY party catering is that you can serve the menu according to your choice. This option is open with party catering too, but there is always a dissatisfaction of not being able to serve personally. With a catering company, you have to settle with what the caterer has in the offering. With DIY catering, you can take care of the personal choices of the guests and serve them accordingly.
Hiring catering services for your party
There are some advantages of hiring a caterer, but the drawback is that they cost a lot of money. Not exactly a lot of money, but yes, they are, of course, costlier than arranging catering on your own. Some have the notion that hiring a caterer is a complete waste of money, but if seen from the other point of view; they have some advantages that cannot be ignored at all.
A very remarkable disadvantage of DIY in party catering is that because you don't have any such experience, you might end up cooking too much or too little. Spare food can be managed, but a shortage of food is the biggest nightmare for a party host. As far as professional wedding catering services providers are concerned, because of their experience they have an exact idea of the food to be consumed by a particular number of guests. Thus, there is no chance of the shortage of food or food getting wasted. Lastly, because, you have given the contract, you'll have to do nothing than sitting back, enjoy with your friends and relish the taste of the food served at your party.
Here are some top tips for Christmas catering:
1. Decorations - How you decide to decorate your office, event room or dining area is vital to bringing that warm Christmas feel and ensuring your guests feel relaxed and festive. You probably don't want to go over the top with red and green but have it sophisticated and classy. Glitter is usually a must and if all else fails, do not forget at least one center piece.
2. Table - When it comes to Christmas, people expect crackers, nibbles, and some bright ornaments. The way you lay your table says a lot about you, so you should make sure it looks fantastic. Cutlery and tableware can be expensive so why not use some quality plastic cutlery that can come coated in grey to look like the real thing. For plates, save yourself loads of washing up and get some quality plastic plates as well.
3. Food - People are even fussier about the food they receive at Christmas parties so take that into consideration when planning your food service. Obviously, you want to serve delicious yet easy to eat food that will be suitable for all your guests. This can be difficult at Christmas with many different diets to cater for. The most important thing to do is to make sure you have the correct food service equipment - as long as your food is hot, people will appreciate it.
Christmas Party Planning Tips to Help You Organise Your Event
Party planning can be stressful, but much less so if you plan in advance; you can guarantee you can get the pick of the venues you want and save money by booking early. Planning for Christmas right now will have many advantages for you.
#1: It might seem early, but set the date as soon as you can. Arranging the date for your party now means that more people will keep the date free. Save the dates is a great way to get people to reserve the day without forgetting about it. Planning early means you can choose a day that suits you.
#2: Set yourself a budget. Setting a budget gives you a guideline of what you need to stick to and Christmas party planning in advance means you are more likely going to be able to stick to it as well. Consider the type of venue you want and your catering options when making your budgeting decisions.
#3: Consider the type of party you want to throw. You need to know what type of party you want to have so you can determine whether you want to do your décor for example. The decisions you make here will impact the venue you choose. You might want to leave it and see what themes certain venues have set-up or consider your ideas.
#4: When you know your catering requirements and the type of party you want. You can get down to the exciting part of Christmas party planning in choosing the venue. The sooner you may book, the better as you are more likely to find the venue you want available on the date you have chosen. You will get a wider selection as well and notice lower fees. The web has plenty of information and venue finder help in online search tools to help you find the venue that suits your event and your party type. If you want to incorporate your décor, check with the venue that they can allow this.
#5: Christmas party planning is majorly focused on the venue and your ideas. But the food is important too. You can even incorporate your theme into the food you serve. Again, you will need to check your options here. You might have the option of a buffet, sit-down meal, or you may be able to provide your catering; check with the venue.
There are so many things you need to consider when planning your Christmas party. Make sure you deal with certain things in advance to reduce stress, save money, and ensure availability. Check out the spectacular venue options available to you online and use the information the web has to offer to help you make your decisions and stick to your budget.
Christmas party planning should be so much fun and not a daunting task, so take consideration in your decisions and give yourself more than enough time to plan your event exactly how you want it to be.
