Everything You Need To Throw A Spontaneous Congratulations Party

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A congratulations party can be thrown to celebrate many occasions, you could be throwing a congratulations party to celebrate an engagement, a new job, new home or another happy milestone. Either way the party should be fun and full of excitement over the thrilling news.With this in mind we’ve broken it down so that you can throw the most epic congratulations party in 6 simple steps.1. Set a Date & Location2. Choose a Theme3. Send Out Invitations4. Decorations5. Food & Drink6. Fun & Games

Step 1: Set a Date & Location

The first and most important step is to decide on a date for the celebration. Assuming it’s a celebratory party following some happy news, it’s likely there’s been a spontaneous decision to throw a party. Therefore, you’ll want to get a date in people’s diaries as soon as you can to ensure everyone can attend and the news is still fresh!While you’re deciding on a date, you may want to consider the time of the party too, are you planning a daytime party or an evening celebration? Or if you’re planning the celebratory party on behalf of someone, it might be worth running it past them to get their preference on timings too.Choosing a locationNext is choosing a location. There are a few details to consider when deciding on where to throw the party. Will it be a formal or informal occasion, and how many guests have you invited? Once you’ve answered those questions it’ll make it a lot easier to come to a decision on the venue.For a small get-together you have the option to host the party at yours or another family member’s house. If you can rely on the weather, arranging a garden party could be a lovely touch. It’ll feel more personal and keep costs down too, plus it’s great when you’re planning an impromptu party to celebrate good news – an easy win!However, if you’re planning to go all out for this exciting news and have a plenty of time to plan then you may want to consider renting a larger venue such as a country club lounge, hotel, church hall or restaurant. Any of these would work well but just make sure to book the venue out sooner rather than late to avoid disappointment.

Step 2: Choose a theme

Now this is where the fun part begins: choosing the theme. Generally, you want the theme to be fun and reflect the reason you’re throwing the congratulations party. If you have a little more time to plan everything, then you’ll probably have more of a colour-based theme in place to ensure the party decorations match and everything looks cohesive.For the spontaneous congratulations parties, you don’t need to worry too much about sticking to a strict theme. As long as you have a few decorations to reflect the exciting news you’re all set!

Step 3: Send out Invitations

Sending out congratulations party invitations or e-invites is a good idea to make sure everyone can save the date in their diaries. It’s not always necessary if you’re having a small get together but if you need to know how many guests are coming (maybe the party is in a restaurant?) then it’s better to get the invitations out as soon as possible to ensure everyone has time to RSVP.If, however, you’re keeping it low key then you might consider setting up a Facebook event group where it’s easy to keep everyone updated with times and key information around the party. Read below for our top tips on the information you’ll need to include on the invite:- Party – what you’re celebrating- Date & time- Location- RSVP information (if applicable)Any additional info they may need to know, i.e. dress code, whether it’s a surprise etc.

Step 4: Decorations

Nothing sets up the party atmosphere better than the decorations. Now, as we mentioned earlier on step 3, how crazy you go with congratulations party decorations really depends on how much time you have to plan and how formal the party will be. Either way, we’ve put together a list of our must have decorations to make the planning a little easier.BalloonsLet’s be honest, you can’t get simpler than balloons. They’re the perfect, hassle-free decoration for maximum effect – what’s not to love? Dot a few around your venue to add a fun & exciting feel to your party. With endless balloons to choose from, they’ll be something to match everyone’s theme!Hanging DecorationsHanging bunting and garlands are another easy way to take your party to the next level. All you need is a spot of bunting, a tassel garland or even balloon bunting paired alongside the balloons and you’ve got yourself the perfect party set up! Here are just a few of our favorites – transform your venue in minutes simply by hanging the hip hip hooray bunting up to welcome your guests, hang the iridescent curtain across the doorways for a unique touch, even better if you’re throwing a surprise party or for a wow factor use our Silver PARTY balloon bunting instead. Trust us, these small touches will transform your venue within minutes.TablewarePaper tableware might not seem like a necessary touch, but if you’re planning on providing food & nibbles then just the bonus of no washing up at the end of the night alone is enough to make them a must. Paper plates, napkins and cups are a great opportunity to pull your theme together and choose accessories that match your colour scheme too.Check out our must-haves below but if none of these catch your eye there are plenty more on our website.Confetti Cannons & Party PoppersWhat better way to celebrate the happy news with bubbles and a confetti cannon?Set off one of our impressive cannons for the ultimate celebration, for added effect give every guest a party popper or confetti to throw alongside. If you’re planning a surprise congratulations party then why not use it to welcome the guest of honour? As they walk in, get the party poppers going, set the confetti cannon off and shout ‘Surprise!’.

Step 5: Food & Drink

No party is complete without food and drinks. To decide on the type of food & drinks you serve, you’ll want to consider the number of people attending as well as the location, these will determine your options.

If you’re planning to throw the party at someone’s house then buffet style food could be the best and easiest option. But if you’ve booked an area within a restaurant then you won’t need to worry about this step. Buffet style food is perfect if it’s a small get together as it will allow you to get a variety of different finger foods together meaning there will be something for everyone.

Of course if you’re hosting for a larger crowd, typically 30 people or more, having the party catered for could take the stress out of having to cook enough food for everyone and leave you to enjoy the day. Just remember whichever food style you choose, make sure to provide a variety of dishes to suit everyone. Don’t forget about vegetarian, vegan and gluten free guests.

No Party is a Party Without Cake!Whatever the occasion, cake is always needed in our eyes. Why not use this celebration as an excuse for a donut wall? Our pastel Treat Yourself donut board is an easy win for this sort of an occasion and will definitely impress your guests.

Step 6: Fun & Games

Now you’ve got the majority of the planning out the way, you can move on to the fun & games. Having a few games or activities up your sleeve could be a nice little touch and a way to keep the party flowing after all the food and initial celebrating is done. Our Who Am I? Guessing Game is the perfect way to start. Give everyone a pair of star glasses to pop on with a name card (just don’t peek at your own) and try to guess who you are by asking questions – it will have everyone laughing in minutes!

We hope we have inspired you to throw your own congratulations party when the opportunity arises. Remember to share your real parties and tag us @gingerrayuk!