Focus on the Honoree

When planning a special event to honor a particular person or group, be sure that the focus remains in the right place throughout the celebration. Before shopping, speak to the person or people being honored about likes and dislikes; if the party is to be a surprise, speak with close friends and colleagues.

Food is always especially important to plan carefully for any get-together. As soon as you know the guest list and party location, food is the next thing to plan. Consider the following: Will the party be formal or casual? How many people will be attending? Are you going to have it catered or are you thinking about asking friends and families to cook? Where and at what time will the party take place? Remember to consider what the

guest(s) of honor like in the appropriate context. (For example, if the guest of honor really likes Hot Dogs, then grilled hot dogs on buns might make a good entree for a casual party. On the other hand, if you are planning a formal affair, you may want to consider pigs in blankets, cocktail franks wrapped in puffed pastry, as an appetizer.)

You will be purchasing and probably making some decorations. Make sure that you’ve asked about favorite colors and themes. Personalizing is always a nice touch, and can be done with just one item per table. An example would be a plain silver mylar balloon upon which you would print (with permanent marker) Happy Birthday, Jenny! This one balloon could sit by itself, anchored by an attractively covered sandbag, or could be in the center of a balloon or flower bouquet. Themes and colors for sports teams, etc. will be pre-determined. To personalize in a case like this, you might purchase a nice water bottle for each team member and place his or her name on it. At party and variety stores, there are also lots of great small items like key chains and pens that focus on particular activities like soccer or Ballet.

Finally, be sure to have a digital camera and a photographer at the event, as well as envelopes. At the beginning of the event, take of picture of each guest with the honoree(s). (Be sure you are writing names down sequentially so you know who is in each picture.) Have each person place his or her name and address on an envelope. When the pictures are developed, each guest will receive his or her picture, and each honoree will receive the complete set of pictures. What a wonderful remembrance!