January 24, 2026

Where To Begin…

Are you in charge of planning an event? Not sure where to begin? Gone, seem to be the days when you blow up a few balloons and bake a cake. You have seen images and ideas all over social media and Pinterest, but you feel like there is no way you can pull that off, especially not with your budget or time frame? I have good news for you. You can do this! Not only can you do this, but you can do it well.

Every great event begins with a theme and a sub theme. The theme is easy. Baby shower, Wedding reception, birthday party, engagement party, etc… The sub-theme can be difficult. Honestly, Pinterest and Chat GPT are great for finding a sub-theme, but the issue with sub-themes is the decor and the price. Examples of sub-themes are Bluey birthday parties, Storybook baby showers, and Cinco De Mayo Customer Appreciation events. Some events do not require a sub-theme, however to make your celebration a little extra special they do help.

See this short list of sub-themes to get ideas:

Any children’s characters or common activities
- Bluey
- Spiderman
- Trucks
- American Girl Dolls
- Books
Quotes or Sayings
- She Said YES
- He or She
- Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Food
- Tea
- Mexican
- Chinese New Year
Specific Colors
Specific Style
- Elegant
- Neon
- Classy
- Loud and Fun

Once you have decided your theme the fun (or the frustration) really begins. You need to decide on your budget. This is where I have really felt conflicted.

My examples are with graduation and engagement parties and wedding and baby showers. If the cost to host the event exceeds the benefit of the event, then it would really make sense just to offer the guest of honor the money you would be putting out for the event. Yes, there is something to be said just for the occasion for the celebration, but the truth is you can only afford so much. When I am spending hundreds of dollars on decorations and food, then I still need to purchase a gift for the guest of honor, they may actually benefit more just by receiving my individual financial gift and not actually having a party.

When setting your budget set your budget with realistic expectations. Give yourself some wiggle room, but don’t fall into the trap that you need to keep up with the Jones’. Throughout this blog and the articles I post, I will be offering strategies to make your event as amazing as possible without breaking the bank.

In this first post, here is my little nugget of wisdom. Assess what your hosting future looks like. In my case, I had three children in three and a half years. That meant three graduation parties in quick succession. It also meant, engagement parties, wedding showers, wedding receptions, and baby showers following quickly behind. It will save you money in the long haul if you invest in hosting and decorating items that are multi-use. This includes food serving tools and accessories and decor that can easily be switched up to adjust for theme and color.

A few items that have been instrumental in long-term cost effectiveness have been an extra large crockpot, a warming tray, a three-potted crock pot, metal containers, glass beverage dispensers, wooden bowls, glass serving bowls, small vases, and plastic plants/greenery.

Check out my Amazon Store front for ideas and links to get started.

https://www.amazon.com/shop/proverbs31.purposely?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_8ASA69VBDCFE666705QF_2