[Side note (yes, before I’m even getting started): Searching for a photo about parties immediately led me to a startling number of pictures from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s recent movie, Sisters. I saw that movie and it was outrageous and hilarious – but holy cow, I would die if I ever attended, much less hosted, the kind of party they had. To cope with the thought of my lovely (but fun! IT WILL BE FUN!) launch party turning into a madhouse like the one in that movie, I took a little trip down the rabbit hole of Liz Lemon GIFs. I then decided to make this one of those funny posts full of GIFs. But then I saw the time and remembered my to-do list and the laundry I’m determined to tackle and, well, the GIFs will have to wait. But I couldn’t just NOT include a Liz Lemon quote or photo (or, hello! BOTH) after that. So, here we are. And I will now return you to your regular programming.]

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My husband organized our garage over the holidays. He bought a huge shelving unit, assembled it and put almost all of our we-don’t-have-a-place-for-this stuff on it. No, we still couldn’t park either of our vehicles in the one-car garage, but it was a vast improvement.

And now? Now I can barely walk through the garage. Because it’s full of party supplies.

Yep, we’ve reached critical mass here with paper plates, Mason jars, books, giveaways and more – and I am terrified that I am going to forget something on Friday! As soon as I hit “publish” on this post, I’m settling in with my DVR and a legal pad to make a list of All The Things.

It’s been a little while since I planned such an elaborate event, especially one taking place somewhere other than my house. So since my party planning and hosting skills are a tad rusty, I thought it might be a good time to dust off my own ebook about planning and hosting parties!

[If you haven’t read it, Plan a Fabulous Party {without losing your mind} is practical, thorough and sometimes even funny. It’s a quick read, and you can find it on Amazon.]

Here are five tips for the day of your event – the ones I’m reminding myself of for my book launch party on Friday. (Pssst! Do you live nearby? If so, YOU’RE INVITED to that party!!!)

5 Ways to Make Your Event Day Awesome

1. Pack your event box early. (Writing the list tonight. Packing up on Thursday!)

If your event is taking place anywhere other than your home, you’ll need to pack a box of supplies. In addition to the obvious decorations, food, music and camera, you might need tape, scissors, rubber bands, a stapler, pens or plastic bags. The specific items you need might be different – candles, matches, serving spoons, a stack of plain onesies or your college scrapbook – but the point is you’re going to need stuff. Make a list, pack your bag or box, and do it early.

Take it from me: you don’t want to be searching every corner of your garage the night before your event, hoping to find giant trash bags and wondering if your personal stock of toilet paper is enough to stock the park’s portable toilets.

2. Get some sleep the night before. (Look, man, you don’t know my life! I mean…I’ll try.)

I know. You have so much to do! But take it from this night owl – go to bed now (or, at least, soon). Your alert mind and energetic body will thank you tomorrow.

3. Wear comfortable shoes. (Heck yeah. Flats all the way!)

And don’t wear uncomfortable ones the day or two before. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t take your shoes off halfway through your party. Because you will never get them back on.

4. Wear a bright-colored shirt. (Does a sparkly gold sweater count? Good. Got it.)

When you’re the person in charge – I mean, the hostess – people are going to want to find you. And if it happens to be a large or crowded party, they might have trouble sorting you out from the crowd. So do your friends, volunteers, wait staff or family a favor, and wear a brightly colored shirt. (And if you’re going to need to keep track of your child at the same time you coordinate volunteers and direct vendors, put her in a bright shirt, too.)

5. Remember to wash your hair. (Got it. Hopefully.)

Maybe you don’t need this reminder. But for me, major stress means major distraction – and that means I forget to wash my hair on the most inopportune days. I don’t forget to get it wet. But I do forget to actually wash it – and typically, I don’t even realize what I’ve done until well after I’ve dried my not-clean hair and attempted to style it, somehow.

So – don’t be like me. Use shampoo.

Following these tips for an awesome event day works for me!

What’s your favorite part of planning and/or hosting a party?

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