As you scroll through Pinterest and see all these amazing party ideas, you think to yourself “I can do that!” And a lot of the time, you can…..but, do you really want to (and, do you even have the time to do it yourself?) I will help you decide when to DIY your own party and when to hire someone to help.

When to DIY:

1. You have plenty of time

   Pinterest and “reality” DIY shows have made it look it really easy to do any project from start to finish in 30 minutes. Sure, some projects can be done in 30 minutes, but, in real life this is not normally the case. Even seemingly small projects can add up to hours, before you realize it. Let’s take DIY invitations for example: You have to get together all your supplies, plan your design, cut out and glue all the parts together. Then, you switch to the computer to print out your party information, then cut and glue that to the main invitation design.  Whew! Making invitations, alone can become a 3-4 hour project. Even after doing crafts for years and years, I still underestimate how long it will take me to complete a project.

2. You have plenty of patience

   This goes hand in hand with having plenty of time. When something doesn’t go as planned, not only is it going to add more time to your project, but it will also really test your patience. Creating any craft can have it’s hiccups and when you are on a time crunch (like being done before your party day), it can become very stressful and make you questions your DIY decision. However, if you really enjoy the process, it can help to keep some of your patience with the task at hand. But…sometimes, you just have to put your project down and come back to it later.

3. If you’re feeling crafty

   Everyone feels crafty sometime. But, for planning your own party, you must be feeling extremely crafty. Not because it takes any additional crafting skills…only because it takes a lot of crafting. Everything in your party doesn’t have to be hand-crafted, however a few custom decorations are what will really help your party stand out. Besides the DIY craft items, there is more craftiness involved: choosing a theme and color scheme, putting together the layout of the party, creating games and activities, even deciding on the type of food you will have at your party….this all takes your crafty side.

4. Your friends and family can help

   Now, this one is not a must, but it definitely helps to have the extra hands. Imagine creating multiple of anything (invitations, centerpieces, banner pieces, etc)…now imagine cutting out tens of the same shape, gluing those shapes together, drawing or writing on those shapes. This can add up to a very redundant task. Having friends or family members to assist with this will also help for point #1 and #2, time and patience. It’s also a great idea to enlist the help of your friends and families for set up and clean up of your party.

5. If you have a place to work and store items

   OK, now this one can also be very helpful. Creating party decorations can take up a lot of space. You need room to spread out. For me, I like to be able to lay out all items at once, so I can see what the overall impact will be. Also, for a DIY party, you may end up with a lot more supplies and decorations than you realize…you have to have tablecloths, plates, napkins, forks, cups, balloons, streamers, containers, and more, and more!

When to hire help:

1. You don’t have time or patience.

   If you have never planned a party, this is a major point to take into account. If you know ahead of time that your patience is easily tested, maybe forgo planning your own event. Also, if you know you will be unable to dedicate one or two hours each day, for up to 2 weeks…it may be a great idea to hire a party planner. As I mentioned above, throwing a DIY party can be surprisingly time consuming.

2. When you become overwhelmed.

   Becoming overwhelmed can happen. One minute, you are cruising along making your “happy birthday” banner. The next minute, you are totally freaking out, realizing how much you still have left to finish.  I tend to make a list at the beginning for two reason: so I can keep track of what needs done AND so I can be aware of how much work still needs done. Breaking big tasks down into smaller tasks can help reduce the chance of a major meltdown, but if you still find yourself overwhelmed, there is no shame in calling your party planner.

3. If you’ve never planned or hosted a party before.

   Everyone has to start somewhere, however, if you have never planned a party before, you may want to think about hiring a party planner. There are many, many things that can easily be overlooked if you haven’t planned a party, before. Take a look at Pinterest or just Google search “party planning checklist.” This will give you a brief view of how much can be involved in a DIY party.

4. You have lots of cool ideas, but you don’t know how to make them reality.

   Ideas are easy to come by. Figuring out how bring those ideas into fruition….that is a different story. Many party planners will give advice and be more than happy to take over when you are unsure what to do next. Share your ideas with your party planner and they can come up with a plan that works for you, rather that is taking over completely or just creating some items for you.

5. Is there a lot at stake?

   This one is the most important of all!!  How crucial is the outcome of your party…if it is a birthday party for a 4-year old, go for it. No one is going to be upset if the party doesn’t end up “perfect.” However, if the event will have a bearing on your next promotion or some other important outcome, enlist the help of your party planner.

Now, after reading all of this, do not hesitate to reach out to me for help. You can bounce ideas off me, hire me to create custom party decorations, and even more. However, also don’t be afraid to try a DIY party…now that you know some things to take into account!