It happens to all of us. We volunteer to throw a party for our kid’s birthday, sister’s baby shower, or an end of summer party. We have all these great ideas and plan an extravagant party our heads for weeks but then get busy with work, projects, family and you feel like you have so much time and then BAM - all of a sudden, the party is next weekend and EVERYONE has RSVP’ed yes but you have nothing planned.

Lucky for us, fellow super mama Evelyn Jimenez of Harlow Planning has plenty of experience in event planning. You know all the great photo ops and activations at our Super Mamas Social and Vision Board Posada? Evelyn is the person who makes that happen. She believes in us and brings all of our ideas to life, and believes in you too! Below she lists out all the steps to plan a flawless event in ONE day.

How to Plan a Party in One Day

Step 1: Intention, guests, and budgets. Is it your mom’s 55th birthday or el bautizo de tu nieto and all the Tias, Tios and cousins are coming? Maybe you’re throwing a cumbia party 😉 for your family & friends or a banquet for your kid’s sports team. Also consider that your budget is a starting point and you should leave a little wiggle room in case of emergencies!

Step 2: Event design. Now it’s time to make it look pretty! Create a visual for your party with a mood board on Pinterest, collages or photos. Use this as inspiration to begin reaching out to vendors regarding food, decor, and more. You can do so much with a great balloon installation (we love @lotuspartyco), flowers and plants.

It’s also important to walk the layout of the event space - you could even create a rendering of the floor plan to know exactly where everything needs to go. Does the bar look better by the pool? Or maybe you need signage to direct guests to the bathroom. Maybe even invest in a walking measuring tape, like the one Evelyn was gifted. 😂

Step 3: Work with vendors. Creating lasting relationships with your vendors is extremely important. It takes a bit of research to decide which vendors are for you, but you’ll begin to learn when it’s better to rent certain items over buying them or vice versa.

Gaining this knowledge & developing these relationships helps in the long run, especially if you throw parties often like Evelyn. And with this knowledge, you begin to learn more about what things cost from tables and chairs to buffet spreads or entertainment. Evelyn says, “I don’t believe in overpaying or underpaying. Everyone should earn a fair amount and do good work.”

Step 4: Logistics. With all the details figured out, now you can plan for the day of the event, including timelines and staffing. Decide if you need to hire a clean up crew and make a schedule of vendor arrival times. Communication with everyone who is part of the production is crucial as this is the team who will bring your party to life. Make sure you have clearly communicated exactly what you want so things go as planned.

Step 5: Day of Event. “That’s the day where I work my effing ass off,” says Evelyn. It’s a lot of running around and making sure everything goes as planned with vendors and staff, checking in on guests and the little things in between.

Congratulations!

You’ve just planned your first party! Evelyn notes that the rewarding feeling of seeing it all come to life and seeing that you achieved this vision, “[is] one of the best parts of my job; that I feel accomplished once all these weddings and parties have happened.” Remember that no matter what happens during the planning stages or the event, the goal is to have a good time. As long as you have good food, good drinks and good music (which you can plan in one day!), you’ve got a great party planned.

Interested in having Evelyn plan your wedding or next event? Check out her events on Instagram at @harlowplanning.