Now that we have entered the month of August, we start to see Summer sadly come to a close. Vacation photos normally seen on your newsfeed will now be replaced by back to school updates. Friends will head back to whichever far away college they attend, and people will be soaking up as much sun as they possibly can before the weather gets chilly. As much as I love Fall, this is a sad time. To try and forget that the end is near, I suggest spending these next few weeks living it up as much as humanly possible. A great way to do this would be to throw a party!

As someone who has been throwing parties for about five years now, I’ve come to learn what it takes to plan a successful one. While it might seem like common sense to some, there are always a select few who forget at least one thing and end up stressed out and can’t bring themselves to have fun. To avoid being that person, here are a few tips:

1. Pick A Day

While this step is certainly obvious, it holds a lot of importance. Pick a busy day, and you’ll end up partying by yourself. Try and avoid Sunday-Thursday if possible. Those really only work if you’re in high school or celebrating a holiday. I try my best to go for Friday night gatherings, since people are looking to escape the weekday troubles and dive right into a weekend of fun!

2. Make A Guest List

Honestly, this step is probably the most difficult one for me. Invite too many people and it might be packed and overwhelming, invite too few people and it might be awkward and boring. There’s also the endless issues involved with inviting people you know will bring along others you don’t necessarily like or care for. Sometimes it’s a risk you have to take. It really depends on who you need there versus who you want there. When it comes down to it, as long as you have the people you enjoy being around, then you’re golden.

3. Send Out Invitations

I’ve learned the hard way how a party can go south if you don’t get the word out the proper way. Mailing out invites is too formal for a regular house party, and word of mouth doesn’t ensure that people will remember the details. I like to take advantage of Facebook’s “Create Event” option. Of course, if some of your guests aren’t on the social networking site, you should probably just text or call them personally. For those that do have accounts, you can add them all to a page where you can write out the particulars such as the day, time, location, and extra info they might need. I use that small space to remind them to BYOB or contact me if they want to bring friends along. This is also a cool option because it allows you to keep track of who is coming, who might be coming, and who can't come.

4. Pinterest!

While this step isn’t totally necessary, I highly recommend it if you like to get creative. Pinterest has thousands of awesome ideas for you to try out whether it’s for edible treats or decor. I can’t imagine how I ever had parties before the creation of Pinterest. Try out something you come across and you’re guaranteed to receive loads of compliments.

5. Go Shopping

You’re going to drain yourself of money. The sooner you accept that fact, the faster you’ll move past it and be able to just have fun. If you have really great friends, sometimes they’ll agree to chip in for some of the party goodies. I always appreciate it when people bring things like ice or soda to go towards the various drinks to be had during the event. Despite making my parties BYOB, I always make sure I have some extra alcohol around just to be safe. Even if there ends up being too much (not possible), it always goes towards the next big get-together we have. Finger foods are a party staple at this point. They also go over well for the party goers suffering from a case of the drenches.

6. Get Dressed Up

There’s not much I love more than picking an outfit for a special event. It’s not often I get to wear something nice, especially when trying to beat the Summer heat. I typically plan out my look at least 2-3 days in advance to leave room for the possibility of me changing my mind several times. It’s also become the norm that I’ll text my BFF group chat with different pictures of all my clothing options. If it’s not friend approved, it’s not going to work.

7. Have Fun!!!

This is always the main goal for every party on Earth, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. It’s especially a great reminder for the party planner, as they can often get too wrapped up in the little things going wrong rather than what is going right. I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve allowed myself to grow uneasy over who showed up, spilled drinks, broken furniture, and the predictable drama that ensues. All of those things are fixable when it comes down to it. You didn’t go through the trouble of organizing the night just to have a bad time. So take lots of photos, have a drink or two, and make some memories!