8 women share their ultimate event-planning hacks you'll wish you knew about sooner.

There are two types of people. 

Event planning extraordinaire, who *know* the hosting part of a party is just as exciting as being surrounded by friends, family, delicious food and drinks (can you tell this one’s me?).

And, those who would much prefer to attend a function without a single responsibility, before, during, or after. (Now that I mention it, I get the appeal of this too.)

But, there’s no reason those less-inclined to plan their own event can’t fake a good party just the same. 

You see, hosting an event doesn’t have to induce stress. There are a few sneaky hacks us planning-pros have been keeping up our sleeve.

So, whether you’re searching for the next occasion you can get your pals together for a boogie, or dreading your next birthday solely for the party admin, here are 8 tips to make any event a breeze. 

1. Catering. Catering. Catering.

Gone are the days of ‘bring a plate’. 

You might not actually love preparing food, and turns out, neither might your friends.

That’s why outsourcing is the golden hack to make your event planning (and hosting) run as smooth as possible. Enlisting the handiwork of experts when catering for a crowd, like Soul Origin, can be efficient and fuss-free.

Soul Origin offer freshly made food for every size and style of event, and suits any dietary requirements you need to consider. Think everything from grazing plates, to buffets, or even cocktail style food for evening events.

(Their breakfast sliders are honestly DELICIOUS, and their long list of salad platters are so helpful when you're wanting one in bulk to feed a large group. So much more cost effective than buying 17 different ingredients, and chopping them all up for what feels like 17 hours. Highly recommend.)

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A key thing to remember too: it's not just tasty food you're getting when you outsource the catering. It's the time and enjoyment you get back to spend it with your loved ones on the day.

If you try it once, you'll then be kicking yourself for the rest of time wondering why you waited so long.

2. Collaborate on the music.

You know when you're attending someone else's celebration, and you're excitedly yelling THIS IS MY SONG at your friends when that one specific Taylor Swift song comes on? (...or is that just me?)

Shell suggests recreating that feeling for your own guests. A few weeks before your event day, set up your party playlist and on Spotify, invite your guests to add their favourite tune they'd like played on the day. 

If this is very much in your planning wheelhouse, Shell says you could even create multiple playlists for different genres, or even different "phases" of the event.

"It's like, when you're needing chilled music so you can chat with guests casually, versus when it's dance floor time, and everyone can get their Beyoncé moment when 'their song' comes on."

3. Getting the group together with ease.

There are just few places Talia would rather be than in her group chat trying to organise a catch up. But she’s got an easy hack to speed up the (often arduous) process.

“When I’m planning a group event with my girlfriends, I find it's better to propose a plan rather than options.”

Take the abundance of options out of the mix for your own event, if you're looking to avoid fifty back-and-forths negotiating on options. Instead? Propose a time, place, and plan you want to run with as the host (with plenty of lead time), then it’s just a matter of showing up.

4. Level up your bathroom.

This has surely got to be what A+ event hosting looks like. 

Madison loves levelling up her bathroom supplies by adding some extras to the bathroom counter for guests to use.

"Think like hair spray, chewing gum, bobby pins, perfume or spray deodorant. Just items where your guests can feel taken care of. They'll be thanking you for the freshen up later on in the night, and complementing you for even thinking of it!"

5. Confirm your attendees early on.

Oh, and while we’re on ensuring people show up…

If hosting your own event gives you flashbacks to high school birthday parties where people would drop out at the very last minute, we feel you.

So, Mikayla always checks in with her guests in the days leading up to the event, almost like a final round of reminders and opportunity to nut out any confusion on the plan.

“I have a constant fear that people won't show up to my events, so for the entire week before the event I will message, or stop people in person to remind them it’s on. It always minimises last minute questions, and helps avoid cancellations!”

6. Time your event right.

Dani knows her audience. When planning a get-together with family and friends, she offers up a time that's actually half an hour earlier than she’d like people to arrive, banking on the fact that her people are always... well, late.

“When planning a dinner with my sister and brother-in-law, I always tell them it starts 30 minutes earlier than it actually does. They are NOTORIOUSLY late all the time!”

7. Structure your dinners with skill.

When bringing different groups together, Megan always starts her event standing, and with a few drinks so people can mingle, move around freely, and relax before they take their seats. 

“Always start an event with standing drinks rather than going straight into meal time – people then have a chance to make new connections, and feel more at ease before any formalities this way.”

8. Set the right mood for the occasion.

Hosting a dinner? Light a few candles and pop on your best evening playlist.

Planning a picnic? Bring all the cushions and rugs to keep things cosy and casual.

Laura loves creating the right vibe for any and all occasions, where nuanced choices can determine the mood.

“The art is in the detail. I love making my parties feel different every time by including details that match the location and occasion for us all coming together.”

What's your ultimate event-planning hack? Tell us in the comments below!

Enjoy delicious and appetising food catering that's made fresh from your local Soul Origin. Find your nearest Soul Origin here.

Feature Image: Getty.