7 ways to outsource for your next kids' event
Planning a kid’s party doesn’t have to be stressful!
As an event planner, I have met so many mums who feel overwhelmed and stressed when their kids’ birthdays (or even other milestones) are coming up.
To save you the headache of stressful planning, here are 7 ways to outsource for your next kid’s event.
Cake
You need to find time and motivation to look for cake inspiration (whether it be in cake shops or online). And then you need to get the recipe, before finding the ingredients in your local grocery shops (or online cake supplier stores). Then to bake the cake whether it is the night before or the morning before the party, and have your fingers crossed that it will turn out perfectly?
It will be even harder if you need to factor in food allergies, including nuts, dairy and eggs (hello vegan!)
Having the cake created by a baker is going to make your life so much easier. With experience, they know what ingredients and products would work well with the type of cake you would like (buttercream and fondant) with correct temperature to have the cake in best condition, especially for the cake to last throughout the whole party. Plus, it will free you up in the morning of the party. You don’t need to worry and wonder the whole time if the cake will last (and the taste!)
Photo by Mavis C Photography
Food
Food preparations can take up a lot more time than you think! Like preparing and baking a cake, this starts from browsing for food ideas, to finding the recipe, creating a list and buying the right ingredients (and amount!). It is also required to work out the best timing to prepare all the food within a week before until the morning of the event. And think about the times where you need to juggle preparing a few dishes at the same time (while remembering the timing of how long particular dishes need to set - anybody thinking desserts?!)
This applies for not only finger food and catering, but also desserts and drinks areas.
There are numerous catering businesses in Sydney that provide:
Savoury and/or sweet dishes
Mini or large (substantial) canapes (finger food)
Buffet, grazing and/or waitressing service (where they walk around and offer food to guests)
Cultural menu’s
Once you select dishes from the caterer’s menu, the chefs and professionals prepare it all for you. They can either deliver or pickup can be arranged. This is going to free up so much of your time, stress and energy within the week before your event so that you can enjoy yourself in the event.
Balloons
Balloons might be easy to create, but did you realise you can physically get tired from either blowing up the balloons or manually pumping the balloons? Even if you had a few helpers to have the balloons pumped up, you need to find the space to have the balloons kept before it is hung up on the day of the event. There are also tactics to putting the balloons together into a garland (if you were having it as part of the decorations).
And if you are taking the balloons to a venue yourself (or even a park!), you need to make sure all the balloons fit into your vehicle, you are confident to drive safely while the balloons obstruct your rearview mirror and have your fingers crossed that the balloons do not pop on the way!
Balloon suppliers create arrangements (including garlands), where they safely deliver the balloons to the venue. They also prepare and bring along more individual balloons in case the balloons in the arrangements shrink or pop before the event. Balloon suppliers are also able to suggest balloon colour options which can be created (even by double ballooning) to suit your theme. This not only saves time and space for you, but it also gives a WOW factor to you and your guests.
Entertainment
Kids are very hard to please. Working out activities and entertainment for kids can put a lot of pressure on you to keep the kids in the party and for them to rave on about the event afterwards. This is worth pointing out as entertainment is one of the last things we, as mums, think about, before the party.
To save the last minute stress, there are entertainers who know kids well. They bring lots of different activities to keep the kids entertained throughout the whole party. They range from face painting, bubbles, arts and crafts, to also jumping castles, giant games, and soft play (for the little ones). Kids entertainment business have several packages, where they can arrive during the event and finish depending on their packages. This keeps you at ease without needing to check on the kids yourself if they are having fun or not. Kids will be preoccupied, for sure!
Photographer
This sounds unnecessary, but trust me, memories last a lifetime!
These days, anybody can take photos and videos from their phones and DSLR cameras. But sometimes, the images and videos do not come out well or are not perfectly timed.
A professional photographer not only has the right type of lens needed to make a great photo, but they know the best angles and most appropriate lighting to capture beautiful memories. Having a professional photographer also helps make the day easier by taking photos while you and your guests will not need to run around and take photos and videos (instead of having fun on the day!)
Planner
Sometimes the thought of planning a kids party is overwhelming and can bring a lot of stress to you. You don’t need to do the whole planning yourself.
Instead, event planners like me can do it all for you from the beginning! We need to have a clearer idea of theme, guest numbers, location and budget, and we take it from there. We have lots of amazing suppliers who we know and trust to turn your event into life. We check in with you regularly of our planning process, where you need to give the approval or your thoughts (should we need to make any further tweaks). We also are present on the day of the event to make sure everything goes well as planned.
This gives you a pleasant, stress-free experience, knowing that a trusted professional in events can create an amazing memorable event for you. You are able to mentally focus on what is important to you - whether it be family, friends and/or work.
Coordinator
A lot of mums are organised and want to research and book suppliers themselves. This could be because they enjoy planning events themselves, are easily impressed with and book suppliers without hesitation after first impression or have booked suppliers before who they are happy with. However, the thought of overseeing the whole party on the day can easily go out of hand and can result in running around instead of being with guests.
If having an event planner is not necessary, then having an event or party coordinator would. As an event coordinator, I take over the process once you hand over your bookings and suppliers’ details to me. I confirm all details and information with your booked suppliers and smooth out any gaps that arise along the way. Being meticulous, it is better to pick up hiccups before the day of the event. I put it all together in a timeline and go by it on the day of the event to make sure the event runs as planned. As I look after all details and suppliers on the day (including bringing the cake out), you are able to sit, relax and talk to the other guests (as if you are a guest yourself).
Should you wish for me to plan (or just coordinate) your next event, you can contact me here so I hear more about your initial ideas and we can talk more about it over a video call.
For now, feel free to follow and connect with me on Instagram and Facebook!