"Q&A with the Event Diva"

Well it's Wednesday and you know what that means....Q&A with the Event Diva. This week we have a question about invitations and entertaining at home.

Thanks for your questions and please keep them coming!

Q: I am thinking about planning a little get together for some friends and would like to send out invitations. Can you tell me how far in advance I should send the invitations out? Is there such a thing as sending out the invitations too early?

A: When sending invitations out for a party I usually follow the 3 week rule. Sometimes I will send them out 4 weeks prior to the event if it is close to a major holiday. This allows you ample time to get on people’s calendars before they make other plans. However sending them too far in advance (more than 4 weeks out), you are taking a risk that they may completely forget about your party (which I’m almost sure will happen). Either way, I would also suggest following up with your guests with either an email reminder or a phone call about a week before your party to get a final count and to make sure that no one has forgotten about your party.

Q: Whenever I have a party at the house, it never fails that everyone almost always ends up in the kitchen. For my next house party, how can I ensure that this doesn’t happen?

A: I completely understand what you are going through because it always happens to me too. A simple solution to this common problem is to put the bar as far away from the kitchen as you can. Remember this simple rule, people will always gather either around food or the bar. So by keeping them both out of the kitchen you reduce the risk of having your party end up in that one room. Space permitting, I suggest setting up several drink and food stations through out the house so that your guests are forced to move around during the party. This also avoids bottle-necking and long food and drink lines.

Got a question for the Event Diva? Email us at info@beckwithevents.com - and include in the subject line "Q&A with the Event Diva". We will try to answer all questions in the order in which they were received. Check back every Wednesday to see if your question is listed.

HAPPY PLANNING!