31 Days of Perfect Party Planning- Day 1: What is A Perfect Party?

I love party planning-the decorating, the crafting, the arranging, choosing the colors and theme, researching ideas, even making the food if I need to! My love for parties was "born" when I helped decorate for a baby shower. Pinterest wasn't even really a thing yet, but blogging had really started to boom and I had seen the cutest idea for a "tiny" birthday party that I knew would translate into an adorable shower. I didn't even know you could throw a party where you didn't buy everything that matched from a store! After googling how to make tissue paper pom-poms and staying up late tying ribbons around flatware, I was hooked.

And then I realized that I could blog about my parties. I'm not the best photographer (it probably doesn't help that I am using a $100 point and shoot, but hey, use what you've got!) but people seemed to like them. And the more I did it, the better I got! And now, I have people asking me to decorate for, and give advice on, parties and planning quite a bit. So, I figured it was the perfect subject for my first foray into 31 Days!

The first thing you might be asking is: why "perfect" party planning? First, it's what my party Pinterest board is named (although I have a separate one for baby showers named "Bump Bashes"), and clearly, I have a thing for alliteration, after all my blog *is* named "Clare's Contemplations"! But really, its because it doesn't mean "exactly what I saw online" or "looks like it was done by a professional" or even "I got everything done on time and wasn't crazy". To me, perfect means: it makes me happy, I felt accomplished, there was a serious investment and I got a good return, and most of all, that it represents me!

And that's the most important thing to keep in mind when planning a party-do what makes *you* smile! Don't do the expected, or the demanded, or what feels forced. The essence of a party is celebration! Not drudgery or overblown expectations. If you *want* to make 150 mice out of cheese for your party-do it! But if you feel like you don't even want to have anything but cake, guess what? That is just as valid of a choice. In this series, I will walk you through how I plan and execute a party, but if you do it differently, that's fine! Maybe you will get a new idea or tip that will bump it up another notch. And if you have never planned a "perfect" party, well then, you are in the right place!

Check back here as each day of the series is updated:
Day 1: "What is A Perfect Party?"
Day 2: "You Can't"
Day 3: "Just Imagine" 
Day 4: "Start Small
Day 5: "The List"
Day 6: "For the Love"
Day 7: "Using the Google"
Day 8: "Keep It Tight"
Day 9: "Let It Go" 
Day 10: "Pretty Packages"
Day 11: "Let's Talk Money"
Day 12: "Some of My Must-Haves" 
Day 13: "Re-Writing the Calendar"
Day 14: "Party Planning Pals"
Day 15: "Own It!"
Day 16: "Invites (Or Not)" 
Day 17: "For My Friends"
Day 18: "Trending Now"
Day 19: "Host Homes"
Day 20: "Divine Details" 
Day 21: "Give a Giftcard" (A Little Giveaway!) 
Day 22: "Pretty Pennant Banners"
Day 23: "Fun and Festive Garlands" (Two Tutorials)  
Day 24: "Some More of My Must Haves" 
Day 25: "Just A Reminder"
Day 26: "All Fun and Games"
Day 27: "Savvy Shower Tips"
Day 28: "How to Be a Better Guest" 
Day 29: "After the Party is Over"
Day 30: "First Birthday Party: Sweet Tea and Sunflowers"
Day 31: "What's Your Gift?"

Linked up to:
The Nester's "2013 31 Days"
Thrifty Thursdays at "Living Well, Spending Less"