Tiny Sophisticate is not alone, how about you with your planning?As I am planning for my upcoming Halloween Party, I’m noticing that I’m … ummm…. well….maybe a touch anal. I hate that word so I’m searching for a new one. Some have said I’m a little OCD. Some have said I’m a big planner. Some say organized. Some say just plain crazy.
“Why?” you may ask.
Here are some examples.
Costumes: In late September, I started thinking about Halloween costumes. I put together a PowerPoint with different themes on each page. We dress up as a family, so I needed ideas that would be good for all 4 of us. Me, my husband, our 2-year-old and our 2 month old. Themes included circus, zoo, pirates, flying insects (bumblebees, butterflies, etc.), Yo Gabba Gabba, and the Flintstones to name a few. For each theme, I had pictures of a variety of costume ideas at different price points for each member of the family. I then presented it to my husband and 2-year-old to decide….yeah, that went well 
Decorations: I’ve been scouring magazines and the internet for a while. I have a Pinterest pin board called “Fall Fun” where I put some inspiration, and I also have a magazine that I’ve ripped out some ideas. I am in a big “DIY” phase right now so I bought all sorts of cheap things from our local Christmas Tree Shop, and with a can of black spray paint, have transformed them. I’m going with a vintage B&W Halloween theme for the decorations so everything will be black and white.
Menu: From the moment I decided to have a party, I have been working on the menu. I have a list of menu items, and then have broken that down into a grocery list of all the items I need to buy. I further “color coded” that to note items I need to buy at Shaw’s (my local grocery store), BJ’s, Whole Foods and Trader Joes. I took it one step further and have already decided what serving trays and platters I will be using for all of the food and drinks I am serving.
Layout: So with the theme, decorations and menu all planned out, I actually drew a map of the layout of my house for the party. If you saw the space I am working with, you’d realize this is a little overboard. The first floor of my place is basically a kitchen, connected eating/dining area, bathroom and living room. That’s it. It’s not a ton of space…yet I drew a map with the layout of everything…down to the placement of the crockpot to hold the soup I plan to make.
In my defense, I do have an event planning background. I’ve done events for the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, Starbucks, Yoplait, Green Giant, RiverTowne Country Club (Mt. Pleasant, SC), TrinityOne and about 25 brides! I guess it’s in my blood…but still begs the question…
Am I Crazy? OCD? Maybe Just Really Organized…
And yes, I’ll post some pics after our party this weekend
