How to Plan Your Holiday Party ~ Southern Vacation Rentals
The holidays are fast approaching! Now is the time to start planning your holiday party, whether you’re coordinating for your family or for your team at work. While it may seem daunting, planning a holiday party is actually a lot easier than you may think! Plus, if you plan ahead, you can secure your venue and make sure all of the little details in place. Learn how to plan your holiday party with our quick and easy steps, so you can start focusing on celebrating with your loved ones or coworkers.
Set a Date
Before you can determine your venue or budget, you’ll want to set a date. The holidays are busy for everyone with travel, family visiting, and other obligations. Setting a date early gives everyone enough time to plan for child care and additional thigns that may crop up. Don’t plan too close to Thanksgiving or Christmas, since that’s when it’s considered “crunch time” for holiday events. A good rule of thumb is setting a date two to three months in advance, as this will give your attendees time to coordinate. Anything sooner than that, and you may not have the turnout that you want!
Size
Then, determine the size of your party. Company parties can be any scale depending on the size of your business. If you’re a small business, you may have just north of 100 employees, but a large-scale company may have nearly 1,000. Securing the right size venue is important; you won’t want to have too much or too little space. Be sure to set an RSVP date in advance so you can book your venue ahead of time. For corporate events, we recommend our friends at The Destin Bay House™, since their indoor and outdoor event space can accommodate just about any size group! You can also stay at the Cottages by the Bay right across the street from the Bay House™, in the heart of Downtown Destin.
If you’re hosting a family holiday party, you’ll already know the size of your family and how much room you’ll need. We have beach vacation homes in Destin, Pensacola Beach, Gulf Shores, and more that can accommodate you and your family. Plus, the waterfront location is just a perk! These are some of the best vacation rentals for your family holiday party. Beach FUNatic A&B creates the ultimate setting for any event!
Budget
Once you know your group size and venue, you’ll want to set a budget. Determining a venue goes into your budget, as some venues raise their prices as the demand for holiday event venues spikes. The larger your group, the bigger your budget needs to be. Your budget should include the venue, food, drinks, and any entertainment like a DJ or band, photobooth, and more. If you’re outsourcing a venue with a bar, they may have their own staff to serve drinks which could add on to your budget. For a family party, a budget is not as necessary, but if you’re asking everyone to chip in on the costs of a vacation home, you’ll want to make sure it’s realistic for all your guests.
Atmosphere
Another important aspect of planning your holiday party is the atmosphere! Holiday parties are a great time to allow everyone to dress up and let their festive side show. Be sure to include the dress code, if there is one, include it on your invitations. The best thing about a holiday party is that you have so many choices for dress codes! If it’s a high-end party, you can ask everyone to come in black tie or cocktail attire. Or, keep it fun and casual with holiday sweaters. You can even hold a contest to see who arrives with the silliest sweater! Having a Christmas sweater contest is a great way to loosen up the atmosphere and help everyone bond.
We hope you enjoyed our tips on how to plan your holiday party! Be sure to look to us for booking your beach vacation home in Destin, Pensacola Beach, Gulf Shores, or any of our Gulf Coast locations to host your family this season.
