Our first lesson in “Party Planning” is the party etiquette, a topic unfamiliar to most hosts and hostesses. Etiquette comes into play when composing your guest list, relating to your guests throughout the party and serving the drinks and food and the general handling of problems as they arise.

As your party planners we can deal with the organising of your party from inviting the guests to arranging the flowers, the venue and the catering! No job is too large or too small for us.

The first job for your party is your gust list. What should you consider?

• Don't invite more guests than you can comfortably accommodate.
• Always remember the “friendship factor” Be sensitive to people’s feelings. Try not to exclude anyone who would be hurt if not invited, even if it means adjusting your space or planning.
• Keep the personalities and interests of your guests in mind to create a harmonious mix.
• Try to balance female and male guests.
• For a formal dinner party it is said no more than six to eight, the perfect number for a gathering comfortably around most dining tables.
• Always be specific as possible when telling gusts how to dress.
• "Black tie" – Dinner jackets for men and long or short evening dresses for women.
• "White tie" – indicates white ties and tails for men and long dresses for women
• "Informal attire" – means that men should wear suits and women should wear suits or dresses.

As the host, what are your duties?

• Introduce the guests to each other as they arrive.
• Chat with each individual guest for a few moments during the party.
• Guests tend to group together into fixed groups during parties, try to break up the cliques by introducing a member of one group to another.
• Try to “Hover” over your party, keep an eye on its developments.

What are the rules for children's parties?

• The younger the child, the fewer the guests, although 12 guests is considered to be a comfortable maximum for most parties.
• An unspoken rule of etiquette is to invite a child to your child’s party if your child invited to that child's party.
• If you’re planning a party for a baby or toddler, always invite a parent/carer of the child.
• Try to invite children who are close friends with each other.
• Before planning the birthday tea, ask if any your guest have any food allergies or dietary restrictions.