1. 1. Pick a Theme. Is the birthday boy or girl a huge Star Wars fan? Maybe they’re addicted to Sex & The City or they’re dedicated football fan. Then half your work is done for you! Go out of your way to plan a party theme that caters to their whims. The perfect theme requires absolute consistency, so get creative in your effort to tie everything back to it. Start by creating custom invitations that reference the theme in design and color choice. And don’t forget that the little things can have a big impact. You want to make sure that décor like napkins, tablecloths, streamers and banners, are working double-duty to communicate the overall message!

1. 2. Keep the Guests Happy, Too. The guest of honor isn’t the only one you should care about pleasing. Making sure your guests are content is a key task of the perfect party planner. Keep the buffet of snacks plentiful and the bar stocked, because a satisfied guest is a happy guest. And why not create a little tote bag packed with party favors to match the theme? Your guests will love you if you fill it with useful items like candy, pens, fun knickknacks or a keychain emblazoned with the birthday boy or girls picture.

1. 3. Your Work is Never Done. Even after the big day has passed, there’s still one more thing you can do to ensure that your party planning skills will never be forgotten. No party is complete without a cameraman on hand to document the big day. Once you’ve compiled all of the fun photos, it’s time to share! After you post these gems on Facebook, Myspace and other social networking sites, you should create photo cards to send out to attendees. And if you want to hold the title of the Greatest Party Planner Ever, take the time to create a photo flip book or notebook  for the guest of honor and close friends and family. That way, you’ll create a keepsake that they’ll cherish forever.

See, that wasn’t so hard. Now you’re ready to party the night away knowing that you planned a wonderful bash. Give yourself a pat on the back, you’ll never throw a boring birthday party again!

First of all, it is important to make sure that the person receiving the invitation knows what the event is, and who it is for. Using first and last names is a smart way to avoid any confusion. Next, you’ll want to make sure that the address of the event itself is listed, along with the city and state. Again, this will just make things easier for out of town guests.

Another thing to remember to include  is the time that the event begins, and if you know, you may want to list an approximate length as well. While this is not absolutely necessary, it can be a nice courtesy to let people know how long they can plan on staying. If you have a Website set up for the event, you may want to include that, as well as directions from any relevant major cities, airports or highways. This is becoming a more popular thing to do for large-scale events such as weddings.

The last piece of important information you should include is a telephone number. If you want people to let you know for sure whether they are coming or not, point that out as well. Also make sure that the contact person’s name is on the invitation.

There are some creative touches that you can add to an invitation as well. Try including a favorite quote or fun saying to personalize the card a bit. Tuck a photo inside before you mail—or better yet, add one to the design of the invitation. You can even get return address labels printed up that will match the look exactly. There are many options to consider.

An invitation is a device to communicate the details of an event to people that you would like to have in attendance. Making sure you have the correct information on the card is important, but so is feeling good about the design. VistaPrint can help you with both of these things and make the experience go more smoothly.