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When I was a child and my family was planning a trip, it didn’t matter where we were going, the time of year we’d be leaving or the reason for the excursion. Whether we were heading to Disney World or Great Aunt Helen’s funeral, my mother always made us pack our suitcases in the same way.

"Pretend you’re getting dressed in the morning, think of everything you’ll need to put on and make sure that each type of item ends up in the suitcase," she’d insist.

Now, we all looked pretty silly, standing around our bedrooms, envisioning socks to suit jackets, while chucking items into our luggage, but Mom did have a good point: We were always well-packed and prepared for almost every eventuality upon arrival at our destination.

A superbly planned party begins in the same way. Whether you are whipping up a Mexican dinner party for 10 close friends or a themed bridal shower for 100 guests, a master list, detailing every aspect of your party’s construction, takes little time to create and will ensure that you are ready for almost any complication that may arise.

What to include
A good master list covers both the general and specific details that will make your party a hit or a miss; an estimated timeline, approximate setup time, serving times for various courses, special-component timing (such as opening gifts at a shower) and clean-up.

Before you begin your master list, envision your party. Imagine how wonderful it will be, get a feel for the tone you want to set and select a theme, venue and guest list. This creative aspect of party planning comes naturally to most of us and is the area in which we are usually most successful.