Author: Contemporary Media Group, LLC

With the 4th of July just around the corner, smart party planners are already making their reservations. Is your family, neighborhood, church, or other organization planning an exciting 4th of July celebration this summer? Read on to find out the best tips for planning a 4th of July Party, from your favorite party planners in Northern New Jersey!

Plan For Food
What’s a party without food, right? For your 4th of July celebration, stick with a red, white, and blue theme! Bright red and blue berries are in season right now, which means plenty of festive desserts and side dishes! Some other great ideas include beverages with a theme, classic BBQ fare, and chips. For a choco-licious snack, have Parties for Peanuts bring along a chocolate fountain!

Stay Safe—and Legal!
Many states and local jurisdictions have restrictions on fireworks. Check your local laws before buying or using fireworks, and even if they are legal, use fire safety to keep yourself and your neighbors safe! If you want to be sure you won’t be setting any fires, try an alternative form of entertainment like a bounce house, inflatable obstacle course, or carnival games that bring fun without the risk!

Cool Down
July is always hot, so make sure to have plenty of ways for your guests to stay cool. Always offer clean, cool water, and consider renting a dunk tank or water slide for extra fun in the sun.

Have Fun
If you’re close to any major city, you can see fireworks lighting up the sky at dusk on the 4th. During the day, have fun with the other joys of summer—the event staff at Parties for Peanuts is happy to work with you to come up with patriotic face painting themes, balloon animals, and we even have special characters like our “Uncle Sam” stilt-walker who would love to drop by and make your event even more exciting.

Are you planning an amazing spring party for your child? Working ahead for a summer bash or end of the school year celebration? Whatever your party needs are, planning a kids’ party can be a lot of fun—or a lot of hassle. Fortunately, the expert party planners at Parties for Peanuts have been coordinating parties for many years, and we have learned some great tricks to share with you! If you’re wondering “what foods should I offer at my child’s party” or “how can I plan the most memorable snacks for my child’s birthday?” we have some tips for you!

Color Code It
The easiest way to match foods to your party theme is to color-code them! If you’re having an ice princess party, blue and white cakes, blue fizzy beverages, and snow cones will help to create an exciting setting. If you want a rainbow unicorn party, go all out with the rainbow cupcakes, sparkles, glitter, and don’t forget some cotton candy! Little superheroes can enjoy treats of their favorite superhero’s color, and holidays come with some built-in color schemes as well!

Theme It
Once you get the colors down, see how else your party theme works with the snacks. Labels and presentation are key here—consider the difference between “cheese plate” and “Mister Mouse’s favorite nibbles” at your Mister Mouse themed party! From decorative cupcakes to beverages with funny names, the more effort you put in, the better they’ll like it!

Check with Parents
Before you start creating, make sure to check with parents of other guests to find out about food allergies or sensitivities. Some children may have sensitivities to food dyes, additives, or certain ingredients, and a safe party is a fun party! For any food or drink options provided by Parties for Peanuts, we are happy to provide an ingredients list.

Provide Alternatives
Especially when planning a party for very young children, consider some “plain” alternatives. If little Hayden or Avery doesn’t want to drink “green fizzy monster juice,” a nice cup of water will feel safe. Having a variety of food choices ensures that all children can get something they like without a fuss.

For more great party planning ideas, check out our blog or contact the expert party planners at Parties for Peanuts for ideas!

As experts in children’s party planning in New Jersey, the team at Parties for Peanuts gets plenty of questions from parents and other party planners. What should I serve for food? How to keep the kids from being bored? What about gifts? Today, we’ll talk about gifts and gift-giving in the modern world.

To Gift or Not to Gift
This is the question! In a world of materialism and consumerism, do we really need more gifts? On the other hand, we are celebrating a child’s life… doesn’t that deserve gifts? What’s most important is that the party planner makes an active plan for how to handle gifts—including sharing this information with other parents. It can seem rude, but sharing expectations beforehand makes everything easier. Start your party planning right and check out the next few ideas of how to handle gifts.

Gift Limits
One of the most popular strategies to manage gifting is setting a price limit. Consider your financial status, as well as those of the children/families you will invite. Typically, $10 or $20 is an appropriate limit for a child and does not place too much stress on the families, although some studies show that some are spending up to $40 on gifting! We like to encourage people to focus on experiences, not price tag.

“Fiver” Parties
In contrast to the big givers out there, “fiver” parties are gaining popularity and ask that each child/family contributes just $5, which is then used toward buying a bigger gift for the child. This saves money, but entirely removes the fun of choosing a gift for a friend or even opening that gift.

Gift Alternatives
Feel uncomfortable asking guests to bring gifts at all, to tell them how much to bring, or to just ask for money to spend on a “big” gift? Try alternatives instead—and again, let all invited know about these alternatives! Fun ideas include allowing only homemade gifts, only recycled/upcycled gifts, only cards, or only allowing coupons for future favors. The thought and effort are still required, just not the commercialism.

For a party that’s fun for everyone, shift the focus away from gifts and keep it on the excitement! Bringing a custom character, bouncy castle, or other special entertainment to your child’s next party in New Jersey will create memories that last much longer than toys and gifts.

Are you planning a party for your child this year? Many people have already gotten started on their 2019 planning, including plenty of party ideas. One of the most popular questions we hear is “how can I plan an exciting party that hasn’t been done before?” Parents, teachers, and community leaders alike are always seeking new party ideas for special events. As party coordinators in New Jersey, we stay on top of these trends so we can share the latest news with you. Here are our top upcoming trends for 2019!

Hidden Surprises
If you’ve checked out “unboxing” or product opening videos on YouTube, you know the joy from wondering (and finding out) “what’s in the box?” This concept is so popular with kids today that event planners are seeking more and more ways to hide surprises for party-goers to enjoy. Make the whole party a surprise party, hide prize items or special gifts inside of cakes or cupcakes, nest party favors inside of one another and more for an exciting surprise!

Balloons
Balloons have always been a party staple, so why are they on this list? Balloons are hotter than ever, and are doing more than “just” floating around. Some of the most creative party planners are designing garlands, archways, decorations, words, and more, all with balloons! Best of all, these can be great party favors. Coordinate with your child’s favorite theme and add an extra boost of fun with characters like princesses, animals, and action figures!

Mocktails
When you want to plan the best kids party in New Jersey, you should think about your menu—and your guests! Mocktails are a big hit with kids today, combining the elegance and décor of a fancy cocktail without all the adult content. Crowd-pleasures include fizzy beverages (carbonated water goes far!), juices, especially tropical or exotic juices, custom shaped-and flavored ice cubes, fizzing or popping candy for the rim, and candy to float. For an icy fun fest, our snow cone machine makes perfect little cones to eat on their own or float over another beverage for color and flavor.
For a great party your child will remember for years to come, work with a professional party planner in NJ!

One of our favorite things to do as party planners in New Jersey is to come up with themed ideas and help party planners to coordinate the tiny details to match. After all, some of the most exciting parts of parties can be planning them and finding ways to give guests a good time at a child’s party. To start, we suggest you build excitement with a DIY party invitation that will set the mood for your whole event.

Make it Real
Everyone is doing digital invitations these days. They’re cheap, easy, and convenient. But are they really as magical as receiving an invitation in the mail? For a throwback twist on invitation, make this one something tangible—a card, note, or even a small gift can be the source of your next party invitation!

Theme it to Match
Are you planning a princess party for your little princess? An action-filled superhero event for your next evil-fighter? Something based on your child’s favorite video game, which you may not even quite understand? No matter what it is, make your party invitation match! A glittery invitation, a message from the commander requesting assistance on a mission, or a treasure chest from your child’s favorite game will let the guests know the theme and get them excited!

Important Information
Invitations should be fun, but they also need to serve a purpose. Here are the most important things to include on your invitation:
• Date
• Start AND end times
• Should guests bring a gift?
• Will food be served? When and what will be served?
• Do guests need to bring anything else (swimsuit, sleeping bag, etc.)
• Parent contact numbers
Are you ready to start planning an exciting party for your child? Parties for Peanuts has helped prepare birthday parties, holiday gatherings, special celebrations, and more! If you want to hire a custom character, rent a snow cone machine, or otherwise plan a great kids’ party in New Jersey, don’t wait—call us today to see what we have to offer!