How to Plan the Menu for Your Party + Pretty Printable Menu Planner

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Want to be organized when choosing a menu for your party? Super! Here’s a printable menu template that’ll help you simplify your party planning.

There’s always so much to do when you’re planning to throw a party or even when you want to have a small dinner party and invite some friends or family over. So I hope that this week’s gift – the printable menu template – will help you. 

You can use it to plan and create the menu for the party.

I hope you like it!

The printable party menu planner has different sections/categories for each dish/foods you’ll be serving. 

The categories are:

• Appetizers
• Soup & Salad
• Bread
• Main Course
• Sides
• Desserts
• Cheese Platter
• Beverages
• Treats and Snacks

The printable menu planner comes in 3 different colors: 

• ocean green/blue
• light lilac
• black&white.

And this is how they look like…

How to use the printable party menu planner

There are two ways you can use the printable:

1. To draft and plan your menu

The first way is to use it to brainstorm, plan and create the menu for the party.

Tip! After your party, you can also keep these printables in your home management binder and when you’ll have another party coming up you can check what you served before, what was a hit and create the next menu according to that.

2. To use it as the menu

The other way you can use the printable is to use it as a menu to show your guests what you’re serving them. 

There are two ways to do that:

1. You can print it as a US letter, write down the menu and place the menu on the table or close to it so that your guests can see which dishes and treats you’ll be serving them.

2. You can resize the printable when you’re printing it to make it a bit smaller and then cut the excess paper. Then after you’ve written everything down on the printable, you can place the smaller menus on each table where people are sitting or on the buffet table.

Extra tips and questions that’ll help you with your party menu planning

Here are a few tips and questions that’ll help you with your party menu planning:

Tips for planning the food and dishes

• What’s your budget for the food?
• Do you have a theme for the food?
• Is there going to be different food for adults and kids?
• Is the food going to be eaten sitting down at the table or standing?
• Do you have enough plates?
• Are you going to use “real” plates or paper/plastic?
• Are you going to use plastic forks and knives?
• Do you have enough utensils if you don’t use disposable ones?
• Do you need to consider options for dietary restrictions?
• Will you make the food yourself or order/use catering service?
• If you make yourself, what can you prepare beforehand and what do you make just before the party?
• Important: make sure you have the confirmations from your guests so you know how much food you need to prepare / order.

Tips for planning the drinks

• What’s your budget for the drinks?
• What kind of drinks will you be serving?
• Is there going to be alcohol?
• Are you going to make a punch?
• Are you going to use glass or plastic?
• Do you have enough glasses, or do you need to buy or borrow some?
• Do you have room to store the ice?
• When will you get the ice?
• And how will you be serving the ice so that it doesn’t melt immediately?
• How will you be serving the drinks or is it self-service?
• How will you keep the drinks cold if it’s an outdoors party?

Tips for shopping the food and drinks for your party

• When will you buy all the different ingredients if you cook yourself? 
• When do you need to get or order the food?
• When will you go buy the drinks? And where?
• When will you get the ice? And where?
• Is there something you could do or buy way in advance?
• Important: Make sure you won’t do too much shopping before you have the confirmations from your guests.

How to print The printable menu template (in 3 different colors):

You can download these printables by clicking the download links under the images. These are printable gifts so please feel free to print out as many as you need for your personal use.

DOWNLOAD: Menu planner (GREEN, BLACK & WHITE and LILAC)

© SaturdayGift Ltd. For personal use only, not to be copied, distributed, altered or sold.

DOWNLOAD: Menu planner (GREEN, BLACK & WHITE and LILAC)

© SaturdayGift Ltd. For personal use only, not to be copied, distributed, altered or sold.

DOWNLOAD: Menu planner (GREEN, BLACK & WHITE and LILAC)

© SaturdayGift Ltd. For personal use only, not to be copied, distributed, altered or sold.

Tip! I’ve noticed that the printable looks better when it’s first saved to your computer and then printed from there. That way you can choose the printer settings you like to have.

Next steps: grab the other party planning printables

When you’re planning a party, you’ll need to think about so many things… Like the date, time, budget, location, theme, guest list, invitations, decorations, activities, music…. well, it’s a long list!.

And that’s why I created the party planning printable series called simplify your party planning.

I want to help you to simplify your party planning, to stay organized, stress-free, and on top of things, and to throw an amazingly fun and successful party!

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