Bring-A-Plate Party- Etiquettes

Happiness is when you gather with your friends and family for a meal cooked by each one of them. Known as a 'Bring-A –Plate' party! - Oh no, it doesn't mean you turn up with an empty plate, you need to load the plate with some mouth-watering dishes. Another very popular term for it is a ‘Potluck Party’, a very famous tradition in villages and countryside but is slowly making its way into cities. Everybody brings one dish to share with all the attendees of a potluck party, and you end up with a feast.  It is a good way to connect with your close ones without burdening one poor soul. December’s wintery breath, holiday festive mood & close ones by your side is a good setting to organize & enjoy potluck parties.  And, to make your potluck party a success, we bring to you simple party etiquettes – 

Be an organized host-

·         If you are hosting a potluck party, provide the party essentials if you are offering the venue as well. Ensure that you serve glasses, plates, napkins, spoons etc to the guests to avoid a messy and confused party. Let the guests be comfortable and enjoy each moment with enough time to bond with everyone.

Don’t be indifferent-

·         Always consider the dietary constraints of all your guests before you pick a dish to bring to the potluck party. It is not required to identify who has what nutritional restrictions; you could simply just list down the guidelines you would like people to follow; e.g., ‘no walnuts’ or ‘no fish?’ because people might be allergic to certain ingredients.

Be generous-

·         Ensure that you make enough food to suffice for all the guests. As a guest, ensure that you try each dish that is bought at the party by the guests & compliment them for their efforts. Be the one who helps the host who has donated their backyard or home for hosting the party. Offer up help for the host in case they get overwhelmed arranging the house & various requirements for the guests, don’t wait for them to have to request you for help

Don’t be lazy-

An easily available dish is not what something people at a potluck party want to eat. Potluck parties are all about variety in dishes and obviously food that has a memorable taste. But tasty dishes don’t mean you load the ones that are easy to prepare or your regular meal. Try dishes that are your specialty, that you are confident will be a treat for everyone’s taste buds & see if you could bring out a new favorite.

So the next time if you organize a potluck party, don’t forget to give this a read. Some set ground rules can make your party easily the most liked party! So, what are you waiting for? Before the year ends, go wing-ding & have a great time!

Kick-start 2018 with Hot Party Trends

A new year means a new set of cool, happening & upbeat party trends. Yes yes, we know everyone has their own preset party ideas jotted down which they wish to execute for their special occasion. But now, with the ever-increasing demands of latest party trends that are capable of making serious waves, it is time to shift from the usual ideas to something unique each time to leave your guests in amusement as well as put your money to worthy trends. We bring to you some trends that are invariably going to create a thrill amongst your guests & make your 2018 & years after memorable.

Statement Balloons

Instead of exhausting the on-going ideas of balloon bouquets, balloon arches, filling the room with tons of balloons, this year let’s spell out words & phrases with trendy statement balloons. You can also use letters & numbers script balloons for your fabulous backdrops or photo areas, especially to mark anniversaries and birthdays. They are available in different colors but rose gold & silver foiling stand out the most. These statement balloons can make your party a statement party.

Unique Themes

Nowadays people crave for creativity - the usual character theme birthday parties or simple banquet weddings are considered outdated. Unique themes for various occasions are dominating now. People shy away from organizing pun theme parties but they tend to be a huge success. Parties that highlight one's passions & center around interests like sports, dance, baking are also good options for unique theme parties.

Laser Cut Signage

The trend for gorgeous laser cut signages is growing quickly & is certainly going to stick around for a while to come. These serve as a good element, especially for wedding industry & can be incorporated for different kind of occasions such as cake toppers, drink stirrers, photo booth, placards, table tops, fancy backdrops & many more. They can be used more than once for different occasions because they are high on quality and worth your money.

Technology

The world is going digital; people have started speaking in the social media language. Technology is no longer restricted for the corporates; it has started reaching the event planning industry and can be incorporated into various celebrations. From live-streaming an event to event hashtags on a photo-booth, technology is ruling the event industry. Can you imagine how awesome your party would be with drones over your weddings or any occasion to capture impossibly cool photos and videos?

Isn’t all of this fascinating? Grab some of these ideas for your next event and make it a memorable event for a lifetime.  But wondering who will execute it? Keep your worries away because Clappily is your one-stop party planner platform which exists only to make your party a success and fulfill all your party requirements. If you are planning to throw a party, you can get in touch will all the right vendors on Clappily and we promise you won’t be disappointed. If you are one of the few people who hasn't downloaded the app yet, what are you waiting for? Pick up your phone and download it right away! Happy Clappily to you!

ESSENTIALS FOR A PARTY

Let me narrate you a situation- it’s your engagement ceremony, you are rushing off your feet to get hold of the tasks & organize a stress-free function. Right from hooks & hammers to ribbons & wrappings, you make a list of each and every element for months & days. The D-day has arrived; you are almost ready to leave your guests in reverence with your arrangements. You are basking in the glory of love and waiting eagerly for the rings to exchange. You arrive at the venue and witness that the finishing touches are still going on for the backdrop, your return favors are not arranged, the cake has not been delivered, and the number of chairs for the guests is less. Not an ideal situation, right?

Your special occasions need your special attention but it also means you cannot execute everything by yourself. You need to focus on yourself and attending your guests. They say somethings are best left to the experts and that is where Clappily comes into the picture.  We ensure all the prerequisites for the party to be executed professionally without any folly. With Clappily the following essentials for a successful party will be covered with great ease. Use this party planning checklist to guide you through the details:

• Plan your Fancy Décor

It is imperative to make a list of equipment needed like rental chairs and tables even for a most close-knit celebration. Ensuring to follow the theme of the event, curating suitable backdrop as per the theme, seating arrangements, curating centerpieces & arranging tables are primary responsibilities of a décor expert. We tend to miss out on a lot of elements if we try to execute it by ourselves. In this case, a décor planner is needed to plan each aspect effortlessly. Clappily has collaborated with many such vendors with expertise in their field for more than 10-20 years.

• Plan Music

Good music uplifts the mood of any occasion. It is important to bond with others and make the evening memorable. One needs to ensure to play apt music for different kind of events. Clappily provides some of the best DJs in town with knowledge about music along with technicalities in order to avoid any kind of embarrassment.

• Plan Lighting

Yellow lights look good for an evening or a night function. Multicolored LED lights at the backdrop can change the façade of your décor. With Clappily you will never fall short of light vendors who will help you with suitable lighting for your event and ideas to illuminate the venue.

• Plan your Sweet Treats

Any occasion is incomplete without sweets. Sweets have the capability to invoke the kid in you. You would always love to cheat on your perfect diet when you see a table with fancy & delicious sweets. Clappily has some of the best cake artists and vendors who make cupcakes, tea time cakes, brownies, cake pops and various other popular sweet delicacies. So what are you waiting for? Wouldn’t you want to drool over some of these treats?

• Plan your Food & Drinks

One of the perfect ways to impress your guests is a tall glass of refreshing drink and a huge portion of varied cuisines. Planning the menu can be quite stressful; taking into account the choice of hundreds of people is not an easy task. Different occasions require a different type of menu, not every time we can go ahead with the most popular dishes. Why stress over it, when caterers can take that stress off your mind. Clappily has catering vendors who know their job and never fail to make your guests lick their fingers and drool over the tasty food.

Clappily is your one-stop party planner platform which exists only to make your party a success and fulfill all your party requirements. If you are planning to celebrate your special day, you can get in touch will all the right vendors on Clappily and we promise you won’t be disappointed. If you are one of the few people who hasn't downloaded the app yet, what are you waiting for? Pick up your phone and download it right away! Happy Clappily to you!

Best Décor Ideas for a Party

Everyone desires for that one perfect evening in their life where they can flaunt and leave their guests in reverence. To make your party extraordinary and flawless it invariably calls for unending tasks and responsibilities. Planning the décor, finalizing on the menu, sending out invites, picking out gifts and many more tasks can leave you all puzzled. Why stress yourself so much when Clappily is here to take the boulder off your shoulder. The best party decorations can change any party into a bona fide bash. Clappily has bought some party décor ideas for you. Take a look & get inspired for your next soiree!

Colorful HoneyComb Decoration

Make a statement with a colorful collection of honeycombs. Honeycomb balls or lantern is a great traditional hanging decoration for your house party, birthday party, or event space. It almost gives out an amusing, whimsical and child-like feel when used as an event prop.

Elegant Centerpieces Decoration

Pull out the wow- worthy table decoration in your party with funky, classy, elegant centerpieces. A shimmer golden centerpiece would suit best for a New Year Eve celebration. A bunch of colorful pinwheel lollipops stands cheerfully for kid’s birthday celebration. A Sunday brunch party could call for a splash of sunshine with a vibrant combination of orchards and oranges.

Fancy Balloon Decoration

Be it a stunning balloon garland for weddings & engagements, super-shaped golden foil balloons bachelorette/spinster party or fancy balloon arch’s for birthday parties, every balloon decoration has the capability to make you go gaga & bring a wide smile on your face. Balloon decorations are the safest option, in case, you miss out on other party elements, you can easily fill the room with loads of colorful and customized balloons.

Gorgeous Mini Floral Decoration

Everyone loves to have arrangement fresh flowers when they have guests over. It is the easiest way to bring the outdoors in and make things seem fresh. And not to forget, mini floral decorations are gorgeous. Make your backyard summer party, engagement party or anniversaries a complete bliss by adding these inspirations. 

Clappily is your one-stop party planner platform which exists only to make your party a success and fulfill all your party requirements. If you are planning to throw a splendid party for your various occasions, you can get in touch will all the right vendors on Clappily and we promise you won’t be disappointed. If you are one of the few people who hasn't downloaded the app yet, what are you waiting for? Pick up your phone and download it right away! Happy Clappily to you!

How to rock your birthday week with Clappily

Wear that crown, flaunt that sash and walk around like a princess!

Put on that coat, polish your shoes flow those drinks and walk around like a king!

Why? Oh! Come on because it is your birthday!

Birthday is one of the most memorable days in everyone’s life & early birthday surprises would be like a cherry on the cake. Celebrating a birthday week is in trend these days and why not? With the ever increasing opportunities to celebrate, people want to make the most of their special week. But do you wonder how to make all of this come to life? Leave all your worries at the bay because to make your birthday week a success Clappily is at your fingertips.

Wake up & get surprised

With the advent of novel theme parties, fancy props and backdrop concepts and accessibility to these ideas through various social media sites; it has become extremely easy to plan birthday parties. But have you given a thought about the tedious process that goes into planning a party? A picture will make things look dreamy but when it comes to planning & executing the event, it turns out to be a nightmare. Spare yourself these hassles and book yourself a decorator through the Clappily app, they will not only ease out the process but also make you go WOW!

Prepared to get served the best

We have all learned from Joey that never share your food and abiding by that rule it is a crime to fall short on food on your birthday! But how will you decide on the type of cuisines and how much to order for a particular number of people? The easiest way out is to register with Clappily and hire caterers. Clappily has tied up with some of the best caterers in the town who specialize in customized food and drinks.

Say Yes to Cake

Can you imagine a birthday without a scrumptious cake? We are sure the answer is a big fat NO! Whether you want to experience a customized cake, a variety of flavors or play with the design of the cake. Clappily is here to understand your requirement and deliver the best. We have some of the best cake artists that will leave you awestruck. So, blow the candles, dig into the gooey cake, relish on every bite and make your birthday worthwhile!

 Open it with a smile

Let people remember you as a good host with a good choice. Bid your guest adieu with some cute, fancy and utility favors. Download the Clappily app and meet some amazing gift vendors. They will help you customize your gifts & provide you with unique gifting options that will leave your guests impressed.

Hop on for some fun

With all the other requisites to make your birthday a success, it is important to entertain your guests and add that spark before your party turns dull & boring. With Clappily you will never fall short of entertainment artists to engage your tribe. Clappily has collaborated with various artists like anchors, comedians, singers and tattoo artists. So, laugh, jump, dance and get the party rolling!

Clappily is your one-stop party planner platform which exists only to make your party a success and fulfill all your party requirements. If you are planning to throw a birthday party or celebrate your entire birthday week, you can get in touch will all the right vendors on Clappily and we promise you won’t be disappointed. If you are one of the few people who hasn't downloaded the app yet, what are you waiting for? Pick up your phone and download it right away! Happy Clappily to you!

How to plan the perfect Children’s day party!

 14^th November is just around the corner and many kids are looking forward to celebrate Children’s day in India. Children’s day is a day that is celebrated only in India as a tribute to the first Prime Minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru. He was fondly called as ‘Chacha Nehru’ by the kids and he strongly encouraged in the welfare of children all around the country.
There are a lot of people who arrange for a special party or an event on this occasion. If you are one of those people who wants to plan a party for Children’s day, then here are a few things you should pay attention to:

• Children love decorations!

Now, as a grown up, we might believe that we do not need elaborate decorations for a party but you need to understand that children love funky decorations! The decorations for the party is just as important as any other aspect. Also, remember that kids love theme parties more than anything else in this world. The joy of seeing your kid getting dressed up for a costume party cannot be put down in words! So, make sure that the decorations for the party are elaborate!

• Children love junk food!

Another important point to remember when you are planning a party for the children is that they love to eat, especially junk food. So, if you are thinking about including something healthy in the menu, be prepared because only a handful of children will eat it – that too because their parents force them too! Since you want the children to have a good time at the party, make sure that everything that you plan is from a child’s perspective.

• Children love to play! 

Children can be a handful – we know it and we are not shying away from that fact. So, the best way to make sure that the children do not create havoc at the party is by entertaining them. There are so many ways in which you can make sure that the children are all gathered in one place as well as they are not making a mess. One of the ways is be entertaining them. You can plan to play a few games during the party or simply hire someone who will do all of it for you. Comedians and magicians are people who are well-versed with keeping the kids entertained and engaged.

  

Childhood is the most important and memorable time in a person’s life. And parties like these are what makes it more interesting. But we understand that planning the perfect party can be a difficult task, more so if it is for kids. That is why we have made it easier for you to plan any event! Clappily is your one stop party planner app. By using the app, you can plan for any party or event on the go! Download the app now and get a discount of up to 30% on selected products. 

Important things to consider when hiring a photographer!

Imagine this – you are going through your cupboard and suddenly come across an album of pictures from a party that happened a few years ago. While browsing through this album and reminiscing about the all the old memories and the fun that you had at the party, you realize how the images that you clicked aren’t as good enough as you thought they would be.

With time, we have started realizing the importance of clicking good pictures and why it is important to hire a professional photographer for any event. So, here are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you hire a photographer for any of your events:

• Homework is important!

Before you hire a photographer, make sure that you do a proper research and know what kind of photographs you want. Just by deciding this, you will be a step closer to finalizing the photographer you want. This will also help you when you have to communicate about the same with your photographer.

Picture courtesy: Mayur Bhanage Photography (Facebook) 

• Style matters!

Every photographer or team of photographers have their own style and no two photographers can think in the same way. You need to take a look at the past work of the people whom you will be potentially hiring to capture the most memorable moments of your life. Make sure that the person or team that you hire blends well with your style.

Picture Courtesy: Dream Diaries (Facebook)

• Set up interviews with potential photographers.

Once you have finalized on a few photographers, set up interviews with each one of them just to get a better idea about their work. During the interview, review their work and them in general. Since you will be paying for the photographs, make sure that you are hiring someone that you actually like. This line up of interviews will also help you review and compare the quotations of various photographers.

Picture Courtesy: Mayur Bhanage Photography (Facebook)

• Finalize your shooter(s)!

If you are opting for a photography studio, understand that they have a lot of photographers on board. So, to avoid any surprises at the last moment, make sure that you tell the photo studio which photographer or team of photographers you want. For this, you will have to do a couple of test shots with each photographer.

Picture Courtesy: RNathan Photography

• Be clear about the post production details!

Photographers are busy people as they have shoots lined months in advance. So, it is possible that they forget to deliver your photos on time. Therefore, you need to set a date of delivery for all the photos and follow up with your photographer on a regular basis.

Picture Courtesy: Mayur Bhanage Photography (Facebook)

Aforementioned are the most important things that you need to keep in mind when you are hiring a photographer. We, at Clappily, understand the importance of capturing all the right moments. This is why we have registered all the best photographers on our platform. 

Tips on planning the perfect Halloween party!

Halloween is an extremely popular festival abroad but slowly and steadily even Indians have started to celebrate and enjoy this festival. If you are a newbie or if you don’t know what Halloween is then let us shed some light in the topic. Halloween is celebrated on the evening of 31^st October and the festival’s history can be dated as far back as the ancient religion of the Celtic tribes. Although, in India the festival is celebrated more like a costume party.

This festival is not just meant for kids but for adults as well. If you are a newbie at throwing a costume party then it might be a bit difficult get your hands on all the right resources and to plan the party without any glitches. So, we took it upon ourselves and decided to make your lives a bit simpler – at least when it comes to throwing a party. Here are a few tips that you can keep in mind when you are planning a Halloween party:

• Costume and make up:

One of the most important things to remember while throwing a theme party is obviously a costume! Since Halloween is full of scary things, you can dress up as ghosts or witches or opt for something funny like a bunny costume! If you are looking to rent costumes, Clappily can help you with that. We have registered costume vendors who can help you with a variety of costumes. Another thing associated with costumes is face make up. Clappily has a lot of professional artists who can help you with your Halloween make up.

• Decoration:

Halloween party calls for creepy lights, bathtubs filled with fake blood, cobwebs everywhere and eerie smoke everywhere. Being a newbie at planning a theme party, it will be difficult for you to arrange for all of these things yourself. Instead what you could do is look for decorators on Clappily and hire one of them! 

• Food:

Like we always say, no party is complete without food. So how can we leave this one out from the list? Since everything else in the party is customized for Halloween, why leave out food? Clappily has tied up with a lot of caterers who specialize in customized food and drinks. You can order for something like spider shaped cookies or bloody drinks. 

• Music:

Other than food, music is the only other thing that can keep people engaged during a party. Having a good playlist at the party is just as important as any of the other things mentioned on this list. Did you know that Clappily has a vast list of DJs who can help you with your playlist and take this tension off your hands as well?

By now you must have got the idea that Clappily is a one stop party planner platform where you will be able to find all your party needs. So, if you are planning to throw any party, may it be a theme party or a birthday party or even a Halloween party, you can get in touch will all the right vendors on Clappily! If you are one of the few people who haven’t downloaded the app yet, what are you waiting for? Pick up your phone and download it right away!

How to make your party stand out with Clappily!

Hosting the perfect house party can be quiet a task as you need to stay on top of things all the time so as to make sure that things don’t fall apart. If your party is executed properly, it can be the talk of the town for the next few weeks at least. Having helped in planning a few parties ourselves, today we are sharing a few tips to ensure that your party turns into the ultimate party that everyone wants to attend!

• Take professional help to plan the event right.

Planning an event can take up a lot of time and efforts. You need to find all the right vendors and that itself might take a lot of time. It might take even more time if you have a budget to stick to. So instead of doing all that yourself, you can easily hire an event planner and let them handle all of this. Since they are pros at party planning, they will get the same work done extremely easily. Want to have a theme party? An event planner will be able to get it done in a jiffy!

• Give proper thought to the food situation!

The first thought that pops up in everyone’s mind when they hear a party is food. Understand the food preferences of your guests and decide the menu accordingly. It is likely that your guest list may include people who are vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian. Make sure both the parties are being catered to. After all, you don’t want even a single person from your guest list to whine the entire duration of the party, do you?

• A good playlist will go a long way.

The playlist is one of the most crucial things that you need to look into while planning a party. The playlist that you choose will set the mood for the evening. But being the host and being the DJ at the party isn’t really a wise thing as you’ll have to juggle your time between talking to people and changing the songs every few minutes. So, the most sensible option in such a situation is to hire a DJ and tell him what kind of an ambience you want to create at the party. 

• Give your party a personalized touch.

Even if you are hiring someone to execute your party, you can still take control of minute details and ensure a personalized touch. It is, after all, your party & the ultimate control lies with you alone – as it is you who will be judged & remembered for the various aspects of the party, you’d want to ensure it’s as special as possible. Ask your event planner to connect with a prop seller who can customize props for your party. This will ensure that your party is as memorable as possible. 

The Clappily customer app has made it party planning extremely easy. You can find almost everything right at the tips of your fingers. Right from booking a DJ to hiring the best event planners in town, Clappily is your one stop party planning app. So, what are you waiting for? Download the app now and throw the best party in town. 

Be party ready with Clappily!

Indians celebrate Diwali with a lot of pomp and fanfare. It is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil. Many Indians invite their relative and friends into their homes and host house parties. A lot of preparations goes into the planning of a Diwali party. Amongst other things, decorations for Diwali is something that people pay attention to. So here is a list of décor ideas that you can try at your home this Diwali:

• Get creative with flowers

Beautiful and attractive flowers can change the look of any place within minutes. Also, they are very cost-effective as compared to other décor ideas. Hanging a bunch of flowers separated by some distance will make even a dull wall look beautiful.

• Theme parties

It is not a rule that you have to stick by the same thing year after year. And since you are the one hosting the party, you have the liberty to use your creativity. There are so many different themes that you can choose for your party like a Bollywood theme party or even a color-coded theme party, you are your own boss. So, have a field day with deciding the theme of the party. The décor of the party can be decided according to the theme of the party.

• Rangolis:

A lot of people celebrate Diwali by making Rangolis in their front door. There are various types of Rangolis that you can opt for like color Rangoli, flower Rangoli, etc. You can even add diyas to light up your Rangolis.

• Light it up!

Diwali is also known as the festival of lights. The word lights in itself is such a broad classification that you can come up with more than 1000 different ideas for the décor if you put your mind to it. One of the simplest décor ideas is to hang up fairy light in the places that you want to highlight.

• Floating diyas:

Floating diyas or the Chinese diyas have become popular in the past couple of years. You can simply put these diyas in a bowl of water and even add a few flowers to make it more attractive.

All of these are just a few ideas that you can implement. But the best way to arrange a party is by hiring a decorator. Why? You ask. Because they are the best! They will take over the event planning and pay attention to the smallest of details, as if their lives depend on it. Also, you will be dealing with someone who has experience in this field so they know what they are doing and they will take work right off your hands. Event decorators know about the best places and the right vendor for any event. Over the years, they develop a dedicated list of vendors who will even give you a discount.

Looking to hire an event decorator for your Diwali party? Then you have come to the right place. With the launch of the Clappily customer app, planning for your Diwali party has become easier than before. All you have to do is download the app and hire the best event decorator in town from the platform. And that’s it! You can be sure that your party is going to be a big hit.