First Holy Communion is a wonderful celebration for any child, it only happens once and will always be remembered.
The church ceremony is usually reserved for immediate family, grandparents and godparents, but a First Holy Communion party at home afterwards is a great way to include extended family and friends.
Remember that you have to try and keep both kids and adults happy and that’s a tricky one. Planning is key to keeping costs and parental stress levels to a minimum, so here’s our top tips to ensure everyone gets to enjoy the day.
Start Communion party planning early
As soon as you have your date, you should start your planning, particularly if there are a lot of children making First Holy Communion on the same day in your area. Also, if you decide to use outside caterers, these will need to be booked well in advance.
A check-list and budget are vital, here’s what to include:
- Number of guests
- Catering – buffet or sit-down meal?
- Invitations
- Decorations
- Entertainment and activities
- Photography
Budgeting is key to all the above decisions. Putting yourself under financial pressure is not necessary, as this is an event that must cater for all ages – everyone should have a day to enjoy and remember.
Communion party food
Find a caterer that suit your needs and tastes. Confirm exact numbers with guests and keep the catering company updated about the party size.
A buffet-style spread is often the most popular choice as it offers guests a variety of dishes to suit all tastes. If you get the caterer to supply the main dishes, you can bulk up the offering with some homemade desserts and cakes to add a personal touch. You could ask family or friends to bring desserts/salads.
If serving hot food, hiring in chafing dishes or a bain marie might be worthwhile.
Setting up
Make sure you have a sufficient number of tables, chairs, cutlery and linen ready in advance of the party.
It may be heading into summer, but the weather is not always nice! It might be an idea to have a gazebo or covered area for people, if they will not all fit comfortably in your house – just in case the weather turns bad.
Ask for help and do as much as you can before the day. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend to come to the house while you are at the church to help get the food set up. You will have your hands full getting yourself and your child ready in the morning.
Tableware and decorations
If you are just having close family and a buffet, disposable tableware and glassware might be the way to go. However, if your numbers are bigger and you want a sit-down meal, or just a more elegant feel to your buffet, you can hire in everything. It’s a great option; from the cutlery and crockery to table linen and glassware – there’s no clean up!
As for stress-free decorating, banners and balloons are the easiest option – but remember to buy a balloon pump.
Entertainment
The usual option for activities is a bouncy castle. However, this has been a bit overdone in recent years, plus it encourages a total separation of kids and adults.
Garden games are a good alternative option. Toss a can, pick-up sticks, lawn darts, giant Jenga, snakes & ladders and more. This allows children and adults to have fun together and helps create great memories.
A pinata can be great fun and will keep the children and adults happy. Enjoy the party – it’s a special day for you too!
At National Event Hire, we have decades of experience supplying furniture, crockery, cutlery, kitchen equipment and linen to Communion parties. Remove the stress and hassle and contact National Event Hire. We organise delivery and collection as well as doing the wash up afterwards.
If you require help with planning your party, feel free to call us free phone on 1800 759 759, email us at info@neh.ie, or click HERE
