After the ceremony, it\u2019s become something of a tradition to host a party to celebrate the occasion. Planning events like this can often become stressful and, increasingly, our customers describe Communion preparations ‘like organising mini weddings’! To make the process easier, we\u2019ve outlined a few simple planning steps below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Planning a First Communion Party<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We’ve broken down the planning for the communion party into 9 steps. In each step, you’ll find some relevant tips and advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As always, the golden rule is to start early! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Confirm the Time and Date of the Event<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At the time of publication of this article, First Communions are still being organised by primary schools<\/a> in conjunction with local parishes. This process is expected to change in the near future although it might take some time for the new process to be fully implemented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the moment, the schools will inform you of the date and time of the first communion. Most often it will be on a Saturday or Sunday in May or early June. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as you get the date, start planning! Communions almost universally happen on the same few dates which means everyone is going to be hosting their party at the same time. This makes booking venues and entertainment difficult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The sooner you start the more options you\u2019ll have! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro-tip<\/strong>: If you\u2019re starting your planning late for a Saturday Communion (which tends to be the majority), why not host your party on the Sunday, the following day? It may make it easier to find availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make a list of everyone you want to invite for the occasion.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Churches tend to have limited seating so the religious ceremony is often restricted to close family. For that reason, hosting a party afterwards is the perfect way to include your extended family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re also going to want to invite the close friends of the Communion child. Just remember that most of his or her school friends are likely to be busy with their own Communions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro-tip<\/strong>: If you\u2019re hoping to stick to a tight budget, keep the guest list small. It\u2019s one of the main determining factors. You can also check out this article by the independent for hosting a communion party on a budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t have space at home, or if you\u2019re planning to invite a large number of family and friends, you\u2019ll want to book a venue for the day. Choose between independent function rooms in such places as church halls or community centres, or opt for a room in a restaurant, hotel, pub or club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check your local area to see what\u2019s available. It\u2019s\nimportant to take into account the travel time from the church to the venue.\nYou don\u2019t want to be rushing around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Independent function rooms like community halls tend to be inexpensive but require a bit more leg work from the planner. The main thing is to make sure they have the required tables and chairs for your event. Everything else you can bring with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Restaurants, hotels, pubs and clubs, on the other hand, may or may not charge for the room but you\u2019ll generally need to order the food and drink through them. It can be more expensive but it also makes life easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re planning to host the event outside, have a back-up plan\u2026. Even though the party is technically in Spring \/ early Summer, we still live in Ireland! <\/p>\n\n\n\n The key, when it comes to booking entertainment, is making sure that it\u2019s appropriate for the age group. You can view some tips for hiring a great kid’s entertainer<\/a>s in our separate article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the entertainment that\u2019s most commonly booked at a\ncommunion party is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Magic shows are great because they appeal to a broad age\ngroup. There are three main options to choose from: <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re based in Ireland, you can book a magician directly through PartyWizz<\/a> to come and entertain your guests at your First Communion Party. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your younger guests enjoy dancing, booking a disco is a great option. The entertainer often offers a combination of activities which might include musical games, dance challenges and Karaoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These discos can last anywhere from 1 – 4 hours. It all depends on your schedule and how much energy you have! <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re based in Ireland, you can book a disco party online<\/a> for a communion party directly through PartyWizz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bouncy Castles are always popular with kids. Most often, you rent them for the day; You just need to have enough space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re booking a Bouncy Castle<\/a> through PartyWizz, you’ll find the space requirements listed on the profiles of the entertainment provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro-tip<\/strong>: As the children will most likely be wearing nice clothes, make sure the bouncy castle games are supervised. Bouncing on the castle should be fine but rolling around in the grass afterwards might not be…<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can\u2019t book an entertainer (budget or availability) or if you don\u2019t feel like it, you\u2019ll still want to plan some entertainment for the kids. If you\u2019re looking for some inspiration, check out our favourite party games<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, you can rent lawn games for the day. For example horseshoes, giant chess… Check your local area to see what\u2019s available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro-tip<\/strong>: We can\u2019t state this strongly enough: if you want to book an entertainer, start early! Their diaries fill up incredibly fast at that time of the year. Booking an entertainer 7 months in advance isn\u2019t unusual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want some professional pictures taken, consider hiring a photographer. You probably don\u2019t need them for the full day; just an hour or two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t want to hire a photographer, make sure you choose someone to be in charge of taking the pictures. As the party planner, you\u2019ll be too busy making sure all the guests are happy to also take the pictures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro-tip<\/strong>: Batteries, batteries, batteries! A camera with no power is of no use. Make sure the camera is charged and plan spare batteries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning the food isn\u2019t as urgent as the venue and the\nentertainment. If your event is in a restaurant, you won\u2019t need to worry about\nthis at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first thing is to decide whether you want to have a seated meal or a buffet. The latter requires a lot less planning. You can find some fun and easy ideas in our article about kid\u2019s party food.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, decide whether you want to make the food, buy the food or order the food. This depends entirely on how much you enjoy cooking. Also don\u2019t be afraid to ask your guests to bring something, for example, a desert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, there are a few practical considerations you\u2019ll want to take into account:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decorations you choose will depend a lot on the venue of the party. Flowers, balloons, banners and other party decorations can easily be bought in your desired colours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After that, it\u2019s just a matter of displaying them nicely throughout the venue (or your home). If in doubt, keep it simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on where you live you should be able to find helium to make the balloons float. If you’re planning on blowing up regular balloons, make sure you buy a pump. They’re cheap and they will save you a lot of time and energy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try to set up everything before the ceremony. You don\u2019t want to be chasing time. The only thing that should be left to do is to bring out the food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro-tip<\/strong>: Plan decorations that are easy to take down. If you\u2019re hosting your event in a venue, you will probably be required to take down the decorations after the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a nice touch to have party favours and thank you cards\nto give to your guests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For some inspiration, you can read our article on what to put inside a party bag<\/a>. At PartyWizz, we also sell pre-filled party bags<\/a> that we can ship directly to you. The bags themselves are reusable fabric and they come packed with goodies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last but definitely not least: find someone to help you on\nthe day. Having someone to rely on is a huge plus. Simply ask around to see if a friend would be\nwilling to help you out on the day. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In this article, you’ll learn everything there is to know about planning a First Communion party. The First Holy Communion (The Sacrament of the Eucharist) is a Roman Catholic ceremony. In Ireland, most Catholic children will receive their First Communion when they\u2019re 7 or 8 years old, usually when they’re in second class. After the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2080,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\n2. Plan the Guest List<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Book a Venue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Plan the Entertainment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Magicians<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Disco<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Bouncy Castles<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
DIY Entertainment <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
5. Decide Who\u2019s in Charge of the Pictures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Communion](\"https:\/\/assets.partywizz.com\/blog\/20230313084310\/communion-food.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n6. Plan the Party Food<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Plan the Decorations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Plan Party Favours & Thank You Cards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9. Get Some Help on the Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n