Is your child making their First Holy Communion this year? Here are tips for planning a stress-free Communion party at home, and some ideas to help make planning your party just that little bit easier!
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Making their First Holy Communion is a wonderful celebration for your child. It only happens once and will always be remembered.
While the church ceremony is usually reserved for immediate family, grandparents and godparents, a First Holy Communion party at home afterwards is a great way to include your extended family and friends in this special day.
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Take some inspiration from these easy communion cakes that are sure to wow your guests!
How to Throw a Communion Party at Home
Start 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. All the different suppliers, from caterers to bouncy castles, will book up months in advance so make a list and set a budget so you can start your planning early.
We have a FREE communion party checklist you can download to get you started, but some first items to consider and budget for would include:
- Number of guests – close family or a bigger event with friends, family and classmates?
- Catering – buffet or sit down meal? Will you cook or get the communion party catered?
- Invitations
- Decorations
- Entertainment and activities
- Photography
- Communion party favours
Budgeting is key to all the above decisions, and this list doesn’t take into account the Communion dress/outfit, shoes, hair, etc. Putting yourself under financial pressure is not necessary when the objective is giving your child and family a day to remember.
Don’t forget – this will be an event that must cater for all ages, so make sure you take that into account for food and entertainment.
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The Food
Once you have a guest list and know how many people you are catering for, you can start to think about the food. If you are getting caterers or buying in the food, ask friends for recommendations and book early, so you can relax and enjoy the day.
If you are a confident cook and want to cater the event yourself, keep it simple. Ask for help and do as much as you can before the day. You could ask family or friends to bring desserts/salads. If you have a slow cooker, consider something that would feed a crowd and is easily served – remember, you don’t want anything too finicky or time-consuming when it comes to serving everyone, as you want to enjoy your time with friends and family too.
Top tip – ask a friend or family member to come to your home in the morning while you are at the church. They can help get the food heated or set up, as you will have your hands full getting yourself and your child ready during the morning. There is often a tea and coffee reception in the church or school afterwards, photos to be taken, and so on – you don’t want to be stressed and distracted, or feel like you’re running late.
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The Communion Cake
If your child is making their First Holy Communion this year, you will definitely be interested in our ideas for the party’s centrepiece – the cake.
And if you’re making the cake yourself, you will also appreciate that our suggestions for homemade communion cakes are completely achievable for even a beginner baker!
Tableware & Decorations
Themed Communion tableware, including plates, cups and cutlery can be bought from party supply stores. Or, you could look to hire crockery and glassware (as well as tables and chairs, if needed) from a catering supplier.
Balloons and banners are usually the easiest option for Communion party decorations.
Entertainment
The usual option for activities at a communion party is a bouncy castle, however you may have budget or space restrictions, or find that bouncy castles are all booked up in your area. It also encourages a total separation of kids and adults, so you may find that garden games are a good alternative option.
Toss a can, japlonk, pick-up sticks, lawn darts, compendium of games, giant Jenga, snakes and ladders, and more can either be bought, made or rented easily. Similarly, you could look at setting up an obstacle course, playing some bouncy trampoline games, or any of these fun tween party games to keep everyone entertained.
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Take some inspiration from these stunning First Communion hairstyles that range from simple and classic to wondrous up-dos!
Back Up Plans for Wet Weather!
Communion season may be the start of summer, but the weather is not always kind! Look at your guest list – can you realistically have that number if everyone has to be inside due to rain? It is a good idea, if you have the space, to have a Gazebo or covered area for people to stand under – just in case.
Similarly, we found that booking a bouncy castle with a tarp roof meant that kids could still use it (and avoid the devastation that would happen if you said ‘no’ due to rain!).
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Have Some Fun!
Remember, this is a special day for you too, so make sure you keep things simple so you can enjoy the party!
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What do you have planned for your Communion party at home? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
About the Author: jenniferb
