• Draw up a list of your requirements. Tally it with your guest list. If things are simply like the previous ones you can rely with your existing infrastructure. Anything more, size or variety, and you'll have to go in for a fresh look to keep pace with it.
• Remember, do not either over or under estimate your capability. Consider the pros and cons.
• You can always approach suitable companies in your locality for comments and a quotation. And hire their services if the package seems attractive.
• Do the budgeting, before getting really started. For kids and unused ones seeking help is vital at this stage. Learning from the adults and experienced ones is always helpful and a prudent thing to do.
• Finally, well ahead of the time, make a checklist of vital last-minute points to confirm. This may include making a call to check details of orders placed, services commissioned, friends, DJ(s), entertainer(s) who have roles to play, and, of course, guests that may need assistance in some way.
• Always plan for having plenty of alcohol-free drinks: mineral water, soda water, lemonade, tonic, fruit juices. If you find wines unavoidable settle for alcohol free beer and low alcohol wine.

Invitations

Even if you are super organized and extremely confident, you will probably appreciate help at some level when planning the party. 
For birthday parties at home it is probably enough to draw on those about you for any help you need rather than hiring professional assistance. If you do ask friends or relatives for special help, or accept assistance when it is volunteered, it is vital to establish a clear and tactful understanding to avoid any time-wasting, confusion and offence later. 
First make a list of work to be completed, decide exactly what you want to do, and can realistically tackle, yourself, then look at the areas with which you need help. Even if you delegate tasks to the helping hands remember, do not delegate the ultimate responsibility. For, it solely rests on you. 
And yes, if you don't want to involve your household members in the preparations, make sure to enlist their support. This is specially so for the kids and partners who are unused to helping with household tasks. Otherwise things may just turn dreadful. 
Finally, remember to encourage and thank everyone who helps, no matter how minuscule the contribution.

Cleaning

The thoughts of decor and display props up yet another important thing. Cleaning. One of the most important, yet most neglected part, of partying.
Cleaning includes both pre and post party tasks. For a party at home have the house thoroughly spring cleaned beforehand. This may call for a outside specialist to handle if you're not so sure about a home help. 
In any case, fix the day for cleaning about 5 to 7 days before the party. And it is good to freshen up all areas on the day before the party or early on the day.
If you have a regular home help, then warn the person of your party and book time for special preparations, for clearing up afterwards.
If you do not have a regular cleaner, then you may consider using an agency or company which moves in and spring cleans the house on an appointed day. Book a window cleaner shortly before the day of the event.
Remember, for the post clean up job never rely on yourself . For, you'll be too weary to find fresh zeal to take up the clean up job after a blasting B'day bash.

Decor and Display

Allow yourself time to do the decor. Be it doing the flower arrangements, hanging the balloons, or taking up of more complicated projects such as swags of wreaths of flowers and foliage, if you have a fascination about them. 
Lay the table in good time to create a welcoming ambience for the guests.
Make sure to plan the party according to the theme you've thought of. Decor and make a display of things accordingly. Put up streamers, banners and balloons based on the party theme alongside the ones with "Happy Birthday" messages.
For summer fun, fasten beach balls together in groups of three or more using wire or tape or whatever, and hang them wherever you like. 
Giant props are always fun. For the same reason, when things are ten times bigger than they should be, people derive the fun from them.
You can print out characters or images related to your party theme, cut them out, and attach them to the straw hats by making slits at the top and bottom with scissors. Or, tape them to paper cups, place cards, balloons, or banners. You can print out characters or images related to your party theme, cut them out, and attach them. Or you can use stickers. Fix them on to paper cups, place cards, balloons, or banners. 
Clear the floor in one room to allow space for dancing. Set chairs aside but make sure that there are some comfortable areas where less lively guests can congregate and talk.
Also you can place potted plants alongside the passage of the main room and in the corners of the room where the party is being hosted. Clean the plants off dusts and water them and put a fresh coat on the pots holding the plants. Then decorate them with stics and cut-outs relevant to the party theme.
Well, if you choose a special color for your party theme try to make the color predominate your decor throughout.
Lastly be particular about the ambience so that it moves in perfect harmony with the mood of the party. Use, soft music to sustain the mood. 
Make sure to have colorful ice cubes for mixed drinks and food decor by freezing strawberries, cherries, green olives, pieces of orange or lemon in water in ice cube trays.

It includes the entire range of services from serving the food as well as its preparation, organizing all aspects of the meal, including tables, seating, linen, china (crocks), flatware, cooking equipments, the menu, drinks, cooking and waiting for the guests. 
So, irrespective of the party size and the guest list, it means a whopping lot. But the decision is always yours. Do your own groundwork at the planning stage.
Now here are the options: You can always decide to undertake all these at home, provided you have adequate infrastructure and a manageable guest list.
You can hire the services in parts. For instance, hiring of individuals to prepare the food and help in other ways. Or, may hire the tables, linen, china, flatware and even the decorative items to match your party theme.
You can also commission caterers to provide all or some of the food, and to provide the waiting staff.
Before contracting large companies, check up with smaller work-from-home outfits which offer excellent quality buffets and service at gatherings for anything up to a hundred people.
Need for waiting staff:
You can always make the  preparations yourself or with the help of your family members. But what will you do if the party seems large enough with so many guests to be attended? Obviously you do need helping hands. But will any helping hands do?
Heck! No way! You cannot afford to rely on those volunteers their hands. This is where you need the staff, so you can take care of the overall and other important parts of the bash.
Again, you may need them for not so large a party,  in case it's not a buffet. 
You may decide to employ a waiter or waitress for dinner or supper parties which  
If you think you can manage it on your own or with the help of some helping hands make sure to pick up the experienced ones. And if it's a large size party, say about 50 or more, be careful to allot the tasks while chalk out the plan in advance. If you include the unused hands, make sure to go in for a rehearsal so that they come in sync with the def hands.

Greeting Guests

Birthday parties are usually informal. Hence hardly needs much of the socializing capabilities. Yet, some etiquettes are quintessential. 
If it's an all kids party, no problem. Just take one of your siblings or  closest friends who happen to know all of your invitees, to greet the guests.
But the problem arises if it's a party for all. 
It is customary for the host to greet the guests on their arrival. The guests are then relieved of their coats or other things and drinks are offered.
Where the party is large enough the host may not find much time to spend with guests when they first arrive. In this case after the formal greetings they should be shown or told where the party is gathered. Later, the host greets the guests properly when all the guests arrive. 
But it may not be viable for the host alone to do everything. Preferably, while one party takes the guests in to meet the rest of the company, the other is entrusted to take care of other things. This is where delegation of tasks helps.
Getting it started:
This is where the party gets the touch of creativity and tastes.
There are many ways the bash can be started. For a difference it may start with a  blast of music. But, provided all guests have arrived. Leave the job on the DJ. If you don't have a DJ, ask one of your friends to play the DJ who will act only following a cue from you.  
To make it more attractive switch off the lights of the room hosting the party. But make sure the candles have been lit up beforehand. So your guests will not be plunged into a pit of darkness. Rather they would enjoy the light and shade charm of the candle lights. 
Let them wonder in the candle light what happened to the power. Meanwhile you make an announcement that the party is on and do the formal introduction with beats of music.
Pre instruct the DJ to settle for a softer base tune for the party to carry on. This will allow the guests to talk to each other while the background music will retain the tempo. 

Receiving the gifts

• Always allow time for yourself, especially on important occasions when you have to front the whole show. You will be more efficient if you feel at your best, and more likely to enjoy yourself.
• Fix an appointment at the hairdresser's to have your hair cut or trimmed a week or so in advance. For a special party style, fix an appointment on the day.
• Decide what you are going to wear with plenty of time in your hand and make sure it is dry cleaned or pressed if necessary and ready to put on.
• If you plan a facial, book it for a few days ahead or it can leave your skin looking blotchy on the day. Consider having a relaxing massage the day before, when plans are almost complete.
• Always allow plenty of time for your personal preparations, including that essential soak in the bath or long, refreshing shower.
• Plan to be dressed, relaxed and sipping a cool, non-alcoholic drink 30 minutes before you expect the first guests to arrive.
  You have to be well organized about getting the whole show up and running, but once the guests chill out happily they will entertain themselves.