Most memorable gatherings in your life

[Pengwuino]

Long story short, a family member of mine is planning a party for next week and it's causing so many problems. It's going to be about 80-100 people and it's for the various graduates in our family, including meeee! Now of course, the party planning is driving everyone crazy, especially the person in charge of planning it. This got me to thinking... party planning, at it's core, I think, is about making a memorable experience for everyone. The problem for me is that when I look back on my life, the most memorable gatherings I've been apart of were completely unplanned, spontaneous gatherings, or small "parties" along the lines of "Hey, so and so is bbqing, get over here".

So I ask you all, what's your thoughts on this? Have you ever been to a gathering or party or whatever where the planning itself was integral to the making of a memorable experience?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Long story short, a family member of mine is planning a party for next week and it's causing so many problems. It's going to be about 80-100 people and it's for the various graduates in our family, including meeee! Now of course, the party planning is driving everyone crazy, especially the person in charge of planning it. This got me to thinking... party planning, at it's core, I think, is about making a memorable experience for everyone. The problem for me is that when I look back on my life, the most memorable gatherings I've been apart of were completely unplanned, spontaneous gatherings, or small "parties" along the lines of "Hey, so and so is bbqing, get over here".

Yeah, we know about your previous parties.
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=318063

 

[Pengwuino]

Yeah, we know about your previous parties.
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=318063

Our poop parties are completely unplanned social gatherings . We don't even bring portapotties obviously.

 

[Moonbear]

The small PF gathering at ZZ's place a few years ago was memorable.

As for family gatherings, meh, they all blur together. People go WAY too crazy trying to plan things, and get all stressed out over nothing. My advice? Don't worry about it...plenty of other people will choose to do the worrying, fussing, stressing, etc., and whether it goes exactly as planned or not, once everyone is there, you'll have an enjoyable time anyway. The only people who won't enjoy themselves are the crazy people planning the thing who will still be stressing over all the details that didn't go as planned that nobody else attending even knew were supposed to be planned.

 

[drizzle]

I've been to both kinds of parties, but most were spontaneous gatherings with so much fun and really unforgettable memories, but I think planed parties are necessary for formal occasions. though, it's exhausting to those who arrange for it trying to make it perfect. what I hate the most is super official celebrations, even if I'm only a guest, I feel so much tension especially with VIPs all around.

 

[moose]

The more planned a party is, the worse it is. It's law.

 

[lisab]

When I think 'memorable moments at planned events,'...oh, I have plenty. Most of them really bad. Memorable, but bad.

For example - several months after my father-in-law died, there was a wedding in the family. When the time came for the bride to toss the bouquet to all the single girls, some of the younger (and dumber...and likely pretty drunk) family members dragged their grandmother out onto the floor to participate in this sophomoric ritual (OK, I hate weddings!). She was horribly embarrassed and didn't want to do it...she was still in mourning after losing her husband of some 55 years! She went along with it, not wanting to cause a scene.

But wow...can you say *Awkward* !

 

[Astronuc]

Besides weddings and funerals, which have to be planned and/or coordinated, perhaps the most memorable family gathering was a family get-together in 1966, the year my parents, my siblings and I, left Australia. That was the last time that three generations related to my father's parents got together. Since then, there was always someone was missing.

I've only seen a few cousins since then, and three pair of aunts and uncles. All my grandparents are now dead, and my aunts and uncles are starting to die.

The best times I've had have been purely spontaneous.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

My only role in party preparations involved manual labor - yard work, cleaning, setting up tables, hiding the bodies, etc.

 

[drizzle]

...and my aunts and uncles are starting to die..

don't you think that's hard to say?

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Most of the planned parties I have been to have not been spectacular but usually pretty fun. They just plan that people will be there and there will be food and drinks and music. Beyond that the guests bring the fun. When I was a kid I hid away in another room shooting pool with a couple people while everyone else were at the party proper. I've always remembered that.
At the closing party for my favourite coffee house one of my friends just decided to climb up on stage and said he was going to run a contest. Everyone was supposed to contribute some random oddball item to the prize pot and then people were supposed to get on stage and show off their most unusual and worthless talent. I will refrain from describing the sorts of things that happened on that stage.
There was another planned party I went to where the penthouse girl of the month showed up. She was naked when she walked in the door. I'll also refrain from describing what all happened at that party but needless to say it was rather memorable.

 

[Moonbear]

I agree that the more fun parties have had minimal planning. The rare few have been planned to the extent of sending out actual printed invitations, but most have just been invitations via phone call (more people show up if you call them than if you mail invitations). I miss the big family parties of my youth...and there wasn't much planning to them. Pop some popcorn, put some pretzels and potato chips and dip out, buy a couple cases of beer, a few bottles of wine, and some vodka, rum, whiskey, gin and mixers. Adults were in the room where the drinks were, the kids were everywhere else, and everyone had a good time. If it was a bigger event than a birthday party (i.e., a graduation party), then put out some additional food like a platter of cold cuts, and all was good.

As soon as you start getting into things like seating charts and planning menus, forget it, it gets boring and everyone leaves early. The parties with the least planning went all night!

 

[Phrak]

I went to a baseball game once. Is that a gathering? It was certainly a hord of perplexing intent.

 

[IwillBeGood]

I miss everything in the past. I must had to go. It really good for me and for everyone true!,, of course not likely good for those who in charge. I must really go. True, it's true that I must go.
Even when people invited me stay because they are having parties for me to eat full there and here around. I just cant'/could

 

[Math Is Hard]

I miss everything in the past. I must had to go. It really good for me and for everyone true!,, of course not likely good for those who in charge. I must really go. True, it's true that I must go.
Even when people invited me stay because they are having parties for me to eat full there and here around. I just cant'/could

So you went, but you could not stay for very long? Or you could not go?

 

[Astronuc]

don't you think that's hard to say?

No, it's just a statement of fact. I'm of the age where most of the friends and associates of my parents have died. My father, who will reach 80 years of age this year, is one of the few of his university classmates who is still alive. That's something we all have to face some day.