Whether you are inviting the entire neighborhood for cocktails, celebrating a spouse's birthday or planning a bachelor party for your best buddy, throwing a party wild requires patience on the part of the host and lots of lead time. As the point man so-to-speak, your task is to create a mood - relaxed, elegant, festive or wild - the one that carries through every aspect of the party and leaves the invitees begging for more.
 
     With that in mind, let us establish that nobody sets out to fail. And surely no one takes on the challenge of coordinating a party wild with the intention of boring their guests. So some rules are in order. First up - find a reason to celebrate. Because the reason you are partying will set the tone. Pick a date that allows enough preparation time. Consider catering, decorating and entertaining needs when choosing the date. And equally important is to decide on a guest list. Take into account the size of the area for your wild parties. On average, for a wild party you'll need 4 to 5 square feet of space per person. Expect 70 to 80 percent of invited guests to show up for a large event. At the very least consider serving beer and wine, plus one cocktail you can premix in batches, such as margaritas or sangria. Hire a bartender if your group is larger than 30 and you're serving cocktails, wine and beer.

     Now that you have got the particulars mapped out, consider how you and your guests will spend their evening. Is nibbling at finger food all night and mingling with the other guests enough to get you through the night? Or should there be a specific theme involved? Is everyone on good enough terms to play games that are adult or otherwise? All these things are to consider when vying for the challenge of putting on the best party wild imaginable.

    Oddly enough, once the festivities begin, most people end up in the kitchen because that's where the host is. Do as much of the prep work ahead of time as possible, so you're not stuck by the stove. And by all means give your neighbors some information several days in advance. If your guests stayed late, the party got noisy or street parking became a nightmare, stop by your neighbors' house the following morning with extra dessert, flowers or a bottle of wine. Hey, it's the thought that counts and that may be what matters most if your neighbor didn't get any sleep. And silly though it may sound, label dishes so that guests with food allergies or on restricted diets will know what's in them. They'll appreciate it. And not that it needs to be said, but enjoy yourself and your guests! Remember, fun is contagious: so relax, pour yourself a drink, eat - and have a good time.

    There is no promise that your next social gathering will be a party wild that will be talked about for months to come. Who can say for sure if bikini-clad babes will be scampering about and enjoying your hot tub (that is, if you have a hot tub). But if you put some thought behind your actions, your wild party the will at least be spoken highly of the next day.