How do you celebrate your birthday? Big bash, night on the town, intimate soiree – or grit your teeth and wait for it to be over?

So you’ve sent your invite out in plenty of time, but now the RSVP date has passed … and to be honest, you’re getting antsy about who’s coming to your party. When friends don’t reply to an invitation – whether they have a reasonable excuse or not – it can make it very hard to complete your party planning. So how do you prompt a definite response?

Here’s the dilemma: you sent out party invitations a month ago, and in the last few weeks the replies have rolled in steadily. But now that the RSVP date has lapsed, there are still lots of outstanding responses … and quite frankly, you’re starting to get a bit annoyed. How can you organise the party when you don’t know how many will be attending? It’s a sticky situation - so how can you handle it with style?

With the rise of the internet, and the emergence of some wonderful children's, and service-oriented websites, party planning has recently got a while lot easier, with the internet providing a one-stop location for all party planning needs.

We may live in modern times, but this doesn’t mean that good manners and proper etiquette don’t matter any more. Here’s a check list of the do’s and don’ts when attending and hosting a party in 2010.

If you have an event to plan but you're not ready to reveal all of the details just yet, why not send a groovy Save The Date e-invite?

Q. I’ve been invited to two events being held on the same night. Should I go to both? If not, which one should I choose?

Q. If a guest brings wine or chocolates to my dinner party, do I have to serve them that night?

Q. Should I answer my mobile phone at a party?

Q. My daughter is turning 10 and having a sleepover party. She wants to write the invitation in a ‘cool’ kind of way – any suggestions for how we can word it?