Please help with 21sr birthday party plans!

[doggybootcamp]

My dd is 21 in a couple of weeks and has hired a venue and dj but nothing else has been organised and I'm panicking a little!
It's a pub/ club with dancefloor but plenty of quieter seating areas- there will be a mix of her age, some younger family members until 10pm and some older family members/ friends. They'll go on clubbing afterwards. We have very limited time before it starts to do anything- maybe an hour tops- and it's about a half hour drive from our house.

I can't decide what to do about-
Food- older and younger members will expect something but I don't think we need a full blown buffet as surely her age group won't eat much?.
Decorations- it's beautiful inside but we'd like to personalise it a little if possible- I have no creative skills though 😐
How we control entry- it's sole hire but is open to the public other nights and is in the town centre. Do we give someone on the door a list? Or say they have to show an invitation to get in?
Do we need to pay for any drinks/ have welcome fizz on arrival?
Would you expect party girl/ parent to make a speech/ thank everyone for coming?

I would actually have preferred something in our house as there are so many things about this I have never done- any advice would be much appreciated!

No answers so but so grateful my two celebrated their 21sts at uni and I knew nothing about it.

Dd is at uni but wants to come back and celebrate with her local friends and family so the best of both worlds!

Everything is budget dependant really. I had a 30th party and had a balloon feature that was used for photos etc, I’d imagine the guests her age would love that to take some photos. We did have entrance drinks too, Prosecco and beers for each guest and when they ran out that was it. I do think a buffet looks good too, especially for older guests who might expect it, you might be surprised the younger ones that have a plate too. Picky bits seem to go down well - burger sliders, curry and rice, some pasta salad. We used the buffet in the venue purely for ease, but again it’s if the budget allows for it. If there’s not going to be a buffet I think you’d need to let guests know before hand. Hope she has an amazing night!!

I think a balloon feature would he great. Plenty of opportunities for photos of the guests.

I did a 90th party earlier in the year, so not quite the same but I think all ages would enjoy and expect some food. We had the local sandwich shop provide the buffet and it was actually very reasonable.

Giving a drill on arrival would be nice but I don't think it's expected in the UK.

I'd ask the venue if they put someone on the door. Our local function room above a pub automatically does this for you.

I decorated with some things from Home Bargains and got the plates, bowls and napkins from there too. I got some table decorations from Amazon.

Personally I wouldn't expect a speech so if the birthday girl doesn't want to do one that's fine, maybe you or DH could just thank the guests and announce that the buffet is open?