If you decide to book a celebrity for an event, you will almost certainly have a lot on your plate in terms of organising the event, from catering to location to entertainment as well as the major matter of getting the celebrity right and well organised. But before you go spending time and money on a celebrity, take a moment to establish whether you definitely need to hire one. Fees and expenses can be highly costly and unless you are certain that the special guest will vastly improve the event then it could be wasted money.

Of course, the advice in this article isn't meant to put fear into you regarding hiring a celebrity, it is just meant to encourage you to be absolutely certain you want, need and can certainly benefit from a famous guest before you commit to paying for one.

Once you are absolutely certain that you want to take the plunge and book a celebrity, start thinking about money. If you don't manage to stay within your budget another area of your event may suffer, such as catering or music.

Now, think about the type of celebrity you'd like to have at the event. Depending on the type of event you'll have to choose from actors, DJs, sports stars, adventurers, politicians, inventors or entrepreneurs. Put together a shortlist of people you admire and who you believe to be relevant to the event and the audience and then make contact with an agency to begin the book a celebrity process.

Armed with your shortlist, an agency will be able tell you who is and isn't available and at what price. It isn't cheap to book a celebrity but with a bit of luck you might be able to negotiate on price, some even offer reduced fees if the event benefits a charity or other good cause. When you have come to an agreement the agency will draw up a contract, you will make payment and you can move on to organising other parts of your event.

It is worth bearing in mind that around Christmas time and new year there are many parties where people choose to book a celebrity, so you could find yourself struggling to make a reservation for the person you really wanted to hire. Avoid disappointment for both yourself and your guests by booking as many months ahead of time as is realistically possible.