When house parties are good, they’re really good. Celebrating a housewarming, a birthday, or another special occasion never gets old – and it’s even better when you don’t have to leave the house!
But fantastic house parties don’t just materialize out of thin air. It’s best to have a few vital ingredients in place to ensure that your guests have a safe, exciting time at your place.From gift baskets to the perfect soundtrack, the following top tips will have you covered.
Inform your guests ahead of time
Have you given your guests instructions to your house, if it’s new to them? Are there adequate parking facilities nearby? Will guests with disabilities need extra help?
Asking these logistical questions in a group email or on your Facebook event page will be much-appreciated by your guests in the lead-up to the party. It’s much better to be prepared than to realise one of your guests is vegetarian, allergic to peanuts, or sensitive to bright lights after the party starts!
Take care of the food
You’d be surprised how important food is to the success of any soiree. First of all, manage guests’ expectations around food and drink when you send around your invitations. If it’s a drinks-and-tapas situation, let your invitees know. That way, your guests can decide whether they should have a light meal beforehand, or whether they need to bring a dish or bottle of wine to share on the night.
Then there’s the matter of how and what food to prepare. Now, you could spend hours slaving away in the kitchen creating beautiful dishes from scratch – or, you could leave it to the experts!
If you want to go a step beyond ordering from your local takeaway, you might consider ordering some gift boxes and baskets full of delicious foodstuffs. Delivered right to your doorstep, a gift basket or gift crate will go down a treat with your guests, who are sure to love the varied fare offered by a well-chosen goodie basket.
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Have fun with décor
One of the things which can bring house parties down a notch is a lack of atmosphere. This can often come down to the home looking too, well, homely. If you do a little DIY makeover of the rooms that your guests will be hanging out in, though, you can recreate the vibe of the club right in the comfort of your own home.
Take a trip to your local DIY or dollar store – maybe the market too – and stock up on some inexpensive but fun elements to liven up your home. What you gather together will depend on the occasion and the level of formality you’re aiming for. Popular accessories include hanging fairy lights, disco balls, fresh flowers, wall hangings, glitter, and glowsticks.
Put on some sweet music
Key to any thriving house party is music. A good playlist will provide that bit of background noise your guests need to fully relax into their conversations.
If you’re trying to impress a bigger crowd, you might hire a local DJ or ask a friend to help out with music for the night. If it’s a smaller affair, a Spotify account and wireless speaker are all you need.
Be considerate
The party itself will pose more challenges. As the host of the night, you’ve got to keep an eye on solo guests who might need introducing to your other groups of friends.
You also have to stay vigilant about people who might be getting a little too carried away on the alcoholic gift hampers! House parties can very quickly get out of control: it pays to have some safety measures in place to prevent that from happening.
The most effective of these safety measures, of course, is being selective about your guest list from the get-go. And in case this doesn’t go without saying, don’t have too many drinks yourself!
Musings of Johanna 