How to Host a Party at Home
Sometimes holding a party can be as easy as calling a few friends and ordering a pizza delivery, putting a few groovy tunes on, cracking open some drinks and away you go! But sometimes you want to celebrate with a little bit more pizzazz and creativity. Maybe you have a special birthday coming up or an anniversary you want to celebrate with all your nearest and dearest, or a special milestone you want to mark with a party? Quite often I find my clients are busy running the rest of their lives, so simply going into the detail of creating and organising a party overwhelms them, and they need some help. However, if you feel like you have the time and energy to devote to designing, executing and then hosting your party yourself, here’s how you should go about it.
The first thing you need to do if you are having your party at home is to think about the location. Are you fortunate enough to have a barn or field you could transform, or a large space inside your home? Once you have picked the space you are going to use, think of the logistics and run through options of how you want the party to run; for example, do you want to have a stand-up drinks reception-style party with canapés or bowl food, a sit-down, plated meal or just drinks and a boogie. With all of these options, you will need to consider the flow of guests – where do they enter from, where do they move to (eg to get beverages and refreshments or to go to the toilet) and finally where do they exit from at the end of the night.
The secret to hosting a party at home is preparation. Prepare the music, food and drinks as much in advance as you can. As well as removing any last-minute panics, this will mean you are able to be the hostess with the mostess! Being a hostess means making your guests feel welcome and comfortable in your house. Treat them so they feel special and looked after. Do they have a drink? Do they have food they can eat (especially important if they have any dietary requirements)? Make sure the temperature is comfortable, and that the lighting is not too harsh or too dim. Make the environment inviting and comfortable, so they don’t feel they are having to stand on ceremony too much, but equally that you have made a bit of an effort with making your home feel welcoming. Your home will need to be tidy and clean – not hospital spotless, but clear away any debris and also any breakables/valuables – just in case – accidents do happen.
I mentioned earlier that you should think about the flow of your guests, so think about where they are parking first of all – if you have a large number of guests coming by car, perhaps think about making some provision for this and also some signage. Maybe consider making a feature of the entrance to immediately set the scene and mood for the rest of the party. Where will guests go next – ideally they would grab a drink either from a waiter or a self-service area. Again, think about signage, the visual impact of this and where it is located so it doesn’t cause a bottleneck. If you are having dancing, make sure there is a space for this which doesn’t have an uneven floor and loads of trip hazards! Music is a great tone-setter for a party so consider this carefully and select a music style that also is compatible with your guests, you may love heavy metal but it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and may not be the most ideal for really getting the party off to a fun start.
Food is also integral to a party, and there are so many options for this; you could theme it to fit your party or just offer something tasty. Food can also set the tone – are you having a more formal party? Do you need to consider a seated, plated meal? Are you outside in the summer, so would a BBQ be suitable? What about just offering lots of nibbles throughout the duration so it doesn’t interrupt the pace of the festivities? Whatever you decide, plan it through beforehand and prepare, prepare, prepare! After all, you have invited your guests so you can spend time with them, not be stuck in the kitchen cooking!
I hope this guide to how to plan a party at home is helpful to you. Learn more about my Party & Event Planning service here.