Entertaining others can be a lot of fun, but hosting a party can also be stressful if you haven’t planned it out in advance! We’ve got some great tips on how you can host the perfect party.
Sort your invites
Several weeks out from your planned party date, send out your invites whether it be by Facebook, face to face or a paper invitation. People need to plan ahead to make sure their schedules don’t have conflicts, and they are more likely to turn up than if you invite them a few days before the party happens. On the other side of things, if you ask too far in advance, people may forget about your party.
When you’re sorting the invites, don’t forget to include the date, time, location, and any extra details (do they need to bring a gift/not bring a gift? Bring the drinks of their choice? Come with a plate of food? Dress to a certain theme?).
Don’t be afraid of themes!
Themes are what separates ‘regular’ parties from the professional ones! Your theme could be as simple as a couple of key colours for your decorations (balloons, streamers, bunting, serviettes, cake/cupcakes/lollies, your dress!), or something a bit more complicated like retro/vintage, Kiwiana or a cocktails and desserts evening. Your party will be a lot easier to plan if you have some theme guidelines to stick to.
Theming your party doesn’t need to be expensive either. $2 shops usually have a great assortment of party plates, cups, serviettes, decorations and items for dressing in theme such as wigs, hats and accessories.
Prep your playlist
The music you play in the background will help set the atmosphere for your party. Create a playlist of music so that you won’t have to be thinking about it during the party. You can even create multiple playlists if there are different stages of your party – for example, pre-dinner mix and mingle music, dinner music, after dinner ‘hit the dancefloor’ music, and ‘everyone go home this party is winding up’ music!
Give yourself time to get ready
If you’re blowing up balloons and plating appetisers just before everyone turns up, you may not have enough time to get yourself ready! Plan out your timing to make sure you have enough hours to do everything. Recruit friends to help you prepare, make a list of what needs to be done, then delegate out the tasks and get your friends to check them off the list once they are completed so nothing gets forgotten.
Plan any set activities and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Does the barbecue need to be warmed up at a certain time for dinner to be done? We’ve all been to a barbecue where the food wasn’t ready until after 9pm – or worse – guests came to a dinner and had to go home before the food was put out. Plan out the times for certain things such as barbecue starting, meat cooking and cake cutting, and make sure several of your friends or family members who have helped you prepare know these times so someone will remind you if you forget.
Don’t be afraid to ask them for help if you need it. If you’re the host and all your guests will be wanting to talk to you, it’s a good idea to recruit someone else to ensure drinks get topped up, food gets taken out and bins get tidied if they become full.
What’s your best party hosting tip? Comment below and help others out!
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