A lot of us may finding it a daunting experience to play host to a party simply because of the pressure of making a great impression at making everyone comfortable and having a great time. I enjoy having friends over at mine and hosting parties, so I am going to be sharing with you my top tips for hosting the perfect party.
Theme the party
The first most important step before beginning any plan is to theme the party. This would allow you to work within a specific direction. You can create a theme on an era such as the 20’s or 60’s , where you can get everyone to dress up to the era. other popular themes include colour, where you have your guests wearing a uniform colour and the decorations are all in that colour. A theme would also help with the kind of entertainment to provide in music choice, games and even food. To have a great party, allow your imagination run creatively wild.
Room for guests
Now that you have a feel and mood for the party is important to decide how many guests you could comfortably host. Decide this based on your budget and space. Let your friends know if they are allowed plus ones or more. You want to ensure there is surplus of food and drinks to go round and that everyone has a fantastic time.
Decoration.
Fancy carpets and crystals are aesthetically nice to look at, however wine spillage and breakage would disagree. Move aside your delicate furniture especially if having a good amount of guests who are going to spend majority of time walking about and dancing. Dim the lights to set the mood, even perfect if you have a multi-colour LED mood light. For New Years Eve, gold and black balloons are an inexpensive way to add a touch of festivity, opulence and good energy. Pinterest is full of creative idea
The little things
These are the things that are easily forgotten but are just as important as anything else. Easy access to mops to dry off spillages to avoid slip accidents, towels to dry off spillages made on sofas and carpets,excess toilet rolls to avoid any embarasssing private moments for your guests, and then that aspirin for the odd one who suddenly needs some pain killers.
Food
As a rule of thumb I advice that you prepare extra portions of food to provide atleast an extra two serving, just incase your guests think your meal rivals Jamie Olivers. Browse unusual New Years Eve recipes online, if you feel ambitious enough.Dinner parties should not just be all about eating whats on the plate, Provide an aesthetic experience for your guests with the decor of the dining table and the choice of cutlery used. Trust me your guests will rave about your hosting skills if you do this. Think of dinning at Nando’s VS a five star restaurant! For non dinner parties, it is great to have a variety of finger food to accompany the drinks. If you don’t have that much time for preparing all the food, you can always go with ordering these from a catering company – you won’t spend much time thinking about the menu, and you probably won’t have to go out of the apartment if you get it delivered. You can also order some amazing dishes from such companies and, best of all, they can be quite affordable.
Drinks
Everyone is happy where there is a great choice of drinks. Some bubbly like Prosecco or Champagne, some mixers and fruits present, would allow your guests feel at home by making their favourite cocktails. You can cut costs simply by telling your guests beforehand to come with a spirit of their choice, although it is great to be able to provide these.
Banging Tunes
Music choice could make or break a party, whats worse is when everyone thinks they are DJ. Compose a playlist on your iTunes or Spotify. I would not recommend youtube for this because of the the AD’s which could be a downer. If you haven’t had time to compose a playlist, simply find a radio station that is BANGING! Most radio stations are AD free and provide an endless stream of hits on NYE. Best thing is you have your very own DJ and an MC to count you down into the new year.
Games
From drinking games to board games, find interactive and sociable activities to suit the number of guests you have. it is a great way to allow your guests talk to each other rather than spend snap chatting and instagramming. Games are also best reserved towards the end of the party for when everyone is a little more relaxed.
All Good things come to an end
Good etiquette suggests that you inform your guests beforehand what time the party is meant to last till. If you haven’t done this, there are many polite ways of alerting your guests of the close, such as changing the type of music being played to a more subtle type music rather than turning it off altogether. End with a toast to the new year and thank your guests for choosing to spend it with you.
Have you seen my New Years Eve Lookbook on youtube?
Wishing you a prosperous New Year!
Stay Stylish!!!
