5 Easy Tips to Make Your Next Party Great

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5 Easy Tips to Make Your Next Party Great

Let me start right off the bat by assuring you this post is for regular people–like you and me. I will not be suggesting anything that might require an advanced degree in party-planning, a bucketload of money, or numerous trips to specialty stores. Nor am I going to be talking about the type of party you might throw if, say, Harry and Meghan were popping by for a “casual” meet-and-greet with a hundred or so of your closet friends.

What I’m talking about here is how to throw the kind of party that your friends and family will find relaxing and fun, and hopefully, so will you.

Tip #1: Your guests are coming to see you–like your face, not your back end in front of the sink or the stove. Be available to them, not only to serve, but to visit. Nothing makes people feel loved, valued, and welcome like someone who is willing to park it in front of them, listen to their stories, make eye contact, and engage with them.

Tip #2: The key to being available to your guests is having a plan and keeping it simple. I use a self-made ‘template’ for every event I have at my house. Every gathering, every party has basically the same elements:

Keep it clean. And I mean reasonably clean…there is no need to be able to eat off your floors if you’re inviting people that love you for who you are. But put away the clutter, vacuum the crumbs and pet hair, and by all means, make sure the guest bathroom is clean and presentable. I never make any promises about the other ones in my house—if it’s an emergency and the guest bath is occupied, you better be able to go with your eyes closed. Having a clean space isn’t really about impressing your guests, it’s about making them feel comfortable (like, the phrase, ‘ew’ should never cross their minds) and making them feel welcome. As in, they’re not intruding on your laundry day or have possibly been invited to a group dishwashing party.
Music/Candles. Atmosphere is everything. Seriously. Whether you’re inside or outside, light a few candles. Dollar store tea lights are fine and you don’t need anything fancy. Watch out for ones with overwhelmingly strong scents, though. You may find that Warm Vanilla Marshmallow Sugar Rush candle delightful, but the smell just may send cousin Lucy into an asthma attack. Subtle scents, happy friends. I always try to have background music going when I have people over. Just loud enough to be festive without interfering in people’s conversations. I personally prefer jazz or old standards, but I also like to match the type of music to the party theme if it has one (Cinco de Mayo, etc).
Keep your food simple, yo. This will seriously impact your enjoyment level of the whole affair. I have a go-to list of very simple main dishes that fit the season and the size of the gathering. I go for the biggest bang for the buck—meaning, the most food for the least amount of money. Soups are great for this, as are grilled chicken thighs, or my favorite: make-your-own whatever. Taco bar. Asian-inspired tacos, regional-style hot dogs with all the toppings. Basically, cooking is minimal and you’re assembling ingredients for your guests to choose from. Did I mention salads? I make impressive-looking ones that are sooo simple. Bagged salad. Add purple cabbage, shredded carrots, cucumber. I always add something a little special. Cooked asparagus, marinated artichoke, fresh fruit. And buy the good dressing. They’re worth it (the dressing and your guests). Stay tuned for a later blog post with specific recipes and ideas for food and drinks. Oh yeah…
Drinks. Also keep your drinks simple unless it’s the focus of your party (We throw an annual New Year’s Eve Old School Cocktail Party). Always have coffee and tea on hand and ready. Serving water in a large, clear beverage dispenser is cheaper and less wasteful than buying bottled water. No matter what else you decide to serve—seltzer, soda, beer, wine, or liquor—it’s a nice touch to have some wedges of citrus fruit available (lemon, lime, orange) for garnish.

Tip #3: Have a theme. Whoa…hold on, don’t get nervous. I’m not suggesting anything elaborate here. But having some sort of a theme (even if only you know what it is) will help with planning everything else. Lemme ‘splain:

You’re having a Sunday afternoon get-together for your favorite people you don’t spend enough time with. What are you gonna make? How about that make-your-own taco bar idea? Let the taco be your theme. Tacos are your main course, you throw together that awesome bagged salad, but you include chopped cilantro, a little pico de gallo, and avocados on it. Maybe buy a few different Goya nectars and some plain or lime seltzer…Margaritas…Corona, a little Dulce de Leche creamer for your coffee, and you’re done! See what I mean? I have a ton more ideas, and again…those will come in a later blog post.

Tip #4: Have a party set-up “kit.” I have a go-to, handy-dandy set of plastic platters, bowls, serving spoons, etc. that I got from the dollar store. Every so often, I also get a large pack of hot cups, cold cups, plastic plates and utensils from Amazon or Costco, and I keep them all together.

Sometimes I do prefer to get paper stuff I can throw away, but those cheap plastic dollar-store serving pieces last through a bunch of washings. I like to use these rather than my own dinner and service pieces because…you know…it’s a party and stuff sometimes gets broken. The key is, you keep it all in a plastic bin or all together in your closet and when company comes over—planned or not—Voila! You’re all set!

*cat not included

And finally…

Tip #5: For the duration of your event, and whenever possible, put the rest of the world on hold. Unless your company is coming to watch a sporting event or a movie together, keep the TV off. At best, it’s a distraction. At worst, it makes your guests feel like they’re interrupting something. Same with your computers and phones. Don’t use ’em unless it specifically is something you’re sharing with others. Nothing brings people together like YouTube.

This has been a fun post to write. Parties are fun! But the truth is, I never really thought so (when I was hosting them) until I figured out these 5 things. Planning and hosting don’t have to be stressful if you put a little organized thought and planning into it ahead of time and follow the tips I’ve outlined. You can then basically apply these to any kind of event—just fancy it up with favors and decorations where needed!

If you liked this post and found it helpful, would you please let me know? I’d like to be writing more content that people want and want to share, too. So add your comments below and don’t forget to share any tips you have! A party girl can never have too many ideas!

Photos by Danielle MacInnes , Aziz Acharki, Rhianon Lassila, Emily Simenauer, Paul Hanaoka , all on Unsplash