There is a lot of pressure when hosting a party or formal event at your home. As the host, you are likely concerned about keeping the conversation flowing, the food good and the guests happy. However, the success of the event depends largely on the planning and forethought that you put into your celebration.
Here are some useful guidelines to throwing a great event at home:
- Decide on the nature of the celebration first. Will it be a formal sit-down dinner for 12? A cocktail party around the swimming pool? Or a fun ‘beer and barbecue’ evening for 50? The nature of the event dictates, to a large degree, how many people you can accommodate. For instance, a cocktail party that involves 12 people may turn out to be rather boring, while a formal dinner for 30 is unreasonable. To establish the number of people you will or can invite, you need to think realistically about your budget and the space you have available. Also consider the noise levels and the amount of parking within your immediate neighbourhood. Ensure that, when you invite people, they are clear on whether or not they can bring guests and how many would be appropriate.
- Next, choose the right time at which to throw your party. For instance, having a do on the Easter Weekend will likely mean fewer guests as many couples and families take advantage of this time to get out of town for a break. In addition, most people set their Friday and Saturday evenings aside for such events, and are less obliging during the week. It is also on weekends that your neighbours are probably going to be more forgiving of noise.
- Before the event, go to your neighbours personally and tell them that you are going to be having a party and that there will be some noise. Confirm the finishing time so that they are assured that there will be silence from a certain time onwards. Your party can continue after that time, but the music should be switched off and loud guests quietened discreetly.
- Entertainment is a must. Depending on the nature of your event, this could be a sports game, a live band, a solo singer or karaoke. There should also be music playing at all times; whether provided by the entertainers or played as background noise between performances. This creates a buzz so that there are no awkward silences. Activities are another great way to keep guests chatting and lively, but are not able to be used for all functions. Some degree of entertainment is provided by the décor, so ensure that, if appropriate, this is festive and relevant.
- When the guests have arrived, you have the responsibility of ensuring that everyone is being looked after. Chat to your guests and do not stick to only one person or group of people. Rather, introduce those that may not know each other and keep the conversation going as you move around and engage others. Ask a friend or colleague to assist you in doing this if there are going to be quite a few people.
- If you do not know all the guests very well or suspect that some of them may become more than a little tipsy, be sure to hide valuable items. This will prevent them from disappearing and will also protect them from clumsy party-makers. This alleviates the stress on your shoulders and will put your guests at ease as well. Similarly, lock doors to rooms that you want to keep free of guests, in case of confusion.
- Prepare the food and drinks well ahead of time so that you are not still busy with this after the guests have arrived.
- If possible, have separate loos for men and women.
- As the host you need to own responsibility of handling any guest that becomes out of hand. This could include asking them (or forcing them) to leave.
Photo Courtesy of Alive Not Dead
