19 Jun 2017
That’s why it’s always fun to mark the occasion with a housewarming party. A housewarming party is a great way to shake off the stress of house-hunting, signing contracts and packing your belongings by celebrating with all of your family and friends; for some people, a housewarming party can even be an opportunity to enlist help with decorating – just supply everyone with a paintbrush, pop on some tunes and order in some pizza.
But if you’re looking for a more sophisticated event, here are 6 simple steps to throwing a housewarming party that you’ll never forget.
Make A Plan
All great parties start with a solid plan, usually arranged weeks in advance. First off, pick a date and time – the earlier you decide on this the better, as you’ll need to give people time to make a note on their calendar. Next, you can begin to think about the kind of party you’d like to throw. Will it be a relaxed evening of drinks and nibbles or an elaborate dinner party?
If you’re feeling especially creative, you might want to pick a theme. A great idea is to theme your housewarming party around the decade your home was built, such as the Swinging Sixties or 1920s flapper era.
Above all, make sure that your plan is realistic. You don’t want the housewarming party to become a drain on your time; it should be fun.
Get Creative With Invitations
Once you’ve decided on the date and style of your housewarming party, you’ll need to send out invitations. While it’s easiest to do this over text or email, an invitation sent through the post can add a sense of excitement and anticipation to the event.
If you’ve opted for a theme, the invitation should follow suit, giving a glimpse of what you’ve got planned. If not, there are still plenty of creative ways to invite people to celebrate with you. Try browsing sites like Pinterest for inspiration.
Prepare Your Home
It goes without saying that if you’re throwing a housewarming party you should make sure your home is presentable. However, there are a few extra things that are worth thinking about to make sure the event runs smoothly.
First off, make sure there’s a designated space for everyone to leave their jackets or bags. This will prevent any stress later in the night when people are rooting around the house to find things they’ve lost. Next, prep the bathroom with supplies and make sure spare toilet paper and soap is easily accessible to guests.
You should also think about your seating options. Avoid creating corners where people are closed off from the rest of the guests; instead, place seating in an open arrangement to better facilitate conversation.
Food & Drinks
These will set the mood of your party, whether it’s a sit-down meal, a casual dinner buffet, or snacks. If you’re opting for more casual catering, think about setting up the food in a central area. People will often gather around food and drinks stations, so you should allow as much space around these areas as possible.
You should also think about how involved you want to be in hosting; if you’re looking to relax and engage with your guests, you could create a drinks station where people will feel comfortable helping themselves.
Create A Party Playlist
Like food and drinks, music will be key to setting the tone of your housewarming party. It’s a good idea to spend some time building a playlist so that you won’t have to keep skipping tracks that don’t fit the event. When choosing your songs, bear in mind the style of your event; soft jazz offers relaxed background music that will promote conversation, while more upbeat crowd-pleasers will get people moving. If your party is themed, the playlist is a great way to enhance that.
Document The Event
Aside from careful party-planning, the best way to make sure your housewarming party is unforgettable is to document the event - you can do this in a number of ways. A simple idea is to buy a handful of disposable cameras for people to use throughout the night; not only is this a great way to get people involved in the event, but you’ll also have fun looking through the photos people took once they’ve been developed. Alternatively, you could create a guest book or ask people to write a note on small postcards throughout the event.
Whichever way you choose to document the event, you should try to repurpose the souvenirs into a piece of artwork or an object that you can display in your home; that way, you’ll have a constant reminder of the event.
