Everybody wants their housewarming party to go well. Not only is this the best chance you have to show people how awesome your new home is, it’s a great chance to prove your ability to plan and throw a party. Here is how to make sure that you have a beautiful, fun and classy housewarming party that your guests will truly enjoy.
Invitations
Send out real invitations. Sure it’s easy enough to set up an e-vite online or to simply send your friends an email. It looks better and, frankly, feels better to send out actual invitations. If you want to get really fancy you can even include RSVP cards to help you figure out how many guests to plan for in terms of food, seating, etc. To save time and improve the look of the invitations, have classy address label stamps made up so that you don’t have to hand write every single envelope you want to mail out. These are great investments because you’ll be able to use them on other mailings as well.
Cleaning
Your housewarming party is going to be the first time most people get to see you in your new house. While you don’t have to have it absolutely finished in terms of decorations (though that would be nice), it does have to be completely clean. Don’t just throw those empty packing cartons into a spare room and hope nobody looks inside. Break them down and put them in the recycling. Or, better—sell them on Craigslist for a few extra bucks that you can use for other party prep.
Decorating
The nice thing about a housewarming party is that people want to see what your home truly looks like. This means that you don’t have to go overboard in terms of party decorations. A nice tablecloth for the food table, putting fresh flowers in the vases, actually lighting your candles—that should be enough. Save your decorating budget for the food!
Food
Unless you plan on having a formal sit down meal, most housewarming parties are meant to be pretty loose. This lets you off the hook quite a bit in terms of the food. Some trays filled with tasty appetizers and finger foods and plenty of beverages (nothing that will stain if spilled) and you’re good to go. In even better news, now you can find beautiful disposable plates, cups and cutlery so you won’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll have enough dishes for everybody (or washing them afterwards).
Smells
Make sure that you’ve opened up all of the rooms in your home well ahead of your party. You might even want to open the windows as well so that everything gets good and aired out before your guests arrive. Nobody wants to be known for throwing the party in that home “with the funky smell.”
These are just a few tips and tricks for throwing a wonderful housewarming party. Beyond these, don’t forget to have fun! You love your new home and this is your chance to show it off! Enjoy it!