10 Tips To Keep In Mind When You Are The Party Host
Nothing beats a good party, so if you end up being the party host, it’s only natural that you might feel some pressure. You want to prepare adequately, make sure everyone has a good time and is staying safe, and coordinate with a lot of people. It’s reasonable for any party host to start feeling stressed out, but don’t worry. As long as you follow these simple party hosting tips, your party won’t be too demanding while still being the good time your friends will talk about for weeks. Just keep these tricks and techniques in mind next time you’re getting ready for a party.
1) Keep it simple
With an active imagination, you can imagine so many different ways to make your party exciting and unique. Your ideas are good, but you don’t want to overinduldge anything and give yourself too much work to handle. Keep your party simple─you don’t need multi-step surprises or flashy evites. You might find that, if your party requires too much effort on your part, you’ll never want to host again. Most parties aren’t expected to be massive affairs, so try to keep it casual.
2) Food
Everybody loves to eat, so any fun party should have food. That being said, you don’t need to cook up a buffet for your guests. Of course, it depends on the occasion. But most of the time, a party is well-off if you only have one or two high-energy food items. Preparing a few dinner dishes or an exciting appetizer is great to give people a taste of excellent food, and the rest can be low-key and simple. For example, if you’re making home-made wraps, the rest can be chips and cheeses. A nice cake can go with store-bought ice cream. And if anyone offers to bring food, take them up on that offer! More options means less pressure on you and makes the party feel more group-oriented.
3) Focus on one thing
The best way to keep your party simple is to have one specific goal for your party. This can be just about anything. It could be a costume party, you might have a theme like tropics or seasons, or it might just be to keep your guests well-fed. Put most of your effort into making sure that your goal of choice has been met, and people will notice. People recognize when effort is put in, so choose whatever is most meaningful to you about this party you are hosting. Everything else will fall into place.
4) Use paper products
Paper products may not be the most environmentally friendly option you have, but they are a great option for parties. You’ve already put in the dedicated work to make your party happen, and once it’s over, cleaning up can be exhausting and unwanted. Paper plates and utensils make that clean up simple and easy, and are great options for the more crowded and wild parties. You won’t have to worry about any broken dishes or a sink filled to the brim, so do yourself a favor and buy some cheap options. Another bonus is that you can find some nicely decorated plates, making your options more festive.
5) Cleaning
Most party hosts will clean up their home before the guests arrive. You don’t want anyone to be grossed out at your home, or have anyone criticize the place you live. You should definitely clean up your home and make it more organized, but remember not to go overboard. If you find yourself stressed out about tiny smudges of dirt or cobwebs in the furthest corner of the house, you may be giving yourself too much work. Do a basic, overall clean of your home, especially in the places where guests will be. But you don’t need your house to look perfect. You live here, so these details may be obvious to you, but they won’t be to a visitor. In all likelihood, your party will only end up messing up your house again, so please don’t feel the need to get rid of every last spot and stain.
6) Expectations
When you invite your friends to your party, it’s important that you give them a clear picture of what type of party you will be hosting and what they might expect. You don’t need to predict the future or anything, but you should give them an idea of what you are aiming for. ‘Party’ can mean different things to different people, and can range from a quiet night of talking with friends to a wild night of drinking and blasting music. No one wants to show up to a classy party dressed in a Halloween costume. Setting some expectations is good not only for your guests, but for you as well. If you know what you’re aiming for, it’s that much easier to achieve it.
7) Location of food
An often overlooked party hosting technique is the placement of food. People gravitate toward food naturally. Even if someone isn’t hungry, they’ll want to talk with others, the people who flock towards food. Keep that in mind and place your food wherever you want the main party to take place. You can place food near your conversation pieces, or the most tidy room in the house. Whatever your reasons may be, it’s just smart to remember most people will follow the food, so use it’s location wisely.
8) Host mode
Hosting a party is no easy feat, and it comes with a lot of responsibility. You cook, clean the house, gather the people, and make sure they have a good time. But you shouldn’t let your hosting mode take control. Once the party is going and people are talking, give yourself permission to relax. You don’t need to anticipate anyone’s needs or be a part of every discussion. If people have questions or need help, they’ll come to you. Let yourself enjoy the party you created, and only return to your host mode if it’s absolutely necessary.
9) Music
It’s surprisingly hard to find music that is perfect for a party. You want music that people enjoy, but you don’t want the music to always be dominating the atmosphere. People will want to talk, so you don’t want music that’s too distracting or loud. You want music that can fill the silence and has moderate energy. That way, no silence becomes unpleasant and people are free to talk as they like. Of course, if you want your party to focus on dancing and raving, you should go for some high-energy, easy-to-dance-to songs. In the end, it’s all up to your taste.
10) Preparation time
Always give yourself 25% more time than you expect to prepare for your party. You don’t want the party to take up your whole day, but you do want to give yourself some extra time in case something goes wrong or you take a little longer than you expected. This is a simple trick, but if you find you didn’t need that extra time, then you just have a few extra minutes to relax before the excitement begins.
