Thursday, May 5, 2016

10 tips for hosting a great party

Today, we're talking parties! I love throwing a party and I've hosted my fair share… here are just three of my favourites.


C's Carnival was so.much.fun for the kids. A clown, face painting, carnival games, balloon animals, hot dogs and hamburgers did a good time make. 


A's Sunshine party was special with all the details and mayhem  but quite the crowd with 25 kids in a tiny backyard. 


And this girl's night I've thrown for the last couple holiday seasons is another fave for all the details. 



Here are a few of my favourite tips for a throwing a party.

1- Prep and organise your time- I usually do all my decorations (the cutting, the glueing and the doing) the week before so I just have to hang them up. (another tip is that I try to get the decorations up on the night before my kid's actual birthday so they wake up to a fun surprise). I make my costco, supermarket and party store list also and tackle them one at a time the week before. I also try to do as much as possible the day(s) before like the dips, skewers and veggies if I can. 

2- A signature punch or cocktail is a fun way to start the festivities. Like lemonade for a sunshine party or a champagne cocktail for a girls night or a rum punch for a pool party, the possibilities are endless and there are so many fun cocktail recipes out there. 

3- All white drinks-  I got this tip from Shay a while ago and I love it- especially at kid parties-- white drinks only- white grape juice, lemonade, wine wine. Only whites with the larger indoor parties with the littles running around. 

4- Cocktail napkins- If it's an evening in with friends or a party, I love me some fun cocktail napkins even if no other decorations are around. Oh and I love paper straws! 

5- Delegate-- I usually have a grandparent or a friend or two asking me to help. I am very good at assigning jobs and taking up people on the offer to help. I always help at my friends' parties and I don't mind the offer of a helping hand either at the party or before! If someone asks me to make a dish,  yes please! My friends are wonderful like this and I have often have a friend or two asking if I need help at the party- I usually put them to work passing around a platter or two. Also, if someone comes earlier than planned, let them help also. Most guests seem to love that. I also don't make everything for a party- I also buy some stuff!

6- Passing food around- I find that some guests can be shy and won't venture into the snack area so if I can, I try to pass a platter or two around. The food finishes so quickly. Works for me too as I won't have to pack lots of leftovers. 

7- Music, music, music-- I know this one seems obvious but I've been to a couple parties with no music. Even if it's a dinner party or a few friends coming over,  Google Play or even Youtube has lots of great playlists for every crowd if you don't have time to put together a playlist. 

8-Clean up your guest bathroom or powder room- Okay, this one goes without saying but with young messy kids with less than direct aim, I'm putting it out there anyways. Make sure your guest toilet is clean, the floors are swept, there's extra toilet paper in there,  enough hand soap and the sink is wiped. Midway through the party, I usually replace the hand towel(s) also. 

8- Photo taking- I take a few photos before of the decor and food and then I pass the camera or my phone to a friend to document the rest of the party- I'm usually too busy to take more pictures. 

9- Enjoy- Try not to tire yourself out! As the host yes, I try to make sure everything is set up and replenish when it needs to be but it's nice to sit and chat with a few friends when you can!

What are your favourite tips for hosting/party planning?

Linking up with Annie and Amanda.
Also linking up  with Salma, Raj and Nisha for the last Three Things Thursday even though it's not fully a three things post - though I cheated highlighting three parties. These amazing ladies (especially Salma) have changed the way I blog, always full of advice and understanding!

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8 comments:

  1. The tip to serve only white drinks is brilliant!!
    Evelina @ Fortunate House

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  2. Finding the time to really plan and create is my problem lol.

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  3. Really great tips! It's all about the details for me! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  4. I'll have to pull out these tips for Miller's birthday later this year; especially the only white drinks tip.

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  5. What fun theme ideas! And also great tips! It makes me want to host more parties :) Glad to have you linking up to 3 things thursday! It's what connected us xoxo

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  6. Prepping food etc ahead of time is so important to maximize time on the day of. I've made that mistake one to many times. lol

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  7. You are amazing and totally know you stuff. I wish I could just hire you but I suppose the tips will have to do.

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  8. what great ideas and tips! thanks for sharing sarita!

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Hearing from you makes me so happy!!

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