How to Throw a Budget Housewarming Party

It was recently reported that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes threw a star-studded housewarming party at their newly renovated $35 million dollar estate in Beverly Hills. The guests in attendance, who wore formal cocktail attire, included a who's who of Hollywood's elite, from Brooke Shields to Oprah Winfrey. The party was held both indoors and outdoors with renowned celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck, catering the affair. They also had a full orchestra on hand outdoors that played big-band music throughout the night. The grounds were lit with white lights, as guests sat and enjoyed cocktails on white couches under heat lamps. To put it simply, Tom and Katie did not have to throw a budget housewarming party, but maybe you need a few tips on how to throw a more budget-friendly, but still fabulous housewarming party. Read on below for a few tips on how to have a nice housewarming party for not a lot of money.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Serving Trays
• Candles, Real and Faux
• Rented Tables
• Posters
• Easels
• Home Magazines
• Home Catalogues
• Silk Florals
• White Gift Bags

1. Moving into a new home is an exciting event, which makes it a fabulous reason to have a celebration. And you don't have to wait until all your boxes are unpacked before having people over for a housewarming. A housewarming is a celebration of your new home, not of your new furniture, drapes and decorating skills. People know the involvement and time it takes to move, so friends and family are more curious to see your new home more than your new furniture.
2. Display board. Not being completely unpacked and lacking a house full of furniture leaves the door open to having a creatively planned soiree. Display boards (thick poster boards) can be easily put together showing off magazine pictures of your room ideas. If you've ever watched HGTV's "Designer's Challenge" where competing interior designers display room decorating ideas to the homeowners, then that's the basic idea behind the display boards. One can be done for each room and placed on easels for guests to browse (easels can usually be rented at party stores). This is a nice feature that leaves a lasting impression on your guests.
3. Serving Table Set Decorate with candles. If you're having an evening housewarming party, you can decorate with candles in all different shapes and sizes and scatter them around the house for a nice warm glow, and softly lit effect. Tea light candles, candlesticks, votive candles, pillar candles and even battery operated candles are lovely when scattered throughout the house. Ideas for placement? Fireplace mantles, shelves, bathroom countertops, around your bathtubs, on serving tables and kitchen counters. You can get more bang for your buck with the candles by shopping for them at local dollars stores. Lit candles in the evening really illuminate your home and makes it elegant and beautiful-no matter how much you paid for them. Bonus tip: lighting silk floor plants with tiny white Christmas lights is also a nice added touch.
4. Decorate with silk florals. This is a simple and easy decorating idea for any serving table, dining table or kitchen countertop. Go to your local craft or discount store and get a multi-pack of narrow gift bags, preferably in white. Then from the floral aisle, pick out a few different silk floral stems, again, preferably in white. Simply put a floral stem in each bag and place them on your serving tables and kitchen countertops for a nice creative touch.
5. Serving table. Decorate tables. If you shop around, you can find serving tables for rent $7 to $10 a piece. Bistro tables, round tables and rectangle tables can be found for a minimal cost, and the white table linens are usually only a small fee more. The tables can be placed in each room with inexpensive serving trays, plates and napkins on each to encourage people to visit each room and look around. Placing the tea light candles and the homemade floral bags on the serving tables gave the tables an elegant flair.
6. A cd player or ipod with speakers playing your favorite jazz, smooth r&b, classical or whatever your taste in music can be tucked away in a corner playing your favorite music and setting the mood for the evening. But if you'd prefer live music at your housewarming event, there are still ways to achieve that while still keeping in line with your budget. Three words: school music programs. There is a wealth of talented musicians at both the high school and university levels. And because they have not yet reached professional status, student musicians can generally be booked at a fraction of the cost. Call the local schools in your area to inquire.
7. Create invitations. This is the final way to save lots of dough when planning a housewarming party or any other type of event. Get invitations online. Evite is one of the best online invitation services out there, and it's free. You can send out invitations, along with directions to the party, and your guests can RSVP and let you know whether or not they'll be in attendance. It's a fabulous service. Hopefully these few steps have shown that you don't have to have major celebrity money to throw a nice housewarming party or any party.

Who Can Help:

• Find Decorators & Designers Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.