How to Have a Good Party
You have a big birthday, anniversary or graduation coming up, and only a fantastic party will do. Where should you start? What keeps a party from being dull? With a few key ingredients, you can throw the social event of the year!
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Things You'll Need
- Signature cocktail
- Assortment of appetizers
- Music
- Entertainment
- Photographer or disposable cameras
Instructions
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Create a diverse and interesting guest list. Make your initial guest list, then add a few more people who you may not think of immediately because they're not among your closest friends, but who will be entertaining additions. If you're stuck, try filling the list with people of varied careers or ethnic backgrounds. It's always interesting to hear about someone's life that is vastly different from your own.
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Create a signature cocktail for the party. It could be, for example, as simple as choosing a drink that is your guest of honor's favorite color. Martinis offer a great selection of colors like a purple grape martini or a green apple martini. (See Resources section for martini recipes.) Prepare enough of the drinks ahead of time so that you can give them out to guests as they arrive to help set a festive tone.
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Set up a buffet table filled with various appetizers, self-serve plates, silverware and napkins. Unlike a traditional sit-down dinner, this will maintain a party atmosphere people can continue to mingle while they eat. Look in any cookbook for easy and delicious appetizer recipes. Or have the party catered.
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Vary your music selections. Everybody likes something different, so keep it changing. Just remember to keep the volume at background level. You don't want your guests to have to shout to be heard.
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Arrange special entertainment as a tribute to your guest of honor, making the celebration both meaningful and special. If you're having the party in your home and have limited space and a tight budget, ask a talented guest in advance if they might prepare a special song or poem for the occasion.
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Get out the games. If your party is an intimate affair and the energy level is down, play a game like Taboo or Gestures to spice things up. Most people enjoy playing games, even if they are hesitant to participate at first. Plus, games are great for bringing together adults and children.
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Create memorable party favors with photos. Assign a guest or hire someone to take candid digital photos throughout the event. Later, sneak away and download the photos to your computer, print them out and stick one in a small album or frame for each guest. You can also place disposable cameras around the room and tell your guests to take pictures as they wish and keep the cameras.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure you have plenty of beverage options as varied as the food selections.
Fancy dress up events can be fun, but casual family affairs can be equally fun. Remember the key is creating a great compatabile guest list!
The best parties are filled with special, personalized moments, so it is not necessary to spend exorbitant amounts of money on forgettable fluff or bling.
If you do not have a photo printer, create photo slideshows and email them to guests at a later date.
Don't try to do everything yourself. Delegate to keep your sanity!
