Entertaining 101

I love parties! Friends and family, food, something to celebrate, a theme, chatting, and more.

Since I am a natural planner, I adore planning parties too. I enjoy picking a theme, choosing a menu, inviting folks, and creating a place for people to celebrate, connect, and enjoy life together. Along the way, I have come up with some tips and tricks that are simple, but very effective.

Pick a day, theme, and invite your crew

I don’t like last-minute plans. Anticipation is one of my jams! I like to begin planning the party or event at least a month out. Think of the group of people, pick and day and time, and send out invitations ASAP so people can get your party on their calendar. Plan a menu (consider food allergies) or plan a potluck. Choose a theme if you like, as people like to know how to dress. From costume parties to pajama parties, give people a reason to wear something that’s been sitting in their closet.

Potlucks are always in style

Don’t sleep on a potluck! Unless you want to make all of the food yourself, curate a potluck and give people choices of what to bring. Heavy Appetizers is a fun menu, where people can grab a drink and mingle. Or pick a cookbook (Here is one of my favorites that has oodles of tips) and assign everyone a different type of dish (soup, salad, dessert) and you make the main dish. Making a sign-up or email chain is simple and takes some stress off you to prepare everything.

Or prep in advance

If you want to host a dinner party or something to celebrate your own birthday, treat your guests! Make what you can the day before, or prep ingredients. Be okay buying the cake from a local bakery, or order in some chicken nuggets and provide the charcuterie or salad bar. Choose a recipe that cooks in a crockpot or finishes in the oven so you’re not actively cooking at the stove. Desserts keep well in the fridge, so prep that beforehand and then pull out an icebox cake or mousse. Find a balance that works for you and how you want to spend your time.

Empty your dishwasher

My favorite tip of all is to make sure you have a clean, empty dishwasher. After the meal or during the party, folks will be happy to put their dishes in there when they are done with them. It makes cleanup easy at the end of the night, and you can just add soap and turn it on! We have a set of party dishes and silverware and white cloth napkins that we use for parties, and we just wash and reuse instead of using paper goods. BUT sometimes nice plastic plates and napkins makes clean up a breeze, so be sure to have that as an option so you’re not washing dishes by hand until midnight.

Enjoy yourself

I have a friend who hires a bartender for her parties. He helps with the drinks, clean-up, making sure the food is refilled, takes out the trash, etc. It’s a relief for her so she can enjoy the parties she hosts. If this isn’t an option, ask some of your best friends or fmaily members to help with little tasks. They’ll be happy to help you, and be that friends when you go to their party. Stop to take pictures, and be sure to have a chance to chat with all of your friends and family.

Keep these things in mind, and I hope some of these tips help you with your party planning. The week before your party, be okay with take-out, or simple meals. For planning products, consider some organizational notepads for the busy weeks. This is my favorite social meal planner for busy people that I use weekly, and this one is great for busy weeks with errands, appointments, and planning out what to cook on what day for your big party.

Cheers!