Evenings with your spouse are comfortable and familiar, but wouldn’t it be fun to try hosting a dinner party for your friends and family? The same routine of sitting at the table or on the couch and watching TV with your significant other while you eat can get a little stale. If you’re looking for a new way to switch it up, have your favorite people over for a laid-back party!
Hosting for Beginners
If you’ve never hosted a party before or have hosted an event that turned into a disaster, we’ll get you heading in the right direction—away from disaster and toward success. The first step is determining where you’re going to host the party. For first-time hosts, we recommend holding the event at your house, since you’re already familiar with the layout. If anything goes wrong or something gets spilled, you’ll know where to find the tools to fix the problem. The next step to organizing a party is to identify how many guests you’re going to have over. Call or text everyone you want to invite at least a week out to get an accurate head count. You might want to send a reminder text the week of the event, too.
Next, you’ll want to figure out what your budget is and if your party is going to have a theme. The budget will influence your theme, because you’ll know how much you can spend on décor, food, etc. If you don’t want a specific theme, have everyone over for a more casual gathering! You can now pick what dishes you want to serve and if you’ll be cooking or having the event catered. If you’re cooking, pick a dish that isn’t too complicated, so you won’t stress out in the kitchen an hour before the party.
Here are some recommendations for easy dishes for hosting:
- Spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread
- Lasagna and roasted vegetables
- Baked potatoes with all the fixings
- Street tacos with rice and beans
Check out these options for more ideas. If you’re afraid of cooking for that many people, there’s no shame in catering! People will be happy as long as their bellies are full.
Now that you’ve got the food squared away, you can decide on a form of entertainment. There are lots of options for entertaining your guests, from fun games to shows, movies, music, and conversation.
Having Fun While Hosting
Choosing what form of entertainment you’re going to provide for your guests will depend on what you think your guests might like.
Some fun activities to do with your guests include:
- Board or card games
- Charades or Pictionary™
- A photo booth (you can typically find one for rent from a local event center, or make your own!)
- Outdoor games (bean bag toss, ladder ball, bocci ball, giant Jenga™, horseshoes, etc.)
If you’re thinking about having fun without games, put on some music in the background and encourage everyone to just talk and have fun. Enjoy the night with one another. Get all caught up with what’s new in each other’s lives. If it’s been a while since you have all seen each other, conversation might not come as fluidly as it has before. Here are some great conversation starters.
As the night goes on and the food is served, people will relax and start to mingle more easily. When this stage of the night arrives, you can start to calm yourself down—you’ve done it! Now you can have fun, too, so fix yourself a plate and enjoy. Take it all in and appreciate the awesome party you’ve thrown. From here on, it’s smooth sailing. Check on your guests now and then to make sure they’re happy. If they need refreshments or snacks, put some out on a central table or the counter. People will serve themselves whenever they need a beverage or something salty.
Toasting to Hosting
When the night is coming to a close and the conversation is dying down, make a toast to everyone. Thank them all for coming and contributing to a memorable evening. After the toast, slowly turn the music down and maybe even dim a few of the lights. People will start to get sleepy or check the time and realize it’s late. As they start to filter through the door, thank them individually for joining the fun evening.
When all of your guests have left and the room is empty, you can choose whether to clean up that night or the following morning. Whatever your decision, make sure that any food or beverages are put away and refrigerated. Now you can get ready for bed and check hosting a successful party off your to-do list. If it went so well that you’re considering hosting another event in the upcoming months, check out this detailed article about hosting a fancier dinner party. Happy hosting!
You might find your conversational skills are lacking as you’re focusing on making the night enjoyable for everyone. If you’re zoning out while talking to your friends and having trouble paying attention, try improving your active listening skills by reading this blog.
