Whether you’ve just moved into a new place up the road or gone and bought your first property, throwing a housewarming party once you’ve moved in is one of the most exciting parts of the process. The key to a successful and timely housewarming party is to keep it simple and focus on your guests. It can be hard to put together a creative and fun housewarming party when the move has already drained some of your savings. But housewarming parties don’t have to be expensive! Here’s how to successfully pull off a housewarming party without blowing your budget.
INVITATIONS
The first step in organising a housewarming party is planning the invitations. Nobody’s expecting a fancy wedding quality invitation here, so a simple note on some textured paper (either printed or handwritten) will suffice in being both elegant and cheap. Alternatively, make use of technology and organise a Facebook event or invite friends via email.
Remember to carefully consider your guest list and not invite everyone you want to immediately show your home to. You don’t want to overcrowd your home, and you also want a good mix of people so that everyone can enjoy themselves! It’s not necessary to invite your entire friendship circle, your home isn’t going anywhere and there’ll always be time to have everyone over.
DECORATIONS
What’s a party without decorations? They’re half the fun! In the case of a housewarming you can get away with less decorating, as your guests are coming out to check your new place and don’t need a lot of excessive distractions getting in the way. Themes are easily implemented by purchasing solid coloured napkins and a few balloons to match. If you want to go all out, having a fancy dress code is a good way to inject some colour and excitement into your housewarming party without going crazy on decor.
If your housewarming falls around the same time as a holiday season like Christmas, there’s nothing wrong with bringing out the Santa and reindeer decorations a little early. This will just get people in the giddy festive mood, and take the hassle and pressure out of planning another theme.
FOOD AND DRINK
The great thing about housewarming parties is that guests don’t expect a full meal or carefully planned menu. They understand that you’re not likely to have settled in yet, so a simple offering is all that is required. Stick to finger foods for easy clean up and preparation, and that way your guests get to mingle and nibble at the same time. If you throw your party earlier than dinnertime, guests won’t be expecting a full meal anyway.
Ensuring you keep snacks such as dips and chips around the place is also a good idea so that your guests won’t have to go searching for food, and everyone can keep full and busy while socialising.
Alcohol and other beverages can be rather pricey and everybody has different tastes, so stick with a few solid options (soft drink, juice, wine, and beer), and offer a couple of signature cocktails that are easy to make if you’re feeling fancy. You may even consider a punch bowl or sangria bowl. Your guests might bring you wine as a housewarming gift, and if you’re feeling brave you can even request for people to bring alcoholic drinks as gifts for the party.
SEATING
Your home may not be fully set up yet, but it’s important to ensure that for your party you have plenty of seating space and areas where people can perch themselves and their drinks. Ottomans, crates, and stools all provide additional options.
A housewarming is the best opportunity to host a simple, cosy get together with those you care about most – where everyone understands that you’ve just moved in and haven’t had the time to plan a perfect party. Enjoy the company, take some time off the business of moving, and most of all, enjoy your new home!
