Party People to the rescue!

It seems that people out there were listening, and have started sending some event questions to us for expert help! Hooray!


Dear Party People!
I'm going to be hosting a house-warming party in a few months, and I would love for it to be fabulous but inexpensive.  I'm quite a good cook (if I do say so myself), and would love to cater it, myself.  Also, I'm not much for decorations... and shouldn't the apartment speak for itself? It IS a housewarming, after all!  How do you suggest I proceed?
=Thanks for the help!
Sincerely,
Welcome to my Home

Dear Welcome to my Home,
Congratulations on moving in to a new apartment! People love any excuse to attend a party, so a housewarming is a great way to show off your new digs and visit with friends whom you may not get a chance to see very often. It's best to host an open house (no pun intended) for this kind of event, so people can come and go as they please and your apartment is less likely to be filled to the brim with guests for the whole time.

In terms of decorating, you're absolutely right - your home should speak for itself since that's what people are there to see! If you want to have a theme (luau, toga, whatever) by all means go ahead, but don't feel like you have to do anything extra to dress your home up. Decorate your apartment as you want to live in it, and let people get a feel for your personal style and taste. If you have the budget, it's nice to place a few bouquets of fresh flowers around the party area (and especially the bathroom) to make it extra-homey. TIP: buying flowers wholesale and creating arrangements yourself will save a bundle.

Fabulousness comes from the warmth of the host, and making sure that your guests don't go hungry or thirsty, so catering is extremely important. Doing it yourself will save you the most money but cost you the most time. If you're short on time, a good and relatively inexpensive option is to order catering trays from your local grocery store or deli. If you're up for doing the work yourself, we recommend creating lots of finger foods so you don't have to provide utensils (which will end up all over your new floor). Some classic options are a crudité platter (veggies and dip), a cheese plate with fruit and crackers, deviled eggs, and shrimp cocktail. Some slightly more unusual choices are marinated chicken or beef skewers, soup shots in dixie cups (or shot glasses if you have enough), stuffed mushrooms, and caramelized bacon bites. You can dress this kind of food up (foie gras bites) or down (bowls of chips) to fit with your hosting style. TIP: Websites like epicurious.com, marthastewart.com, and foodnetwork.com have great search functions to find recipes that will let you show off your cooking skills. We like to try to provide at least one meat, chicken, and veggie option to cover most dietary restrictions. TIP: Calculate 5 appetizers per person per hour. So if you are hosting an open house from 5-9pm and inviting 20 people, 20 people x 4 party hours x 5 appetizers = 400 pieces. Also, be sure to save some trays of food for guests who may come at the later end of the party.

And don't forget the drinks! Have a few bottles of non-alcoholic sodas or juices on hand for pregnant ladies and teetotalers, but otherwise plan to serve wine and beer. If you want to serve something harder, we recommend making a special cocktail for the event (the Homewrecker?) and offering just that one option to save on expensive alcohol costs. TIP: Assume that your guests will drink two drinks per hour for the first two hours they are at the party, and one drink per hour thereafter. And don't forget the cocktail napkins!

A last word on gifts: Housewarming parties came about because new homeowners didn't have have many of the items they might need or want for their new pad, so it was common for guests to bring mixing bowl sets, candleholders, and other items you now more commonly see as wedding gifts. If you are hosting the party with the intention of receiving these items we certainly hope you get them, but you are much more likely to receive candles and bottles of wine. If you already have everything you need, just add a line at the bottom of your invitation (Evite or email is perfectly acceptable for this kind of event) that says: "No gifts, please."

We wish you happiness and prosperity in your new home!

Happy partying,
Party People