Partying in your home means a lot of fun, but it requires some preparation. How do you cope with the available space? How do you create the right atmosphere? Here are some ideas:
When you are planning a private party, it is advisable that you think about what you have to purchase and how you have to reorganise your rooms to comfort your guests.
Maximise your available space: shuffle with your furniture to open up space as much as possible. You could eliminate chairs and put pillows on the floor; it creates a cosy atmosphere and the living room table can act as the dining table. If you have a garden or a terrace, then open it up and make use of it. Make sure that there is sufficient light outside otherwise your guests won’t go there for long,
Provide cosy spots: allow your guests to cluster and have their conversations. Make cosy spots for 3-5 people; in this way they also will be able to swap places,
Put snacks/food into reach: make sure that everybody can get to the food that you supply and this without major manoeuvres. Spread it out over different places,
Organise the bar as a self-service point: anybody should be able to organise his/her own refill without having to ask you for assistance. It’s also your party!
Music: depending on the focus of the evening you might go for background music to facilitate conversation or you might throw in dancing music,
You might think about putting up a theme for your party. Why not inviting your guests on a specific theme like “Mexican”, “Chinese”, “Majorero”, etc and supply the relevant food and drinks? In turn they may dress themselves accordingly. Or, if available, a Spa may be the right requisite to a “Bubble - Party. Why not allowing your guests to cook one of their “specials” on your BBQ? It’s breaking up the rules in a funny way; it keeps your hands free for serving drinks or attending your guests in a better way.
In whatever way you want to please your guests, just keep it simple and cosy. It is better not to overdo it, but to do it frequently. Organising a party is not part of some social contest but the goal is to bring people together in an enjoyable way.
For very special occasions like weddings, corporate events, landmark birthdays and celebrations, you might decide to give out the trouble of organising to specialists. They know what to do and how to do it… and you will become your own prime guest! Special occasions deserve a special treatment after all…
Michel