As I’m getting ready for another meeting of wine club this weekend I started thinking about the things I always do to get ready for a party. I love hosting–maybe partly because it means I can see my friends without leaving my house and maybe because my parents were always the ones to host parties when I was growing up–and there are a few things that I find are essential to every party I throw, regardless of size. Some things are obvious and some are things I’ve forgotten before and only then did I realize they were essential.
The first and arguably most important part of any party is the guest list. I always have an open door policy at my parties. People are welcome to bring their friend or roommate or partner or sibling or the person who is crashing on their couch while they look for a job (hey, it’s DC, we’ve all been there). I try to originally invite a mix of people from different parts of my life so that they can all meet each other. This is really because I’m selfish and want an excuse to be able to mix my groups of friends at other times, but also because I know how hard it is to make friends in a new place. Even a place that seems full of young people like DC. So everyone is invited and everyone is invited to bring someone along if they so please.
Weirdly, the first thing I always forget is napkins. Obviously if you’re in a pinch and forget to grab napkins you can use paper towels but there’s just something about having napkins that go along with the theme of the party that pulls everything together in a small way. It’s such an easy thing to pick up at the grocery store too–I keep a big pack of white napkins in the cupboard because I know I always forget them and white napkins are infinitely better than paper towels.
Decorations and mood lighting. Depending on the type of party, decorations might be essential. Birthday parties just aren’t complete without balloons and a Happy Birthday banner. Theme parties usually need some decorations too–my friend Ally is the best at finding party decorations for a steal on Amazon, she’s even been known to buy her own balloons and bring them into the grocery store to get them filled with helium (a move that apparently confuses grocery store clerks but is brilliant). As for mood lighting, depending on the event I either go for candles or twinkle lights. I have twinkle lights up in my apartment all the time, so it’s just a matter of deciding to turn them on. I also may or may not have bought tea lights in bulk on Amazon, as well as citronella tea lights? If the weather holds up I’m planning on having this month’s win club outside in the courtyard and it turns out that I’m super allergic to the mosquitos here so citronella candles are a must. And it’s always a good idea to make sure your guests don’t get eaten alive too.
Drinks. This one probably seems obvious, but it’s definitely essential to have both enough drinks available and non-alcoholic drinks available. For wine night especially I always have a bottle of red, white, and rosé on hand so that people can have options. But I also fill a giant pitcher with water and have a few bottles of flavored sparkling water as well for people who don’t want to drink or don’t want to drink too much. This weekend I’ll also be making a big batch of my easy sangria, so I might not buy a bottle of red.
If you’re drinking (and even if you’re not) it’s also essential to have snacks. Don’t be an adult throwing a college party where everyone has to bring their own drinks and you don’t even provide snacks. Most people’s favorite party snacks are actually really easy. Chips, salsa, and guacamole are always a huge hit and honestly so easy to make. Please don’t buy store-made guacamole though. Love yourself more than that. Cheese plates are another easy party snack. You can make them as simple or elaborate as you want and they’ll always get rave reviews. A good cheese plate has a hard cheese and a soft cheese. That’s really the simplest way to start. Two cheeses that you pre-cut to make them more inviting (no one wants to be the first person to dig in), some cut up fruit (usually apples, pears, or grapes), a jam and a mustard, some crackers or sliced bread. Meat is optional but whenever I include it on a cheese plate it gets eaten so it’s usually worth grabbing a mixed pack at the meat counter. Some sort of dessert is also good. Cookies or chocolate or cake. Again, depends on the occasion.
If you’re having a party without a theme or a larger purpose (don’t get me wrong, I love parties for no reason so this is not shade), it helps to have backup activities. Just in case there’s a lull, or if all the friends you invited haven’t met before aren’t bonding like you thought they would. I have a game cupboard with small easy games that can be pulled out in case of an emergency. The best ones are Uno, Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, and Jenga. All super easy to learn (if for some reason the people you have over haven’t played Uno or Jenga before) and all lead to easy conversation points as well.
Finally, music. A good playlist is pretty essential to a good party. I love a good Spotify playlist or even just a playlist I make out of my own music on iTunes. I have a bluetooth speaker that I got as a gift that is perfect for parties. It holds a charge forever, is waterproof so I don’t worry about it being in the kitchen or outside, and portable so it can come along to outdoor events too. My three favorite types of party playlists are 90s throwbacks, jazz and related major throwbacks, and pop music. Honestly my yearly Spotify playlists can end up being a mash up of all three so I usually go with that but I also love finding playlists that others have made that are perfect for parties.
Do you have any party essentials that I missed? Let me know–I want to be throwing the best parties possible!
xoxo,
J
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