Throwing a party in your home

[Anonymous]

Water easily available is a good suggestion. People end up drinking more water than you think.

I once went to a party and there wasn't a trash can in the bathroom so I had to stuff my used pad and wrapper in my purse. Don't do that.

[Anonymous]

This is for a buffet style dinner party. Usually 30-50 people. I prefer this to having a smaller sit down dinner party, because this format works for a variety of people, and you can include new people in the mix.

- Have a place for people to park their coats and the hostess gifts. we have a study and put a portable coat hanging system there, and a table for the hostess gifts.
- Put a sign on the "powder room" and "basement" doors.
- Make your powderroom well-stocked. For our large crowd, we also make a hall bathroom, basement bathroom available and we put the sign there. Keep a spray to eliminate bad odors.
- Along with water, juice, booze, wine etc. I also make a pitcher or two of a signature cocktail for the party. Add alcohol for those who want it and omit it for those who want a mocktail. Offer the drink as soon as the guests arrive.
- Have the appetizers ready and tell your guests to dig in. I go heavy on appetizers and have a lot of variety. Label the food (veg, non-veg, allergens) if you have people with different food preferences
- Usually have the main dinner entrees and sides warming in chafing dishes. It takes around 2 hours for the food to be piping hot.
- Keep a folding table in the garage and basically empty out all counter tops and park gadgets and bowls of fruits there.
- Have different stations that are spread out. Drinks and appetizers can be in one area or room. Buffet in another. Desserts in yet another.
- Have multiple seating areas in your home and outdoors - family room, living room, patio, sunroom, etc.
- Comfortably lit areas. Places to put your drinks.
- If outdoors, make sure that you have made arrangement for shade, warmth, cool, mosquitos, rain etc.
- I hire a party lady who handles all the warming, replenishing, making some dishes, assembling dishes etc. Well worth the money.
- I prefer to not use disposable plates, drinkware and silverware. I understand many people won't do this because it is requires more effort.
- I have bussing trays that get used to pick up the dirty dishes and keep it out of sight (in the garage). It keeps the sink uncluttered.
- I use two ikea pop-up mesh laundry baskets as makeshift trash bins or recycling bins. Line them with multiple layers of trashbags, so that it can be removed as it fills without having to line it again.
- Have a tea-coffee station with a choice of teabags, creamer, sugar, stirrer etc. Use a plug in 20-30 cup coffee urn. Have disposable cups for hot beverages if you want.

[Anonymous]

Bodies heat up a room. Reduce the air by 5 degrees.

[Anonymous]

Trader Joe’s appetizers. We have served them to judges and techies alike. They get gobbled up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trader Joe’s appetizers. We have served them to judges and techies alike. They get gobbled up.

Judges and techies.. are techies at the bottom of your social hierarchy? Interesting.. 🤨

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is for a buffet style dinner party. Usually 30-50 people. I prefer this to having a smaller sit down dinner party, because this format works for a variety of people, and you can include new people in the mix.

- Have a place for people to park their coats and the hostess gifts. we have a study and put a portable coat hanging system there, and a table for the hostess gifts.
- Put a sign on the "powder room" and "basement" doors.
- Make your powderroom well-stocked. For our large crowd, we also make a hall bathroom, basement bathroom available and we put the sign there. Keep a spray to eliminate bad odors.
- Along with water, juice, booze, wine etc. I also make a pitcher or two of a signature cocktail for the party. Add alcohol for those who want it and omit it for those who want a mocktail. Offer the drink as soon as the guests arrive.
- Have the appetizers ready and tell your guests to dig in. I go heavy on appetizers and have a lot of variety. Label the food (veg, non-veg, allergens) if you have people with different food preferences
- Usually have the main dinner entrees and sides warming in chafing dishes. It takes around 2 hours for the food to be piping hot.
- Keep a folding table in the garage and basically empty out all counter tops and park gadgets and bowls of fruits there.
- Have different stations that are spread out. Drinks and appetizers can be in one area or room. Buffet in another. Desserts in yet another.
- Have multiple seating areas in your home and outdoors - family room, living room, patio, sunroom, etc.
- Comfortably lit areas. Places to put your drinks.
- If outdoors, make sure that you have made arrangement for shade, warmth, cool, mosquitos, rain etc.
- I hire a party lady who handles all the warming, replenishing, making some dishes, assembling dishes etc. Well worth the money.
- I prefer to not use disposable plates, drinkware and silverware. I understand many people won't do this because it is requires more effort.
- I have bussing trays that get used to pick up the dirty dishes and keep it out of sight (in the garage). It keeps the sink uncluttered.
- I use two ikea pop-up mesh laundry baskets as makeshift trash bins or recycling bins. Line them with multiple layers of trashbags, so that it can be removed as it fills without having to line it again.
- Have a tea-coffee station with a choice of teabags, creamer, sugar, stirrer etc. Use a plug in 20-30 cup coffee urn. Have disposable cups for hot beverages if you want.

Wowsers PP! Thanks a lot. I really appreciate the time you took in responding. I will have to save this and print it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is for a buffet style dinner party. Usually 30-50 people. I prefer this to having a smaller sit down dinner party, because this format works for a variety of people, and you can include new people in the mix.

- Have a place for people to park their coats and the hostess gifts. we have a study and put a portable coat hanging system there, and a table for the hostess gifts.
- Put a sign on the "powder room" and "basement" doors.
- Make your powderroom well-stocked. For our large crowd, we also make a hall bathroom, basement bathroom available and we put the sign there. Keep a spray to eliminate bad odors.
- Along with water, juice, booze, wine etc. I also make a pitcher or two of a signature cocktail for the party. Add alcohol for those who want it and omit it for those who want a mocktail. Offer the drink as soon as the guests arrive.
- Have the appetizers ready and tell your guests to dig in. I go heavy on appetizers and have a lot of variety. Label the food (veg, non-veg, allergens) if you have people with different food preferences
- Usually have the main dinner entrees and sides warming in chafing dishes. It takes around 2 hours for the food to be piping hot.
- Keep a folding table in the garage and basically empty out all counter tops and park gadgets and bowls of fruits there.
- Have different stations that are spread out. Drinks and appetizers can be in one area or room. Buffet in another. Desserts in yet another.
- Have multiple seating areas in your home and outdoors - family room, living room, patio, sunroom, etc.
- Comfortably lit areas. Places to put your drinks.
- If outdoors, make sure that you have made arrangement for shade, warmth, cool, mosquitos, rain etc.
- I hire a party lady who handles all the warming, replenishing, making some dishes, assembling dishes etc. Well worth the money.
- I prefer to not use disposable plates, drinkware and silverware. I understand many people won't do this because it is requires more effort.
- I have bussing trays that get used to pick up the dirty dishes and keep it out of sight (in the garage). It keeps the sink uncluttered.
- I use two ikea pop-up mesh laundry baskets as makeshift trash bins or recycling bins. Line them with multiple layers of trashbags, so that it can be removed as it fills without having to line it again.
- Have a tea-coffee station with a choice of teabags, creamer, sugar, stirrer etc. Use a plug in 20-30 cup coffee urn. Have disposable cups for hot beverages if you want.

Wowsers PP! Thanks a lot. I really appreciate the time you took in responding. I will have to save this and print it out.

Oh and by the way, your parties sounds fabulous. I would love an invite! Lol

[Anonymous]

If your guests will need a place to put coats or shoes, clean your own family’s items out of the hall closet / mud room to make space.

Remove extra clutter. Make all surfaces as empty as possible.

Sit in each chair and ask yourself where you would place your drink or food.

Plan your bar cart / buffet / table scape with post-it’s and walk it yourself and pretend to make a plate. Put things in the correct order. Plates first. Condiments after the item they are dressing. Silverware and napkins last. Plan food that’s easy to eat based on your plate size and seating availability.

If you don’t want to have a bartender or think it’s too pretentious, you can get a high school or college kid to walk around and pick up empty plates, refill the buffet, and offer people drinks. I do this for kid parties so I can focus on my guests.

[Anonymous]

Lots of food and drink in a place that is easy to get to (like, not in the refrigerator). And ideally located high enough up that kids aren't sticking their fingers in everything.

Also, a place to put either dirty dishes or used paper plates that is, again, easy to find and access.

When we were younger we did a lot of entertaining. The most important thing was actually to have enough people - first few parties were boring because we had too few. Lots of people makes a good party. A lot won't show up, so invite more than you actually want.

[Anonymous]

Don't obsess over cleaning, esp. floors if you're a shoes off house, clean when the party is over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trader Joe’s appetizers. We have served them to judges and techies alike. They get gobbled up.

Judges and techies.. are techies at the bottom of your social hierarchy? Interesting.. 🤨

The point (which may have been poorly made) was new money and old money alike enjoy them.

[Anonymous]

Start small! Your first party ever doesn’t need to be 75 people. Hopefully everyone that comes to your house is already your friend and will like you even if you run out of time to clean the baseboards

I am always happy to be invited to be invited anywhere and wouldn’t judge. That said, my pet peeve is when the towel in the bathroom gets totally soaking wet halfway thru the part and stays that way. So have extra towels nearby or hand towels or something. And toilet paper.

If you have enough food and drinks and enough lively people the keep conversation going, it will be a good time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is for a buffet style dinner party. Usually 30-50 people. I prefer this to having a smaller sit down dinner party, because this format works for a variety of people, and you can include new people in the mix.

- Have a place for people to park their coats and the hostess gifts. we have a study and put a portable coat hanging system there, and a table for the hostess gifts.
- Put a sign on the "powder room" and "basement" doors.
- Make your powderroom well-stocked. For our large crowd, we also make a hall bathroom, basement bathroom available and we put the sign there. Keep a spray to eliminate bad odors.
- Along with water, juice, booze, wine etc. I also make a pitcher or two of a signature cocktail for the party. Add alcohol for those who want it and omit it for those who want a mocktail. Offer the drink as soon as the guests arrive.
- Have the appetizers ready and tell your guests to dig in. I go heavy on appetizers and have a lot of variety. Label the food (veg, non-veg, allergens) if you have people with different food preferences
- Usually have the main dinner entrees and sides warming in chafing dishes. It takes around 2 hours for the food to be piping hot.
- Keep a folding table in the garage and basically empty out all counter tops and park gadgets and bowls of fruits there.
- Have different stations that are spread out. Drinks and appetizers can be in one area or room. Buffet in another. Desserts in yet another.
- Have multiple seating areas in your home and outdoors - family room, living room, patio, sunroom, etc.
- Comfortably lit areas. Places to put your drinks.
- If outdoors, make sure that you have made arrangement for shade, warmth, cool, mosquitos, rain etc.
- I hire a party lady who handles all the warming, replenishing, making some dishes, assembling dishes etc. Well worth the money.
- I prefer to not use disposable plates, drinkware and silverware. I understand many people won't do this because it is requires more effort.
- I have bussing trays that get used to pick up the dirty dishes and keep it out of sight (in the garage). It keeps the sink uncluttered.
- I use two ikea pop-up mesh laundry baskets as makeshift trash bins or recycling bins. Line them with multiple layers of trashbags, so that it can be removed as it fills without having to line it again.
- Have a tea-coffee station with a choice of teabags, creamer, sugar, stirrer etc. Use a plug in 20-30 cup coffee urn. Have disposable cups for hot beverages if you want.

Thank you for this list, especially the bolded. I do many of the things you recommend already but the pile of used dishes in the sink has always been a problem! I would never have thought to dump it all in the garage - can't wait to try this out at my next large gathering!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drinks where I can get them and water easily available.

In general, I am thrilled you have invited me over so relax and enjoy.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trader Joe’s appetizers. We have served them to judges and techies alike. They get gobbled up.

Judges and techies.. are techies at the bottom of your social hierarchy? Interesting.. 🤨

The point (which may have been poorly made) was new money and old money alike enjoy them.

Judges are automatically old money?