"Cater-Hater" - 1 new article
One of the first things that will to help you with how to get your house ready for a party is if you plan ahead. But for some people laying out plans can lead to less stress. Look on the bright side.
Try to get everything accomplished without being stressed out. And, try to look at planning a party as something that can be a fun time.
Let's get started.
One to two weeks before your party, jot down a list of what you'll have to do to get your house organized. Then, do one or two chores everyday right up until the day of your party.
Get your house clean and ready
The first thing you want to do is vacuum, dust, and tidy up. Remove dirty dishes from the sink, and throw out old news papers and magazines. Make room in your refrigerator for the food that you'll need to buy for your party, but the inside of your refrigerator doesn't have to necessarily be cleaned from top to bottom. Your guests probably won't look inside your refrigerator, unless you tell them to. Nor will they probably look inside your clothes hamper, dishwasher, or your closets, either.
Make sure your house smells good. Spritz your upholstery with linen spray. And, don't forget to make your bed. To make your bed look beautifully made and nice and crisp, iron your pillow cases and the top portion of the sheet that's exposed above the bedspread. This is an old photo-shoot trick.
Put away your personal things
Don't suspend disbelief, thinking that people aren't snoopy because they are, especially when it
comes to bedrooms and bathrooms. Knowing this is true, prepare for the worst and put everything that you don't want seen (and talked about) away.
Tidy your bathroom
Put out your pretty cotton guest towels and get ready to party. People don't like to be the first to mess up perfect-looking towels, so, as nutty as it might sound, crumple them up a little before your guests arrive. It's up to you to decide for yourself, but for a small gathering of friends, a fresh bar of soap seems more gracious than a pump. A wonderful specialty brand of bar soap is Santa Maria Novella's Pomegranate. It smells delicious.
Create a beautiful ambiance
People gathered together for an evening party seem to like the main room to be somewhat dark and mysterious looking. So, skip the overhead lighting and just use candles if you can get away with it, without it being a fire hazard. If you must have electric lighting, use table lamps, floor lamps, hanging lamps, and then add a few candles. The main thing is that you should aim for pockets of low light. You can swap out unflattering energy-efficient light bulbs for 25-watt incandescent bulbs that will give your rooms a warm glow. Another interesting looking way to dim the lights is to cover your lampshades with pretty scarves. Doing this can really add a special look to the room.
Stop and smell the fragrant flowers
Don't be like most people - don't buy flowers without having a good sense of where you'll put them or what you'll put them in. Having a direction to take your party decor flower aesthetic is important. Shop with a specific vase in mind. For example, if you have a big crystal vase that you like to use for your dining room table, an armful of peonies might look beautiful. In your bud vases on your side tables, use something different, like a single poppy stem. Use a small cluster of fragrant hyacinths in a pretty cup in your bathroom. And keep this in mind, flowers are like food, they're seasonal. So be mindful of what's in season.
Raise your bar high
When your guests arrive and walk into your home, there's nothing more welcoming than for them to see than a full bar all set and ready for cocktail-making, along with a plentiful tray of hors d'oeuvres sitting next to it. Put out the essentials - liquor, glasses, a bucket of ice, and lemon and lime slices - then your guests will be free to serve themselves, even if you're serving a signature cocktail prepared in advance. Be sure to stock up on nice cloth or paper cocktail napkins and avoid coasters. Cloth or paper napkins aren't as pretentious and uptight as coasters.
Good luck. I hope everything goes well for you. Have a great party!
This is a good read for anyone having a party. It would make our jobs easier as event planners to arrive to a home that is prepared and ready to go!
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