Hosting a Hip Bash

Let’s be perfectly clear, your definition of hip may be (and most likely is) different from mine, but if you’re planning a party of any sort, most if not all of these tips and pointers may come in handy.

Casual parties aren’t much of a common thing anymore. In today’s terms, a party is a few crazy teenagers preparing to get together to get completely drunk. People don’t have cocktail parties, fondue parties, key parties (that’s right, I’m adding that factor to this post), or even barbecues often anymore. It used to be that whenever there was some event even a miner one, everyone got together with one another. Family friends came together for children’s birthdays, there would be celebrations for work achievements, etc.

Well, at least you are able to turn things around.

Putting Things in Order

The hardest part is planning. If you live with someone else, you need to make sure that you have a time where you can use the desired portion of the house. You need to decide how many guests/couples you’d like to have, and you need to make a list of these people, with back-up in case some can’t arrive.

Set a date, and a time length for your party. It’s more comfortable when there is a set ending time, and even if you want a few friends of yours to stay longer, it’s all right to have them stay longer, without a huge group of other people with you. Make sure it’s a reasonable time/date. I would suggest not do plan something on a long weekend where people may be traveling, or busy. Also, be careful with the time. Some people may have school or work the next morning. Also, the timing should be appropriate for the event. Example, if you plan a cinema party, and the film is 90 minutes long, add another 30-50 minutes for mingling, and waiting for guests to arrive before the film totalling about two and a half hours or so. Don’t drag it out, after watching the film, your guests may be more tired from sitting in the dark for that long, and conversation will be weak after that. Also, if you try to slap on some more time before the film, guests will just be waiting around for the movie to begin, getting bored.

When you invite people, don’t invite people you’ve had trouble handling before. Some people just don’t dig parties with calmer settings, and they may want to run wild to ‘liven’ the party. Also, don’t refrain from inviting people you hardly know. That way you’ll be able to get to know them, parties aren’t restricted to close friends.

Make sure you plan every aspect of the party before you even do the inviting. Depending on what group of people you mix with, you may want to set a dress code, that should be noted when you invite them. Also, you’ll need to know what sort of things you’ll need to buy for the event. From drink mix and snack foods, to music or even decorating materials, you don’t want to have to make multiple trips to the store. Make sure you have every ingredient for every cocktail/drink you are planning to make.

A few things that should be thought of as key points: Music, Entertainment, Drinks, and Snacks. Music and entertainment may go hand in hand, but you should have one set event or theme to centre your party around. Not all people like parties that just consist of talking and mingling. Watching films, dancing, mixing cocktails, et cetera. This is where you can be creative. Remember: You’re never too old for a birthday party. After a certain age, people start dreading birthdays, but, think of it as a way to throw a great party and get a few gifts in return!

Also, if you are going to allow, or encourage smoking, tell guests before hand. Now days, it isn’t a widely excepted thing, and as you know restaurants and public places don’t even allow it. So, some of your guests may not be very fond of smoking, and instead of having them come and be disgusted, make sure they know before hand.

The Looks

You don’t need to excessively decorate, but a bare room is boring too. Table cloths, and serving dishes are more important than you’d think. You shouldn’t just open a bag of chips and set it on the table- pour it into a bowl. Use matching glasses or a similar set of glasses for drinks. Depending on what the primary snack is (if any) set it in the centre of the table. (Example: a Cake, a fondue pot, etc.) Be creative with this part, there are so many things you can make.

The lighting is also important. An ordinary lit room makes it seem less like an actual party. Black lighting can be fun, colour lighting, and temporary lighting (dim light that is easy to turn down/off) if you’re planning to watch a film.

If you are planning to dance, make sure the furniture is moved out of the way enough for every guest to have room. Also, plan ahead to make sure you have music that is easy to dance to. Either have a ‘disk jockey’ change the records/tapes/CDs out for you while everyone is dancing (or do that yourself), make a mix tape/CD, or settle on a few albums that have constantly easy to dance to tunes.

If you do watch a film, make sure that there is enough comfortable places to view the motion picture. If you have more guests than you do seats, just throw around as many pillows as you can find, and lay down a rug if it isn’t a carpeted flooring area. (If you were to set out blankets rather than pillows, just remember that it entitles your guests to get erotic with each other, especially if they come as couples.)

Inspect where you are planning to host the party. If anything seems doomed to break during the event, move it out before anyone arrives. Also, make sure to keep the coats/shoes/purses in a different area than where the party is going on.

Make sure you are prepared to clean afterwards. You don’t have to put plastic on the sofa, or the carpet, just locate the party in a room that’s easy to clean. There will most likely be spills.

Make sure you know how to dance, if you host a dance party. Because dancing isn’t a common party even anymore, you may need to be the one to start the group out. Otherwise, you’ll all just be sitting there, listening to tunes, wondering if anyone is going to do anything, and when the party ends.

Also, learn how to mix drinks before hosting a cocktail party. There are wonderful recipes online and in recipe books for you to chose from.  These are some of my favourite. This website groups the drink recipes by decade. At a cocktail party, make sure that your guests have a way to get home afterwards.

Make sure you evaluate every aspect of your party, looks (decorating), food/drink, entertainment, sound (music), guests (how well they will get along and interact), duration, and anything else you can think of. Have back up plans, especially in case your guests seem to become bored. It is hard to capture the attention of large sums of people for an extended period of time.

Do your part as a host/hostess. Dress up (suitable enough for your dress code) and be there for your guests. Stay calm, and in control of the situation. If you decide to drink, be careful not to become intoxicated. Make sure your appearance is represented in such a way that everyone knows that you are in control of the situation.

Afterwards

After ending the party, you should wish your guests a good night and a good evening, and start by putting the food items away. If there was any stains or messes that happened during the party and weren’t already cleaned, clean them immediately so they don’t set in.

Then, depending on how late it is, or if you asked some of your friends to stay longer or not, you should clean the rest up. Clean dishes, floors, put things away, and return everything back into its normal position. This is the worst part about hosting, but if you turn on some music it goes by in no time.

If you share a home with someone, like your family or a roommate, they will appreciate it if you clean up after yourself completely.

 

I’m sorry if some of my suggestions seem out of date, my lifestyle and choice of party styles may be different than yours.

Avoir un grand temps!