What makes a party so great is taking the time to enjoy the guests and knowing that they went home speaking about how wonderful of a time was had by all! Entertaining guests can happen with a lot of class and ease if you follow a few simple steps.
Making certain you have enough time to plan ahead is essential. About six weeks is needed to properly plan for a successful party. Making a guest list, designing the invitations, planning the food and drink that you will serve, and shopping is next. Planning a party scheme with colors to be used ahead of time can help when you shop for napkins, plates and cups. Choose foods and recipes that don’t require so much last minute time in the kitchen cooking.
When planning appetizers, it’s always best to make smaller bite sized items that people can still enjoy while mingling and talking. Finger foods work great and having a server go around passing things out can help. Having plenty of small tables around the rooms will help guests flow more naturally through the rooms without congesting one table.
Go with a mixed variety of foods. Hot and cold foods will both be needed as well as some choices for vegetarians. Fruit trays and vegetable trays with dips are always enjoyed by many guests. Keep food temperatures in mind and put chilled foods on smaller trays and replenish from the refrigerator as they get low to keep things from going bad. Chafing trays, crock pots and heating plates can be used for hot foods. Don’t forget the sweets! Cookies, brownies, and bakery goods are always good to have for those with a sweet tooth! Of course, nuts, chips, pretzels, dips and crackers and cheese are clearly a win over with guests.
Beverages are an important part of party planning. Most guests will consume 2 drinks per hour during the first couple of hours and about 1 per hour after that. Always be sure to have a good stock of ice on hand for refreshing ice buckets.
Your party does not have to cost a lot of money to be successful. Planning in advance, preparing in advance, and entertaining is essential to making sure all have a great time and this is the party that is successful!