Party Hosting 101

From guest business owner & blogger
LUXE Events DC                           

So you’ve decided to host a bash for you and your friends. Swanky downtown loft apartment? Check. Delicious tapas? Check. Martini glasses and some Stoli? Check and check. So far you have most of the elements put in place but you still have some work to do before you can proclaim yourself the perfect party host. Follow these 3 easy tips and you’ll be ready to host a successful cocktail party.


1.  Be Prepared
Have you ever showed up at a friend’s house for a party and they just weren’t ready yet? You know the friend I’m talking about. They mumble about how the highball glasses are still in the dishwasher and awkwardly ladle store bought cheese dip into a plastic bowl as you stand there. A frantic and unprepared host makes everyone uneasy. Be prepared for your friends to arrive! Have the martini glasses arranged on the table by a bucket of ice. Keep your liquor chilled and have an array of mixers presented in unique pitchers. As for food, keep selections warm in the oven already in their serving trays. Your friends will be impressed with your graceful presentation and will assume that you are a top chef master when they see you taking food out of the oven.
     2.  Keep the Crickets Away
Silence has it’s place in the world, but silence does not belong at your cocktail party. Create atmosphere and purpose by creating a playlist on your iPod in advance. Start things off with some lounge style tunes so when people arrive they can mingle and chat without being distracted with blaring beats or lyrics. If you want to add energy to your party play some hits that everyone should know the lyrics to. A great way to hear some new tunes is to ask your friends to bring their own iPod playlists! Soon enough your friends will be moving and grooving the night away.
    3.   Stir Things Up
Hosting a cocktail party is like making risotto, you have to constantly stir to get great results. As host it’s your job to get people to mix and mingle, but it’s not always easy. You don’t want your friends to feel too set up by saying, “Joe, meet Melissa you two have a lot to talk about”. Now Joe and Melissa feel awkward. Joe and Melissa will talk about work and weather and they will wonder what exactly they have to talk about. Instead think of one or two interesting facts about your friends and mention these things when introducing others. For example, “Joe, have you met my friend Melissa? She owns a bakery over on 14th street. Joe just came back from a cooking trip in France. Maybe he’ll tell you the secret of the true French croissant.”  This way each person understands what exactly they have in common and can carry on an interesting conversation.
Once you use these 3 easy tips not only will you have thrown a successful cocktail party but you will have earned your A+ in party hosting 101!