Easy Guide to Party Hosting for Effortless Entertaining
Inside: Stress less over entertaining with this ultimate guide on how to host a party, from food and drinks to decor, themes, and cleaning!
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Having people over is something I naturally love to do, but I know everyone doesn’t feel the same way. As much as you want to host your friends (or feel obligated to if you never do), you may feel paralyzed by thoughts like, “What do I serve?” “How do I decorate?” Or even “What do I actually have to clean to make my house look presentable?”
Entertaining at home doesn’t have to be scary! To help calm that hosting overwhelm and stress, I’ve put together this roundup of entertaining blog posts as a roadmap for everything you need to pull off a successful soiree with tried-and-true hosting tips, possible party themes, and recipe ideas!
1. Entertaining Tips for Any Occasion.
The Basics of Hosting.
First off, my comprehensive Entertaining 101 Guide for the Home Hostess post breaks down the basics of the planning process for every successful party into four areas:
- Food: How much food to have, plus tips on what kinds to serve depending on your type of gathering.
- Drinks: Which alcohol and mixers to stock and how much to buy based on the number on your guest list.
- Engagement, Entertaining, and Flow: A good host will take a few minutes to plan the right atmosphere for mingling to ensure everyone has a good time. This may be as simple as creating natural conversation areas for old friends, or ice breaker activities for new friends.
- Comfort: Predicting and planning for guests’ needs and making them feel comfortable.
I also have this Party Planning Checklist post and a free printable to help you stay organized and stress-free. It breaks down every step, from four weeks out to the big day.
Be Ready for Overnight Guests.
If your gathering involves hosting friends or family overnight, make their stay as comfortable as possible. My post on “How To Prepare for Overnight Guests” details guest room ideas and essentials for the bedroom and bathroom to make overnight visitors feel comfortable, welcome, and even pampered. This complete list covers everything from bedding to tech items, and even a personal touch or two thrown in for good measure. (Plus, it’s a great time and excuse to get your guest bedroom in order, instead of it being a dumping ground for storage and your old stuff.😂)
2. Delicious Party Recipes That Are Always a Hit
One of the most important parts of hosting party guests? You’ve got to have good food. And with all the other tasks to take care of, the food and drinks must:
- Have minimal food prep.
- Appeal to most taste palettes.
- Be able to sit at room temperature without getting hard, watery, or anything else equally unappetizing.🤢
This roundup of party easy food and drink ideas from over 35 of my recipe posts check all of these boxes for almost any type of party. Finger foods, delicious dips, yummy desserts, signature drinks, and even ideas for the main course and sides—every one of these dishes are tried and true hits at parties and gatherings.
SH&H Tip: Instead of the standard charcuterie board, charcuterie letters or numbers are a great way to bring a party theme to the food buffet. See how in the post “Easy DIY Charcuterie Letter and Number Boxes for Any Occasion“.
3. Decor and Party Theme Ideas.
Themed parties can transform a good party into a great party. A theme gives any gathering a fun vibe with festive decor, and the opportunity to match party activities and good music to the theme of your party. Plus, even though some people will moan and groan, mandating a theme dress code is always an easy way to get them to loosen up and enjoy themselves!
Party decorations don’t have to be elaborate. Focusing on where people will gather will make minimal decor go a long way—the dining table for a dinner party, or the food buffet area for a cocktail party or birthday bash.
Party Themes.
Here are a few party theme ideas from the blog that are some of my most popular posts on Pinterest!
80’s Themed Party.
Since the eighties were my decade (go class of ’83!), I’ve had a couple of 80’s parties—including my 50th birthday party at our house. In the post, “The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Totally Tubular 80s Party” I share everything you need to throw an unforgettably fun eighties party complete with decoration, food, cocktail, invitation, music, and activity ideas!
Margaritaville Themed Party.
What do you get when you cross a Hawaiian beach luau with a Mexican fiesta?
A Margaritaville theme party and double the fun!
It’s colorful. It’s festive. It’s like you’re on vacay in Cabo. What party guest wouldn’t want to be transported for a few hours with a drink in their hand and their toes in the sand? (cue the steel drums…)
I love this fun party theme so much, I’ve also given it twice. (And maybe because I had a massive amount of tropical and Mexican party decorations from other events.)
In the post “Throw the Ultimate Margaritaville Party” you’ll find tons of ideas for decorating, food, cocktails, music, party favors, and more for any Margaritaville, tropical, summer, beach, Jimmy Buffet, or Havana Nights theme parties.
Golf Themed Party.
My ex-husband is in a fun group of 30-40 guys who have their own long-standing annual tournament dubbed the “Ryder Cup”, so I’ve done a few golf-themed parties when we hosted the pairings party at our house. One time I made it a full-out Caddyshack theme, and requested that the guests dress up in something related to golf or the movie, not expecting much participation. Boy, for people that hate to dress up, they were totally into this one. It really brought out the fun side in some of them!
You can see lots of fun decoration inspiration good for any golf, Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore, or Masters theme party, plus food and drink ideas in the post “PAR-TEE Time: Ideas for a Golf Themed Party“.
Disney Movie Theme Dinners.
And here’s one for the kids/whole family—I was so enchanted with the Disney dinner and movie theme nights my niece was creating for her two boys that I had to do a post on them. Talk about memories in the making!
If you love Disney as much as my family does and you love a theme party, you’ll enjoy checking out these cute Disney movie night ideas even if you don’t have small children.
Tablescape Theme Ideas.
If you’re having a party centered around a sit-down meal, here are a handful of table decorating theme ideas from the blog:
Patriotic Table Decor.
How to Create a Stylish and Sophisticated 4th of July Tablescape That Pops
What if the folksy Americana flair that’s sold in the stores for the Fourth of July doesn’t fit your style? I’m showing you how I set an elegant table that’s patriotic without the kitsch.
New Year’s Eve or Gatsby Table Decor.
How to Set a Sparkling New Year’s Eve Tablescape with Black and Gold Glam
Ideas for a dazzling table with Art Deco flair for New Year’s Eve or a Gatsy party in glitzy, glamorous black and gold.
Mother’s Day Table Decor.
Beautiful Blue and White Mother’s Day Brunch Table
Set the stage for a Mother’s Day brunch with this beautiful blue and white tablescape that uses easy decor from the around the house and special details to make the day with your favorite moms unforgettable.
Easter Theme Table Decor.
Easy Easter Tablescape: Splendid Spring in Pink and Green
Are you hosting an Easter dinner? Check out these spring table ideas with lively pink and green that sing “Easter celebration”. Plus tips for table setting pieces everyone should have in their stash.
Halloween Theme Table Decor.
Create an Elegant Halloween Dining Room that’s Spooky Chic
Create this spooky chic Southern Gothic themed dining table and sideboard by combining vintage or thrifted items with cheap Halloween decorations.
Mardi Gras Theme Table Decor.
30 Ways to Create a Festive Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Table
Want to let the good times roll for a special dinner? Here are 30 things you can use to make a fun, colorful, and inexpensive Mardi Gras tablescape.
4. Cleaning and Preparing the House.
There’s a good chance your house will be far dirtier after a bunch of people spend a few hours in it, so you should never spend too much time and effort doing a deep cleaning before a big party.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t clean at all—in fact, it’s a must that your home should look clean and welcoming. Not only will it make your guests feel more comfortable, you’ll be thanking yourself by the end of the night for that little bit of time you took to do some minimal cleaning and organizing. The stress of the sink being piled high with dirty dishes when guests arrive might just ruin the whole party for you.
So what to focus on so you don’t wear yourself out? I’ve put together a shortlist of the 10 essential party cleaning tasks that you shouldn’t skip before your gathering begins. This post has tips for making the house look tidy by focusing only on the rooms guests will be in (usually the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room). Plus a few ideas for conveniences to add while you’re cleaning to make guests feel comfortable—like fresh hand towels, a designated area for coats and purses, and easy-to-find empty trash cans.
Your next party doesn’t have to be stressful—with a little planning, good food, and some simple decor, you’ll be ready to welcome friends with confidence. And once the party starts, you’ll be able to focus on the people and having a good time with them!
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