Moving into a new home is exciting for you, your family and your friends! It is a fresh start and the next chapter of your life. Having a housewarming party is a great way to bring everyone together and show them your new home and all its best features!
Follow these steps to ensure an easy party process!
1. Wait Until You Are Settled In
Unpacking can take a while, maybe even months. There is no harm in waiting a couple months to throw a housewarming party, especially if you want to wait for nicer weather. Waiting until all your unpacking is done will create more floor space for your guests too.
2. Your Guest List & Setting The Date
Make sure you are creating a list of people that is reasonable for the amount of space you have. There are lots of options for people to invite. Your family and friends, maybe just family, inviting neighbors, just friends. Decide who you want to invite beforehand, not at the last minute so you can start creating a food plan too. Once you have decided on a guest list, create a date and time that works best for you.
3. Set A Theme
Decide what kind of party you want. A pot-luck so everyone can bring something, or a garden party where you can have a BBQ. Let them know on their invitiations.
4. Send Invitations In Advance
If you want to keep things old-school and not invite everyone over social media, send out cute invitations and ask for an RSVP back, which makes it easier to plan your food and drinks. There are lots of online templates you can use for cards if you want to save money and make them yourself. Even if you are not done unpacking yet but have a date in mind for your party, send your invitations a couple weeks in advance so people know.
5. The Food & Drinks
There may be certain food allergies you need to be aware of, which you can ask your guests to indicate on their RSVP. If you are having a pot-luck make sure you are setting up tables and there are wall plugs handy, if needed. If you are making a hot dish yourself, you could always prepare something the day before so it is ready to heat up the next day. If you know what everyone is making, and if you have a lot of different meats and cheeses as finger foods, or a lot of different desserts, creating labels for everything is great way to stay organized, let people know what everything is, and it can be fun!
6. Decorating Your Home
There are a lot of DIY crafts you can make to decorate your home (and it can be a fun way to get you away from unpacking for a night). Start decorating ahead of time, or the day before, so you are not doing everything the same day. Get family and friends involved with your craft projects or helping you hang them up. Set up a menu for your guests and create labels for all the dishes that will be available. You could use a chalkboard or even just create your own folding cards to sit in front of each dish.
7. Fun Games
Games are a great way to bring everyone together and to let loose. There are lots of games you can have your guests play as a team, or individually. Combine a memory game with trivia and ask questions about things they may have seen around your home or neighborhood. Have a little prize table set up, and if you are on a budget create the prizes yourself (like a baked good!). Or you could create a scavenger hunt and place hidden items in rooms and have give them clues as to where they will find it.
8. When Guests Arrive
Greet each guest as they arrive and make sure to introduce them to others if they are not acquainted, especially if you invite your neighbors. Make everyone feel welcome and comfortable in your new home, not awkward. Mingle and make sure you talk to everyone and are helping create conversation if they do not know each other. Let your guests know when the food will be ready and what games you are going to play. Once it is time to eat, help serve your guests and explain what each item is and if they have food allergies, let them know what they cannot eat.
9. When Guests Leave
As guests are leaving, hand them a little party bag at the end. They can be filled with anything – baked goods, candy, a thank-you note, or all of the above! Let your neighbors know you appreciate them coming and let them know they are welcome back at any time. Developing a friendship with your neighbors will make your new homeowning life a breeze.
10. After The Party
You may be tired after a long day, but having your guests leave at an earlier time like five or six p.m. can be a great way for you to clean up afterwards and not have to worry about it the next day. If your close family members or friends came, maybe they will even help you! But, if your guests left late, worry about it the next day and have a well-deserved good nights’ sleep.
Having a housewarming party is a great way to introduce your family, friends, and neighbors to each other and to your new home that could potentially be your forever home. Make them feel welcome and overall, just have a great time celebrating your wonderful achievement over games, food, drinks, and laughs.
