Feeling festive and planning to throw a yuletide/ New Year gathering at home? For novice party planners far and wide check out top tips from event planner Bronson Van Wyck, author of Born to Party: Forced to Work: 21st Century Hospitality, as featured in the January 2020 issue of Elle Decoration….
- The golden rule for hosting a great party? Make sure you aren’t so tied up with your hosting duties you forget to spend time with your guests.
- Never skimp on food or alcohol. But don’t feel you have to buy bottles and bottles of expensive wine. The later it gets, the cheaper the booze you’re serving can be. As the night wears on, people really don’t care what they’re drinking as long as their cup is full!
- If you’re hosting a meal prepare a seating plan, as spreading the most interesting guests around the room creates multiple anchors for the social energy that makes a great night. Most people are either talkers or listeners (only the rarest individual is both, and they get invited everywhere), so by interspersing the socially facile with the less so, the shyer guests often drop their reserve.
- How can you make an impact on a budget? Hospitality means making people feel good, and everyone feels better when they look their best. Lighting is everything: the easiest, least expensive thing you can do is run down the lights and use candles. Instant drama. Instant romance.
- What’s the easiest way to create a party atmosphere? Music, bar none. It sets the tone and puts guests in your desired mindset from the get-go.
Futon Company says: Party on! (sorry – couldn’t resist the reference to the 1989 classic Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure). Vintage cultural references aside, many of us get nervous about hosting a party, especially when our space is distinctly svelte. But whether you live in a sprawling house or a compact apartment there’s always a way to turn your crib into a party palace. They key is to streamline your space. If you only have one room to host the party, create zones. For example – alcohol, mixers and glasses on the dining table; speakers on a side table; food on a fold-down table so it can be taken down after everyone has eaten to make more space. Get the picture? Think portable, lightweight furniture that can easily be moved around to make space when the dancing starts. We’ve got some festive party ideas to get you started…..Now all that’s left to do is pull out your party pants and get hosting!
Trinity Stacking Storage Table
