We recently helped a client arrange her 40th birthday party. She wanted to celebrate in her beautiful home without the stresses of overseeing everything so we worked with her to create an ‘enchanted’ evening. We installed festoon lighting, moroccan lanterns and tiki torches in the garden. A Saxophonist played light jazz & Ibiza club tunes as guests arrived and were welcomed with pornstar martinis and elderflower gin. During the evening our DJ changed the atmosphere with classic tracks from the 80’s then 90’s then modern day and guests danced throughout the night in the ground floor that looked out over the beautiful garden.
If you’re not a natural at hosting parties then there are plenty of advantages of bringing in the experts to lend a hand; if you’re thinking about hosting a party in your home here are a few tricks to help you get it right.
★ Organisation is key. Be prepared and give yourself plenty of time to plan. If you’re hiring an event planner then give them a full brief of the type of evening you’d like, otherwise if you’re hosting yourself then create a spreadsheet for all the specifics: imagine the phases of your party – planning, shopping, preparing, and the actual evening. Include timings and of course a budget to work within.
★ Unless you’re really keen, try to keep your styling and decorations simple. Having a theme or colour scheme can be useful and work well when carried through into each element of the evening. Lighting can make a huge difference and we’d recommend getting a few uplighters to create some warmth and intimacy. Everything looks great in candlelight but if you’re nervous about using them try floating short candles in a clear bowl of water.
★ Settle your guest list and stick to it. Think about how many you can fit in your space and don’t forget to factor in the number of bathrooms! Give people at least 3 weeks notice to give them time to respond. In today’s age of casual electronic communications, nothing beats receiving a beautifully printed invitation but online invites do of course of have the advantage of making it easy to keep track on attendees.
★ Think about the type of gathering you’d like. Whatever it is, we recommend hiring caterers as modern life is stressful enough without worrying whether your soufflé is going to collapse. Whether you’re having a formal sit down dinner or an informal gathering, think about adding an element of fun to the catering. We love serving a range of mini desserts – they get guests talking and are super easy to eat.
★ At the beginning of the party stay near the door to greet people but let your event team manage coats and give them the responsibility of ensuring everyone has drinks and canapes. The types of drinks that you want to serve depend on budget. It’s always a good idea to have white wine, red wine and beer. If you don’t want to go the whole hog on cocktails, consider something like a sea breeze where the grapefruit and cranberry juice can double up for soft drinks too. Set up a bar in a corner and ask your event team to manage it. They could also have a couple of wandering waiters keeping drinks topped up.
★ In terms of entertainment, this isn’t the time to rely on your stereo or sticking your phone in a speaker. A proper DJ with a set of decks and speakers makes all the difference and will ensure that the pace of the party flows, getting everyone up and dancing. And remember you don’t necessarily need a large space for live music. Wandering musicians who bound between tables and groups of guests can create an amazing atmosphere.
★ Finally try and relax. You might want to go a bit steady on the drinks at the beginning but don’t miss out completely – it’s your party and you deserve to have fun too!
[/fusion_text][fusion_builder_row_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_3″ layout=”1_3″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” border_position=”all”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”5061″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” alt=”How to host a party in your home” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://www.evolve-events.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/How-to-host-a-party-in-your-own-home.-2-683×1024.png[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_3″ layout=”1_3″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” border_position=”all”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”5060″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” alt=”How to host a party in your home” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://www.evolve-events.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/How-to-host-a-party-in-your-own-home.-1-1-683×1024.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_3″ layout=”1_3″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” border_position=”all”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”5059″ style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” align=”none” lightbox=”no” alt=”How to host a party in your home” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″]https://www.evolve-events.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/How-to-host-a-party-in-your-own-home.-1-683×1024.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column_inner][/fusion_builder_row_inner][fusion_text]Evolve Events team have over seventeen years’ experience in producing and styling events. The team is headed up by Gary Peters who has been voted as one of the most influential people in the events industry, listed on Event Magazine’s Top 100 Club.
Our event services including venue finding, set design, styling and build, AV and lighting, stage management and sourcing entertainment and quality catering.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you produce and style your event then please get in touch and we can chat through your requirements.
To get more styling ideas follow us on Pinterest here or on Instagram here.
TEL : 020 7610 2808 – EMAIL : info@evolve-events.com
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