A few weeks ago, Alan and I celebrated our friends’ engagement party. When Melanee and Raphe said they wanted a party at home, we offered up our deck for the soiree! We love hosting parties and it was so fun hosting for our friends. The party was mostly a DIY with all of us pulling together different elements to make it a magical evening for both the lovebirds and guests.
5 Tips for Being the Best Hostess
Make your guests feel comfortable.
This starts at the basics from making sure your house is clean and playing good tunes (we always have a Spotify playlist set for each party). You want to set a vibe that is comfortable, relaxing and welcoming. For the engagement party, we let guests know it was going to be an outdoor party so they would expect potentially chilly night but that the evening was going to be casual glam. For our party, we set the theme with vintage lace tablecloths and beautiful bouquets courtesy of The Bouqs. We just selected the color palette and The Bouqs handled the rest so we didn’t have to make a trip to the flower mart or stress about the arrangements. We added in wood chargers and lots of candles for a romantic mood.
Indulge your guests.
From the moment your guests arrive to the party, you want to pamper them. You want to take their coats (or show a place to set them), offer them drinks, appetizers, and then welcome them to the party. I always think a good guest list includes people who aren’t in the same circles so it inspires new and interesting conversations. With this in mind, be sure to introduce guests to one another when they first arrive.
Keep the drinks coming.
By no means do you want to overindulge guests in cocktails or wine, but you want to make sure your guests always have a drink in hand, whether it’s water or a glass of wine. For parties, we always make sure we have red and white wine, a signature cocktail, sparkling water, and coffee for after dinner. For Melanee and Raphe’s engagement we also had bubbly on hand for a toast! Our friends at Winc delivered great wines for the party (red, white, and sparkling). It’s always best to plan ahead and get some of the essentials ordered and delivered ahead of time (like the wine and flowers).
Foodie all night long.
Besides ensuring you have plenty of appetizers and starters for guests, you never want to skimp on dinner (whether it’s plated or buffet). It’s always better to err on the side of too much food rather than not enough food.
Don’t rush your guests.
After dinner, we always love to serve desserts and offer coffee and tea. We also never have an end time for a party, which tells guests they are welcome in our home and can enjoy their evening with us and other guests.
