Finally! You just bought your new house, you’ve settled in, painted the walls, placed your furniture and added those personal touches to make it your home. It looks great! Now it’s time to invite your close friends and family to your new home for your housewarming party.
Although a housewarming party sounds so exciting, after all that work, you may feel overwhelmed at the idea of taking on one more project. Our guide to an amazing housewarming party will help take away your fears and take you step by step as you get ready to receive guests!
Make a Plan!
Decide the date for your housewarming party and the general vibe (or theme) that you want the party to have. Will it be a casual cocktail party or maybe a backyard barbeque? Determining this at the beginning will make the planning process that much easier.
Write Your Guest List & Send Out Invitations
Make a list of your family and friends that you want in attendance. Collect their contact information onto an Excel spreadsheet so it’s all in one place when you’re ready to send out invites. With invitations, you can definitely opt to send paper invitations via mail. If you’re looking to keep this element of the housewarming party less expensive and want to save on time, we recommend checking out Paperless Post. This website has digital invitations of all different designs and themes. Find your perfect invite, upload your guest list and hit send. It also makes tracking RSVPs a cinch!
Prep Your Home
Remember, you’re going to be hosting 25-50 of your closest friends and family for your housewarming party so you have to get your home ready to receive guests.
Party Ready
Make sure there isn’t any laundry overflowing in the bathroom or trash that needs to be taken out. Tidy up the house and have it ready to present to your guests.
Prep the Bathroom
Make sure you’ve stocked your guest bathroom with hand soap and towels, air freshener and extra toilet paper. Make these items accessible to your guests so someone doesn’t have to walk up to you during the party to let you know you’re out of toilet paper. Make your guests comfortable in your new home.
Provide Adequate Seating
Arrange your furniture, creating easy flow for the party. It may be a little different than your everyday living but you’re hosting a housewarming party. Provide adequate seating for your guests whether it’s in one room or multiple rooms where the party will flow to.
Strategically Place Food & Beverages
At most parties, guests tend to gravitate towards food and beverages. Make sure you strategically place food and beverages throughout the main party space to avoid any crowding in one area. Make it easy for your guests to get the yummy tidbits you’ve prepared for the housewarming party.
Make a Playlist
A party isn’t a party without great music. Spend some time and create an awesome playlist to fit the vibe of your housewarming party. Don’t have time to make a playlist or not sure what to pick? Check out Spotify’s playlist selection – there’s literally a playlist for any occasion or mood.
Set Up Group Tours
It may feel weird but your friends and family are at your house to see your house! Everyone is going to want a tour. The best way to handle this is to conduct group tours. Instead of doing a tour every time someone new arrives or asks, take a group of 5-10 people at a time. This way you’ll won’t feel as if you’ve spent the entire party as a tour guide instead of a host, catching up with close friends and family.
Make Memories
This is a big moment in your life. Make sure you document it. With social media, we tend to only take photographs to post on Facebook, Instagram, etc. Instead, take photos for your personal collection to memorialize this step in your life. Maybe do a few short videos with some of your guests too. You can even set up an impromptu “photo booth” with some photo props so guests can take their own photos and send to you.
Want to take making memories one step further? Buy or create a guest book. Place it near the front door so your guests don’t miss it. Leave a note asking for guests to leave tips on being a first-time homebuyer or their favorite restaurants in your new neighborhood. Later on, you can add your photos to the guest book and it’s now become a scrapbook for your new home, thanks to the guests of your housewarming party!
Something Sweet
If you feel up to the task, create little favors for your guests to take when they leave. Maybe it’s a little container of nostalgic candy or caramel popcorn. Whatever it is, your guests will be appreciative.
Show Your Appreciation
It may sound archaic but we recommend handwriting and sending personal thank you notes to each of your guests. Most likely, your guests brought a housewarming gift and spent some time with you to “break in” your new home. Show them your gratitude. Thank you notes are very easy to find from Amazon to Target – there’s so much to choose from. This gesture will go a long way!
With a little time and effort, you’ll be on your way to an amazing housewarming party that you and your guests will remember for ever!
