If you've been watching my vlogs then you might have already seen last weekend's little birthday bash. The idea was to have a really cosy winter evening where my friends could relax, chat, eat and be merry. But even organising a relaxed party requires a lot of planning and here's what I learnt from organising one myself...
Give your guests a theme //
For mine I asked everyone to bring a dish each so that we had a range of different foods (and it's cheaper than eating out!). When you're asking your guests to bring food the last thing you want is for them to feel awkward about what to bring. How much should they make? Should it be hot or cold? Starter, main, dessert? I found that setting a loose theme was helpful and I chose Mediterranean. A theme where food can be served cold is easy and means that guests can bring their dish and not worry about keeping it hot or heating it up. Big salads help bulk out a meal and are relatively easy for people to make. Try and work out beforehand how many salads/mains/desserts you'll need, ask your guests what they feel comfortable making and then assign a type of dish to each guest or couple.
Set the mood //
I really wanted my guests to feel comfortable and not want to go home at 10pm. Noone likes to sit in uncomfortable clothes on a stiff chair for hours on end, so I decided to scrap the table and chairs and have a relaxed lounge mood instead. Shoes off, cushions on the floor, buffet style food and music of course! It's so important to have music playing, not too loudly but definitely on. I made a playlist of easy listening, current music that wasn't too noticeable but filled any silences between chats. As soon as the playlist ended the room had a different vibe and felt like it was the end of the night... music came back on and conversations started again.
Let your guests feel at home //
It's nice to offer people drinks when they come in but let your guests know that they can make themselves at home. If they want to get a drink they can, tell them where the nearest toilet is, tell them they can take their shoes off if they like. The less they have to ask you permission for the more they'll feel at home and comfortable.
Fill the gaps //
Depending on your guests and how well they know each other, having a few games on hand can be nice if things start to slow down and conversations run out. Team games like Articulate always go down well and the app Heads Up is so much fun and hilarious!
Go for plastic //
If you're not throwing a posh dinner party then opt for plastic cutlery, plates and cups. You can get some really nice clear looking ones and it means way less washing up at the end of the night!
So if you're planning your own relaxed party I hope these tips will come in handy! You can watch the vlog here for more details.
