Throwing a party is a wonderful, generous way to give your friends good memories. So why not pick a reason to celebrate, set a date and start planning?
What are your aims for your summer party?
Whether it’s a chic celebration that gives you a chance to stretch your creative planning and decorating skills, or a relaxed family get-together with children and dogs running all over, or a boozy barbecue with dancing later, a theme will draw your ideas together. It may help you decide on menus and décor. Some themes are overt, like ‘jazz age’ or ‘Bridgerton regency’ but others can be more subtle, for example ‘space’ or ‘travel’.
At this stage, it’s worth considering your party budget. This will help you to avoid overspending and waste.
This is also a good time to ask for help with planning and hosting, if you need it. And from the invitation stage, set expectations with your guests about whether you welcome gifts, bottles and plates of food.
Planning your party spaces
To ensure your house looks its best, declutter and clean well ahead of the party day. Decide which rooms your guests can use, and close the doors on the others.
You should check your home contents insurance ahead of your party, as you may need extra coverage.
Self-storage can help if you need to clear some space for dancing or if you just want to get fragile furniture or day-to-day items like exercise equipment out of the way.
You’ll need separate insurance for your stuff in storage, as home contents insurance doesn’t extend to goods in a storage facility. When you insure with Store and Insure, you can pay by the day, so even if you just want to put something away for a few days, you won’t pay more to insure it than you have to. Get a quote to learn more.
Collecting clippings and ideas on a mood board helps with planning party decorations. Party decorations are enticingly cheap to buy – but do re-use or borrow and hire where you can to minimise waste.
Food and drink to wow your guests
If your party crosses a mealtime and lasts more than a couple of hours, and you are serving alcohol, it’s best to provide some food.
Decide on your menu early, and think about serving platters, and what people will need to eat off and with. Think about hiring glasses, plates and cutlery, rather than using disposables.
Ask guests for allergy and dietary information, and serve a good range of foods to ensure there’s something for everyone. For a buffet, each person will eat about 450g of food, with children eating less than that.
For nibbles and canapes, enlist help with offering plates round, or you’ll spend the entire time proffering bowls of crisps and vol au vents. Reckon on eight to twelve canapes per guest.
For a sit-down meal or a buffet, set up plenty of places to sit and eat, and that they are suitable for your guests. Someone with limited mobility may not be comfortable sitting on the lawn or in a deckchair.
BBC Food has some great ideas for dishes that will feed a crowd.
Activities for a summer party
When a party spills out into the garden, if there’s space, it’s fun to offer a few games, like croquet, badminton or a giant Jenga set. It may be worth asking around to borrow these, rather than buying new.
A guest book can make a memento of a pleasant time with friends – get creative with a jar of wooden tokens, or a deck of playing cards. And a photo booth with a backdrop and some props could inspire some daft pictures.
Depending on your crowd, space to dance and some music could be enough to keep everyone entertained. But guests will also appreciate seating and quieter spaces where they can have a catch-up.
Clearing up after a party
Some people start cleaning up as soon as guests have left; others prefer to leave it to the next morning. We have some post-party cleaning tips to help with the take down.
And finally, it can be tricky to balance hosting with enjoying the results of your hard work, but do take a moment to sit and appreciate all the people you like best being gathered in one place!
