6 Tips for Hosting an Amazing Event

Tracy and I love to host small get-togethers. Whether it is a small holiday party, book club, or a game or movie night, we always have a blast. Our guests always rave about what a great time they had and how they can't wait until we invite them to something else. Check out my tips for hosting a great event below. What would you add to the list?

STEP 1 // Have Help We are all busy with work and have little time to actually work on hosting an event. This is why you have to plan for help. What's great about hosting with Tracy, is that I know I have excellent help. Plus our mom always prepares some of her delicious fudge for us to share with guests. If I were hosting alone, I would definitely need some help either from friends or hired. You could also buy part of the food from a caterer or hire someone to get the place ready for the event.

STEP 2 // Have a Plan You need to know what needs to be done and when you can do it. What can you do early and what has to be done on the day of the get-together? You won't be able to get everything done in a few hours. For our Halloween party we had a plan and had tasks to complete every day up to 3 days before the party. Before this we already had everything bought for the party (ingredients, paper products, decor, etc.).

STEP 3 // RSVP When hosting anything it is a great idea to know how many guest will be attending. Can everyone you invited come? Do you need extra seating? Either have an RSVP slip in your invitation or get in-touch with your potential guests and confirm their attendance. This may not be set in stone, you still might have a few show up who thought they couldn't make it or a few not make it that you thought would come. But this will give you an idea of how many guests you need to plan for.

STEP 4 // Plan the Menu in Advance Depending on the number of guests you may not be able to make a bunch of time consuming food. Make as much food in advance as you can. Fruit trays, cheese plates, and sliders can easily be made in advance. Most cakes and desserts can also be made before the day of the party/get-together. Knowing who is coming is also important for planning the menu. Plan for food allergies and special diets. Tracy does not eat any meat, so we always plan vegetarian options for her (usually things that we all also enjoy).

STEP 5 // Know Your Time Limitations I would love to host small parties with beautiful, elaborate cakes and desserts involved, but between work and life I just don't have time. We usually have one decadent cake that was time consuming to make and then our other desserts are usually things that we have made numerous times, that are simple to make but delicious like Peanut Butter Roll and Peanut Butter Cookie Bars.

STEP 6 // Be Generous This can relate to a number of things when being a hostess. Send invitations at least a month in advance so that guests have plenty of notice. Have more food than you think you need. It is better to have too much than not enough. Plus at the end of the night all the guests can leave with a goodie bag of treats to enjoy later.

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