Dinner parties are, at first glance, a way for friends to enjoy a meal together while getting to know each other better. They are also one of the simplest ways to entertain a group of people in your home. You can put together an easy dinner party in just a few steps.

First, you’ll want to determine the number of guests you’d like to have attend. Once you’ve decided on a guest list, get the word out about your party by calling, emailing, or asking them in person. You can also opt to send formal invitations through the mail or hand them out face to face. Once you have your guest list confirmed, you’ll need to plan the menu. At this point of the planning, it’s a good idea to find out if any of your guests have special dietary needs or food allergies and plan accordingly. Once you have your menu determined, create a shopping list for any ingredients you’ll need for the event so you won’t forget anything.

Now is also a good time to begin experimenting with the de’cor of the dining area where the party will take place. Because the meal will be the central theme, you don’t have to spend a fortune on fancy de’cor items. However, you may find that a homemade centerpiece, fresh cut flowers, or a bold table setting may help set the mood for the party.

Finally, when the day of the event arrives, remember to relax and have fun. Your guests will probably not be offended if dinner is a few minutes late or if your cre`me brulee doesn’t brown perfectly. Don’t take things too seriously, and if you make a mistake or overcook something, don’t let it ruin your day. Sometimes, mistakes and mishaps can create some of the most memorable and entertaining moments of a party.

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Farewell parties can be hosted by the individual who will be moving to another locale or it can be thrown by a close friend. Now, if you are in the second category, you will have your work cut out for you. On one hand, you should invite virtually all of the persons that the guest of honor to the farewell party may want to say goodbye to. On the other hand, you also want the party to be on the intimate side especially as there are words to be said for and by the guest of honor.

Indeed, a farewell party takes planning but the rewards should be well worth the sacrifices from your time as the host. To make your job easier, here are possible themes for farewell parties that you can adopt or adapt to your own needs – or rather, to the preferences of the guest of honor.

Open House

In an open house farewell party, the expected guests can come and go anytime they want since the time allotted for the party is flexible. For example, on the invitations, the time can be anywhere from 12 noon to 6 in the evening. This way, the guests who cannot come at the start will still be able to say their goodbyes later during their free time from their personal and professional lives.

In this case, you can hold the party either in the home of the guest of honor or in your home or in another venue. Your choice in venue will depend on factors like number of people expected to show up, the budget available for the event and the theme of the party.

In an open house party, the people invited are often the close members of the extended family and the circle of friends that the guest of honor wants to invite. You will have to coordinate with him/her so as to avoid inviting someone unwanted in the party. You want the guest of honor to feel comfortable with the guest list.

Surprise Party

Now, if the farewell party is a surprise for the guest of honor, then utmost discretion is necessary. You want to keep the celebrant, so to speak, clueless about the party but you want the expected guests to know it and then keep the secret.

Amongst these guests, you will be able to find someone who can be your partner in crime. Planning the party then becomes easier since you already have an assistance to bear the burden with, in manner of speaking.

When planning for a surprise farewell party, it is often best to throw the party in a venue aside from the home of the guest of honor. You cannot decorate the house of the celebrant or else the secret is out.

As usual, you should plan for the food and drinks, maybe even go potluck if your budget is on the tight end. Other aspects in planning the farewell party include invitations, decorations, going-away gifts and messages for the guest of honor.

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You have probably heard of giving a housewarming party on your own, which means that you will provide the food and drinks as well as the tours and activities for your guests. Your expected guests can include old and new neighbors as well as extended family members, all of whom will be able to appreciate your new house and meet new people at the same time.

And then there is also the option of going potluck. Your expected guests will understand it considering the expenses involved with purchasing and then moving into a new house. Just don’t expect to receive material gifts from your guests as it is considered in bad taste to do so. In that line of thought, you should never make the mistake of actually registering in a gift registry ala a bridal shower since it will be a black mark in your reputation within the new neighborhood. It’s definitely starting out on the wrong foot.

Send the Invites

As is the case with any party, you have to send out the invitations to the expected guests. You can do it in the traditional pen-and-paper way or the modern ways of e-mail invites, either of which is acceptable especially in these fast-paced times. Regardless of which method is chosen, however, you must remember certain things when sending out the invites, of which the following are the most important:

• State the date and time for the housewarming party
• Ask for confirmation of attendance through calls or e-mails as it is important in the determination of the potluck contributions
• Include the complete address as well as specific directions to your new house, maybe even a map.

You can be as creative as you want to be with the invitations. Take pictures of the house and then use them as your invites, if you want to.

Determine the Menu and Its Venue

Of course, your home may still be filled with moving boxes so it is a good idea to designate one area of the house for the food and drinks. But if the whole house is now clean and orderly, then you may want to place a few delicious treats in the rooms both for surprise and sustenance purposes during the house tour.

You need not stress over decorations with a housewarming party. Your guests will understand although you can try to make the tour more interesting like describing how the room will look like after renovations have been made or how you fell in love with the house because of a certain feature.

Now, going back to the menu, you must coordinate the potluck. You don’t want to end up with too many desserts, or too many entrees or too many side dishes without a main dish. You may group the foods into categories – entrees, side dishes, main dishes, desserts and beverages – and then ask the expected guests to choose. Make a list of the possible contributions so that duplication can be avoided.

Naturally, you should also have food and drinks contribution to the potluck housewarming party. You can then impress the new neighbors with your culinary skills – or at least, with your good choice in restaurants.

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Tea has come to mean many things to many people. It represents rebellion as is the case with the historical Boston Tea Party in the West. It symbolizes harmony with nature, serenity with one’s self and good health in the tradition of the East with its tea ceremony. It brings back together family and friends in an elegant affair filled with sweet treats and pots of good tea.

Good Aspirations

Indeed, when we think of tea, we only have good thoughts of the hot liquid awakening our palates, warming our throats and soothing our souls in more ways than one. And so, we aspire to give tea parties in the tradition of the British but we may not know how to do so for many reasons. We live in a hurried and harried world where tea parties just seem too much trouble and yet appear to be so much fun, too.

Fortunately, elegant tea parties can be thrown for family and friends with proper planning just as in the case of other types of parties for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. You will not even spend too much money on the food, invitations, decorations and other aspects of the tea party for various reasons.

First, the main foods like pots of tea, scones, biscuits, cookies and cake can be bought for affordable prices from bakeries and delis. Even if you make these sweet treats in your own kitchen, you will not be spending plenty of money, unlike in a full banquet of formal parties.

Second, the venue can be left as is. If you are holding it in the garden, you can just make it more beautiful by placing a few flowers on the table – no evening lights and no fussy decorations. After all, tea parties are held from mid to late afternoon in whatever venue is available in your house.

You might say that a tea party is a lazy but elegant way to entertain family and friends as well as co-workers and bosses. Your taste in parties will even impress them so much so that the tea party will be the talk of the office for days and in a complimentary way, to boot.

Good Planning

But of course, before your tea party can be a success, you have to plan it and plan it well. This is true for all your parties, be it the informal barbecue on the Fourth of July or the formal dinner on your wedding anniversary. Here then is a step-by-step guide on planning a tea party.

• Select the date for the tea party, which should be on the relatively free day of the invited people, say, on a Sunday afternoon. Send out the invitation at least 2 weeks before the event to allow your expected guests to clear their schedules.

• Prepare your menu. It may be as simple as two choices of cake or as many as a buffet of sweet treats. Your tea may be in two or more varieties like green, black and oolong.

• Prepare the tea equipment from the cups and saucers to the teapot. Go for the most elegant set you can afford since you can use it again and again.

• Prepare the table.

Now, all you have to do is to wait for your guests, serve the tea and enjoy their company!

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Planning a summer party can be intimidating for a beginner. You have so many things to look into that it can seem like a never-ending stream of concern, issues and worries. Yes, this is true even when the party is a relatively small one.

Fortunately, you have the following summer party decorating checklist to get you through the planning stage. With this checklist on your side, you can organize a successful party with less hassle, less cost and less worry.

Table Settings
The tables are important components of a summer party for the simple reason that the guests have to eat on a comfortable platform. We suggest looking at the following aspects to make for great table settings:

• Crisp table cloths or table runners in summery colors
• Paper or cloth napkins to coordinate with the table cloths
• Dinnerware, which can either be casual or formal depending on the theme
• Flatware from forks and spoons to steak knives and butter knives, if necessary
• Glassware including glasses, mugs and cups as well as water pitchers
• Barware like assorted cocktail glasses, coasters and mixers are also necessary, if you intend to offer alcoholic drinks
• Salt and pepper shakers

And of course, don’t forget the chairs either. Your guests will appreciate comfortable chairs to rest on after the dancing and singing of the party.

Decorations
A summer party decorating checklist will be incomplete if it does not include the decorations for the venue. Said décor will depend on the theme of the party, which can range from just a few summer plants to elaborate lights setup.

• Place candles and lanterns in strategic places like the tables and the trees to provide light as well as act as insect repellants (citronella)
• Set the ambience of the venue with the right music, which can either be provided by a live band or with a DJ using a CD machine
• Scatter inflatable toys on the pool if you are planning a pool party. Add in a few palm plants, mini-torches and even seashells to add a tropical feel

Your choice of decorations should complement the theme of the party. There is no need to go over the top of your budget is tight.

Food
The star of any party is almost always the food since there is no sense in inviting guests without offering sustenance. After all, even you will become hungry with the activities, games and hobnobbing.

We suggest looking at the theme of the party and the tailoring the menu on it. Thus, if your summer party is the tea party kind, then teas, sconces and pastries are the order of the day. If it is a beach or pool party, go for finger foods, soda and lemonade. If it is a barbecue party, meat and beer are on top of the menu.

There are other things that should be on your summer party decorating checklist, of course, like favors. But if you already have these three important things on the list, then you should be alright.

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