Home and garden parties are the perfect way to gather your friends and loved ones around you in a comfortable location. Whether you want to throw a formal black-tie dinner party, a casual, low-key holiday gathering, or a Hawaiian-themed pool party, these party ideas are sure to get you started on your way to an affair to remember. With some planning and preparation beforehand, you can have a relaxed, enjoyable event and can avoid the last-minute crises that normally pop up and make home parties a chore.
Home Party Ideas
Parties can be stressful events without the proper planning. With so many aspects and so many things that can go wrong, having a get-together at a local bar or restaurant has become a convenient, although less personal, replacement to home or garden parties. With these home party ideas, you can have a creative, fun, and worry free party with just a little planning and preparation.
When you’re throwing a party, do everything in advance that you possibly can. This includes making food in advance and refrigerating or even freezing it until the day of the party, getting decorations up a day or two in advance if possible, and taking care of any normally last-minute preparations before they have a chance to pop up. Forethought is the key to a successful party with little stress. Make lists of supplies and make yourself a schedule if needed, anything to make party day go by as smoothly as possible.
Holidays are always a time when friends and family gather around the turkey and ham, spreading cheer and well wishes for the coming year. The host of the family gathering, though, usually is responsible for all of the preparations, cooking for days on end and getting little sleep, unable to enjoy the good cheer. Of course, potluck dinners are always an option, with each guest bringing something they’ve made, some special dish that their family enjoys. This helps ease a lot of the chaos for the host of the party, allowing them to sit back and enjoy the party rather than being chained to the kitchen.
Another holiday home party idea would be to have a Santa party, decorating the house to look like something straight out of a made for TV movie and passing out Santa hats. A Santa could be hired to pass out presents and goodies to the kids, or a rotund family member could be drafted into service. Candy canes, gingerbread cookies, and popcorn are a must, with other finger foods and hot apple cider to top it all off.
Many home party ideas are themed in nature. Themed parties can be planned to be family-friendly or not, depending on your guests and the nature of the party. One interesting themed party would be to have your guests come as a favorite movie character and have everyone guess who the party-goers are supposed to be, with small prizes given out to those guests who remained unguessed and for those who guessed the most. A game of movie trivia would be fun and competitive and could be geared towards kids and adults alike.
Another creative themed home party idea is to have a party with a Greek or Roman flair. You can decorate your house like a Roman lounge, with columns made from wood or even cardboard, sheets and swaths of luxurious fabric covering furniture and walls, and piles and piles of cushions. Food could be served out of large bowls, piled with grapes, figs, and other fruits, and your guests could come adorned in togas, robes, and other costumes from the age of Greek and Roman decadence. Aside from the bowls of fruit, food should be simple and easily eaten with the hands, and wine should flow in abundance.
Along the same lines as the Greek and Roman party, a gods and goddesses party would be an intriguing and entertaining home party idea. There is a never-ending supply of costuming and other ideas in mythology of various cultures, and your guests could come dressed as their favorite god or goddess out of mythology. As with the movie-themed party, contests could be held to guess which god is portrayed, and typical godly fare could be served – nectar, manna, pomegranates, figs, olives, and rich, almost sinful, desserts. Drinks should be rich and fruity, suitable for the gods themselves.
Pool Party Ideas
In the heat of summer, a pool party is the perfect way to cool off and have some serious fun in the sun. As the host or hostess of a perfect pool party, there are a few things that are essential to keep in mind before enacting your pool party ideas. First of all, make sure there is a lot of sunscreen available. This may seem self evident, but many people forget their sunscreen when attending a pool party, and ending your day with a trip to the emergency room puts a damper on any party mood. Make sure there is lots of ice and water and that people stay hydrated, watch the kids around the pool, and, above all, relax and have a good time!
One good idea for a pool party invitations is to write them on un-inflated beach balls, encouraging your guests to bring the inflated ball with them to the party for use when splashing in the pool. Other invitations could be attached to miniature bottles of sunscreen or cheap sunglasses, inside a child’s beach pail, or even just made with festive printed paper from your local craft store.
Poolside barbecues are a simple way to get out and enjoy the sun. These parties can be thrown together at the last minute with little planning and little effort on the part of the host, just a hot fire and some cool water are all that’s needed to make this party a hit. With good friends added to the mix, a perfect afternoon is sure to follow.
One great and easy pool party idea is a luau or Hawaiian theme. Decorate your pool area with tiki torches and strings of paper lanterns and string fishing nets across your porch or patio. Flower leis can be bought in quantity relatively inexpensively over the Internet, and encourage your guests to come in their most garish Hawaiian print shirts and bathing suits with grass skirts and coconut bras. Food should be quick and easy; light foods like fruit and seafood are perfect for pool parties and can be kept on ice to keep cool in the heat of the sun. Keep lots of cold drinks on hand – fruit juices, iced tea, or frozen cocktails – and frozen treats for the kids and kids at heart.
Whether you’re going for casual or formal, a little bit of planning and these ideas for home and garden parties will help you on your way to throwing the perfect house party that your guests will remember for months and years to come.
