If you’ve recently moved into a new home, you’re probably very excited to show it off to your family and friends. Hosting a housewarming party is a fantastic way to celebrate while spending time with the people you love. The tradition of these parties began centuries ago when people didn’t have access to central heat. Firewood and other fuel sources were required to warm up a home and make it comfortable. Guests would bring gifts like firewood to help welcome people into their new homes and give them what they needed to keep it warm. Today, the concept of hosting housewarming parties continues across the globe. You can have your party right after you move or choose to wait until everything is perfectly in place. Ideally, you should hold your party within 180 days after you’ve moved in so that it’s still considered a new place.
Planning a Fabulous Housewarming Party
Before you start sending invitations, it’s important to do some party planning. Here are a few tips to help you get ready for the big event.
- Who to invite: Think about who you want to invite to your party ahead of time. It can be a small group of your closest friends, your immediate family, coworkers, or a combination of each. Write down a list of the people you want to invite over, and make sure it includes the people who are closest to you. If your new home is small, keep your guest list limited to just a few key people.
- When to do it: You can host your party any time, but it’s best to do so on a weekend when most people are free. If you want to show off outside features like a new pool or landscaping, try to hold it during the day. Ask a few of your guests when it’s most convenient for them to attend, so you choose the best possible day and time. Hold the party between two and three weeks after you’ve moved in, if possible.
- Plan your budget: Hosting a party can get expensive, so sit down and plan your budget in advance. You can save money by serving food using your own silverware, glasses, and dishes and making simple appetizers rather than a full meal. Decide whether you’d like to prepare food yourself or if you’d rather use a catering service; if you plan on inviting many people and your budget allows it, hiring a food truck can be an amazing option that will surely impress and satisfy all of your guests!
- Planning the food: The type of food you serve will depend on the time of your party. For example, an afternoon party can be easy finger foods and small desserts, while an evening party should include larger meals like a full dinner. A tray with cheese, fruits, veggies, and dip is fine for casual, smaller daytime parties. If you serve a meal, consider whether or not a caterer would be a good option or serve hot meals from your slow cooker, so it’s easier.
- Planning the drinks: If you want to have a few alcoholic beverages, fill a large cooler with beer or wine coolers. You can also serve glasses of wine or champagne to celebrate your new home. Don’t forget to include non-alcoholic beverages like cold water, sodas, and fruit juice, too.
- Services: If your budget allows, consider hiring some professionals to help with your party. Whether it’s catering, a photographer, a DJ for entertainment, or a nanny to watch the kids, these services can take a lot of the stress off of you. You can also hire an interior designer to help make your home look stunning before the big day.
- Making and sending invitations: You don’t need to spend a lot of money on invitations for your housewarming party. Use platforms like Canva or download a fun invitation template to design your own custom invites, then send them electronically to save paper and postage.
- Dress code or theme: If you’re hosting a themed party or plan to have a dress code, make sure you let your guests know in advance by including this on the invitation. This isn’t a requirement, but costume or themed parties are always lots of fun.
Preparing Your Home for a Perfect Housewarming Party
You definitely want your home to look beautiful for your guests, so keep these tips in mind to help you get everything prepped.
- Ensure everything is unpacked: Unpack all of your boxes and put things away before people come over. If you don’t have time to finish unpacking, put full boxes in the garage or storage, so they’re out of sight.
- Decorate as much as possible: Don’t forget to decorate with fun party decorations like balloons, streamers, and festive tablecloths. Make sure that furniture is arranged comfortably and securely in place to avoid any possible injuries. The key is to create a comfy and festive environment for your guests when they arrive.
- Services: If you don’t have time to deep clean your home and get things ready, consider hiring professional housekeeping or house cleaning service if your budget allows it.
What to do During Your Housewarming Party
Being a good host is easy with these simple tips to keep in mind for your big event.
Welcome your guests: Make sure that you personally welcome and acknowledge all of your guests as they arrive.
Interact with everyone: Be sure to mingle, talk, and interact with everyone at your party and not just with a few select people. You want to make sure your guests know how much you appreciate them attending.
Offer some drinks: If there’s no catering, make sure you offer a drink to your guests when they arrive and continue to do so throughout the event.
Give everyone a tour of your new home: The idea of a housewarming party is to celebrate your new space, so make sure you give everyone a full tour of the home.
Place appetizers where everyone can reach them: Put all of your snacks and appetizers in a central location like the dining table so that all guests can easily grab food whenever they get hungry.
Serve meals when you feel it’s right: If you’re serving a full meal, make sure you serve it after everyone has arrived. You don’t want guests to trickle in while everyone else is sitting down and already enjoying the meal.
Play some games: Play games with your guests so that everyone is interacting and having fun. Here are a few great housewarming games to try:
- Keep your Key: Give every guest a key and tell them they cannot say the word “house” or “home” during the party. The person who manages not to say those words by the end of the party still has the key and wins a prize.
- Neighborhood scavenger hunt: Invite your guests to explore the neighborhood with you during a fun scavenger hunt. Give each guest a list of items they have to find that they check off the list as they go. Whoever finds the most items at the end of your walk wins the game.
- Room memory: Bring your guests into one room and have them observe everything for about 60 seconds. Then, take them into another room and have them write down the specific things they remember, like a “brown couch” or a “white lamp.” The person who remembers the most items is the winner!
Things to do After the Housewarming Party
When the party’s over, there will be a few things you need to do to return back to normal.
- Clean your house: You’ll want to make sure your new home is clean and back to its original state. Take a day or a few hours to do a thorough cleaning or hire someone to do it for you if you don’t have the time.
- Write thank-you notes or give party favors: Be sure to send all of your guests a nice thank-you note afterward. You can also provide them with party favors during the party as a show of thanks. These party favors can be bought, or you can try to make them DIY. Give each person a small potted plant, custom-made champagne glasses, or an adorable jar that looks like a paint can that’s filled with delicious candy.
- Enjoy your home! Most importantly, take the time to sit back and really enjoy being in your new home. Look around and remember how hard you’ve worked to get the home of your dreams.
Pro Housewarming Party Tips
Here are a few pro tips to remember when hosting a housewarming party.
- Keep your pets in a secured location during the party, or consider taking them to a trusted pet sitter until the party is over.
- Make sure you let your guests know in advance whether or not your party will be kid-friendly so they can plan accordingly.
- Give out party favors at the end of the party before your guests leave.
- Check to ensure that you have ample comfortable seating for everyone and arrange your furniture so it’s conducive for gatherings and conversations.
- Pick a theme for your party to make it more fun. It can be anything from your favorite movie to a tropical island theme and more.
While it’s not mandatory to host a housewarming party, it really is a fun way to celebrate your new space with the people you love. Keep these tips in mind and hold your very own party whenever you move into a new place. With a bit of planning, some delicious food, games, and party favors, you’ll be able to host the perfect housewarming party that your guests will never forget.
