Plan a manageable menu 
Unless you’ve got one special favourite dish in mind, try to avoid food that requires elaborate or multi-day preparation. Opt for something simpler, or even better, supplement the menu with some appetizers from the frozen food section. With some creative plating, your guests will never know the difference. If wow-worthy food is a must, consider hiring a caterer and avoid the fuss (and the mess)! Speaking of menu planning, consider guests that might have special dietary needs. Are there any vegetarians or vegans? Do any of your guest have food allergies? Will anyone need a kosher meal? You won’t want anyone left offended, sick or starving at your party.

Space planning 101
You don’t have to be a professional space planner like the experts on Cottswood’s interior design team to plan a party, but you do need to think about flow. When you’re arranging furniture and thinking about where to locate food and drinks, consider how people will move through the house. Generally, everyone is going to walk in the door and then go straight for the food and drink, so make sure there’s a clear path to the goodies. Think about places where bottlenecks may form and try to eliminate them by creatively positioning furniture. If, for example, you have a small kitchen, putting out food in a different room will keep everyone from winding up uncomfortably jammed into a tight space.

Unless you’re hosting a sit down dinner party, you probably don’t need as many chairs as you may think. Most of your visitors will probably spend the majority of the party on their feet. Usually people will only sit down at the very end of the party, after most guests have already left, so provide one or two conversational groupings of chairs, but don’t feel like you have to have a seat for every single person. You don’t want to wind up with a whole roomful of people standing awkwardly around a bunch of unused chairs.

If you think your space might require a more customized solution, give our team at Cottswood a call.

Plan out the table in advance
If you need help visualizing where everything is going to go, look no further than your friendly office staple, the Post-It note, to mark where the dishes and decorations will go. If you’re having a self-serve buffet, put the main dish near the beginning with the sides nearby. salad and dinner rolls next, and the dessert on display toward the back of the table so guests can gush over it as they served themselves dinner.

If you’re having a sit-down meal, set out the full place settings you’re planning to use (with all the cutlery, glassware, side plates, napkins, coffee cups, and chargers) to make sure it all actually fits on the table. This will give you time to mitigate any space challenges in advance. If you need a bigger table, we can help with that. Prepare some place cards to let everyone know who is who (and to help you decide who should sit next to whom).

Create different ‘zones’
If you think the party might get a little loud, set out some additional chairs in an adjoining room for those guests who want to relax or have a quieter conversation away from the rest of the bustle. Need a few occasional chairs for your special occasion? Here are some of our current favs.

Keep necessities in plain sight
If you will be expecting your guests to serve themselves food or drinks, be sure the tools they’ll need to get the job done are visible. Bottle openers, cutlery, napkins, plates, glasses, ice, and the like should be out in the open, near other “like” items.

Play some tunes
Music provides a little background noise to make people comfortable during those awkward introduction stages, and it also helps set the tone for the entertainment to come. Make a playlist to set the mood and have it playing before guests arrive.

Check the thermostat
A bunch of people socializing together in a room can generate a lot of body heat. If you’re having a large gathering, you’ll probably need to do something about the temperature: turn off the heater, open up windows, maybe even turn on the A/C for a little while to cool down the room before people arrive, so you don’t wind up with a sweltering home two hours later when it’s too late to do anything about it. 

Break the ice
If you’ve invited guests who don’t know anyone else at the party, don’t just put a drink in their hand and leave them to fend for themselves. Make sure to introduce them to one or two other guests, and mention something they might have in common, so they’re not stuck floating around on their own. 

Ask for help
Hosting a party is a big job. No matter how much you prepare in advance, you’ll probably find yourself scrambling to get something ready at the last minute. Enlist the assistance of a spouse, family member, or close friend so you’ll be able to greet your guests, rather than running around in the kitchen.

It’s totally okay if it’s not totally perfect
Despite your best intentions, things always take a little longer than you anticipate. It’s okay if you don’t have all the food on the table right away; just make sure there’s some food on the table, lots of drinks available, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Relax and enjoy yourself, and your guests will too.