Making entertaining effortless

When it comes to hosting, the list of things that need to get done beforehand may seem daunting. There’s a lot of factors to consider such as guest list, music, how to set the table, price, food, cleanup etc. While this may seem like a lot, we don’t want this list to stop you from gathering with the people you love and creating memories! What we suggest (and we definitely have to remind ourselves of this as well) is to look at hosting as something fun and planning ahead in order to help reduce stress and be present! Here are a few tips we recommend to help ease the stress of hosting and make it an enjoyable and even fun process:




1.

Create a guest list and make sure it includes people who you actually want to spend time with. If you’re going through the trouble of hosting- it’s for you to enjoy!




2.

Contact guests to confirm their attendance. Knowing the guest count ahead of time will help you plan the quantity of food, plates, cups, napkins, placemats etc. you will need.




3.

Ask whether your guests have any dietary restrictions. Knowing if anyone has a specific diet will help you decide what food and drinks to serve.




4.

Include a variety of drink options. Some guests may not drink alcohol so it’s important to have options to make your guests feel comfortable and thought of. Beverages like soda, kombucha and sparkling water are always good options to include.




5.

Text or call your guests! - confirming their attendance provides an opportunity for your guests to offer whether they can contribute anything- take them up on this! This will help take things off your plate and your guests will be happy to pitch in.




6.

Hire help if you are able to. We know that not everyone is able to afford help and not every event calls for hired help; however, if you are able to, hiring someone to help with serving and cleanup is a great option. This allows the host to enjoy the event rather than focusing on whether all the guests are taken care of. Another option is to recruit family and/or friends to help you set up beforehand and clean-up.




7.

Order or prepare food in advance. Don’t add more stress to your plate by taking on the task of cooking every entrée, side dish, dessert and appetizers. Not only does cooking everything beforehand create another mess that needs to be cleaned up but it also requires a lot of additional time and planning.




8.

Set the table in advance- creating your tablescape beforehand will help take something off your plate on the day of the event. We find that when we set the tablescape ahead of time it even comes out even better because we have more time to play around with design and placement.




9.

Choose the playlist in advance. We recommend choosing a playlist based on the ambiance you are trying to create. Spotify has a great selection of playlists- everything from cozy soft jazz to tropical instrumental. Choosing an existing playlist or delegating the task of music selection to someone else will help take things off your to-do list.




10.

Remember to have fun and accept help! Not only during the event but also during the planning process- that’s a part of the fun!






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