How To Throw A Housewarming Party

We threw a fun housewarming party when we settled down in our new home. We did a food wheel with various hors d'oeuvres, desserts and of course drinks! I had never thrown a housewarming before, let alone have gone to one. I had a lot of questions and was constantly researching to figure out the best way to host this kind of party! Turns out, its a lot easier than I expected, but I still had a lot of questions. After I successfully threw my own party, I decided to create this post to help others plan their housewarming easier than ever!  So, here's to your housewarming party and by the way, congratulations!  

10 Easy & fun steps to hosting your successful housewarming

1. Decide on how many guests you'll be inviting in total 
2. Set a date 
3. Send out invitations and collect RSVP'S
4. Make a list of snacks and drinks you will serve for the number of attending guests. If you're getting a special cake, put in your order at least a couple of weeks in advance. 
5. Clean everything spotless. You should start "party cleaning" for a few days in advance. Dust the blinds, get the laundry put away and bleach those bathrooms.
6. The day before: Go shopping. Pick the hors d'oeuvres, drinks and decorations you plan to use. 
7. The morning of the party: Decorate your new home and put away any toys or last-minute items laying around 
8. 2 hours before: Set up the food stations. Get your snack boards and drink stations put together
9. Take pictures before the guests arrive if you want the "picture perfect" set up to share later with everyone, then take pictures during the party too
10. Welcome everyone to your new home and give them a tour of your new place! Most importantly, have fun! 

What is a housewarming party? 

A housewarming party is an informal celebration for new homeowners. You invite your friends and family over to check out your new house and celebrate your new chapter in the life of homeownership. However, you don't necessarily have to throw a housewarming for only purchasing a home. You can throw this kind of a party for moving into your first apartment or even when you move to a new city or state. 

When should you throw a housewarming party? 

This part is completely up to you. It takes time to move, unpack and organize everything into its new place. Sometimes you purchase new furniture for the home and have to wait several weeks before it arrives. The goal is essentially not to wait too long, because then most likely everyone has already seen your new home and the excitement of it can wear off, but you also don't need the stress of throwing a big party right after a big move. There's definitely a sweet spot to this and you just have to feel it out for yourself.

A sweet spot for this can be around 3 months after the move. In the first month, you're going to most likely spend most of your free time moving things around, organizing and rearranging. In the second month, you'll be getting accustomed to your new home. Hopefully, you'll have some time to relax and have your new furniture delivered and set up. Then the third month, you're finally settled in and its time to throw a party. Just remember that it's completely up to you. You don't have to rush this party but hopefully, this will give you a good idea for when to plan.

What should you wear? 

Housewarming parties are usually casual but like any party, your guests will most likely want to dress up a little. A cute swing dress and shimmering earrings are a good look. You don't even have to wear shoes! You can ask your guests to remove their shoes at the door to help keep your home sanitary. You can request that everyone wear their favorite socks to the party on the invite! Check out our favorite casual party dresses HERE

Tips

1. You can throw two parties instead of one big one. If you have a huge family, a tun of friends or just want to keep things more intimate. Throw a party for your friends and a second one for your family. 
2. Find out about food preferences, allergies, and special diets ahead of time. For instance, prepare virgin drinks alongside alcohol. 
3. If you're hosting a lot of people at once, offer lots of snacks instead of a meal. If you hosting a small intimate party, throwing a nice housewarming dinner might be the better way to go. 
4. Have something fun for the littles to do. If you have young attendees who will be stopping by, prepare a bit of entertainment for them too. You can set up a coloring station (washable markers) legos and a movie for them. 
5. Plan an activity or two. Sure people can talk and snack all day long, but having a couple of party games planned in advance (for the adults) can help structure the party and can help include your guests and bring them together. 

Happy Housewarming!

Xx