Hosting an Unforgettable New Year's Celebration with Minimal Effort and Maximum Appeal! | Wednesday’s In the Know
Photo by Azzura Photography
You may not believe it, or want to, but New Year’s is in just a few days. Breathe…..
Today, I am going to offer some simple, easy and last minute tips for hosting an unforgettable New Year’s celebration with minimal effort and maximum appeal.
Location:
- In the business world, they say location is everything. Funny fact, that's the same when it comes to throwing a party! Whether at home, the local cozy pub, cellar or at Jonathan Gold’s latest 5-star establishment in LA, the "where" really sets the tone for the evening at hand. Although my apartment may be small, I love hosting parties at home so that people can dress casual, lines are short – wait, what lines? – food and dips are of abundance and you control every element…even the coat check and dancefloor.
Time:
- Think later than earlier as your guests have to last till midnight! Unless you have dinner and activities planned, consider a later start time, like 8:00 pm where appetizers and drinks offer merriment until the ball drops!
Menu:
- Heavy hors d'oeuvres, or finger food is ample especially with a later start time. If earlier, guests will expect dinner which simply put, is great but adds more to your to-do list.
Drinks:
- Less is more! Consider a signature cocktail or minimally stock the bar to keep it from getting cluttered while saving on the pocket book. Or, consider looking at yesterday’s post “Stocking the Bar Cart: Celebrating New Years with all the Fixings” – for some fun ideas when it comes to stocking your bar cart!
Invite List:
- Before you invite the entire neighborhood, keep in mind the size of your party and space at hand. Yes, more is often merrier, but when hosting at home, there comes to a point where you just don’t have enough room or chairs.
Plateware and Serviceware:
- Disposables may be the “easier” choice but it also costs more than using what you have on hand. Yes, you may need to cozy up to the dishwasher after your guests leave, but if money is tight, here is one way to keep costs down while keeping a sophisticated touch. If looking for disposables, Smarty Had a Party and JB Prince are my fav!
Games or Activity:
- Consider having an activity or board games on hand to not only help keep you awake till midnight, but offer a fun touch for the evening. One of my favorite activities is offering gold envelopes, fancy pens and stationary for a New Year resolution station. Simply put, your guests write their New Year resolutions on stationary, seal them in an envelope and take with them for the big reveal next year!
Decorations:
- No need to re-decorate for New Year’s Eve! Keep your Christmas decorations going strong straight to 2017!
And with that, here’s to an incredible, delightful, festive, show-stopping and safe New Year’s celebration surrounded by those that you love!
For other terrific tips and hundreds of recipes, visit my website (thetabletogether.com). While there, consider “subscribing” and I will send a new tip or blog post directly to your inbox every Tuesday and Wednesday morning!
P.S. Make sure you check out my YouTube channel, The Table Together with Tiffany Lewis, solely dedicated to bringing all of these fantastic tips and recipes to life!
Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!
Sincerely,
Tiffany Lewis
Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!