Promotions! Proposals! Procreation! What they all have in common is the ensuing celebration. But let’s face it: a major milestone requires major preparation. Your guests are going in with relatively higher expectations than usual.
As a host, just think about upping the ante in a few minor ways that make a major impact. It’ll enhance the experience for everyone involved, including your own.
Food and Drinks
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What you serve is almost as important as how you serve it. Cooking for a herd of hungry animals requires containers and trays larger than your tiny kitchen can normally sustain. That’s why this non-stick baking sheet is massive enough for dozens upon dozens of cupcakes, but thin enough to store behind your toaster oven or microwave when not in use.
The thing about multi-tiered serving platters is that they send a message to your brain that there is a variety of snacks on display. This gives everyone a sense of kid-in-a-candy store doe-like wonder. This 3-tier server mimics the silhouette of a wedding cake in a rustic understated fashion. Take the guesswork out of what to serve and grab a three-pack of Foodstirs baking mixes to whip up the likes of Snickerdoodle blondies and chocolate lover’s brownies.
If there’s any occasion to whip out the bar cart, it’s now. Jet.com’s selection is overwhelming in the best way possible, in that you’ll want to take bartending classes before your party just to be able to offer your guests the royal experience. This old timey wine rack on wheels has extra shelving for something like GEM+BOLT Mezcal Artesenal (the adult version of tequila) and cocktail accoutrements like olives and edible flowers, with enough space to make mixology magic happen. Overstock’s playful take on a whiskey decanter is a great way for guests to top off their glasses themselves when your hands are tied up in hosting duties. Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey makes for a more interesting night than champagne, anyway.
We all forget about coasters until we’re scrubbing ugly water rings off our coffee tables the next morning. Save yourself the hassle and grab these playful Tic Tac Toe trivet and coasters that also doubles as entertainment. Speaking of…
Entertainment
There’s always that guy in the corner at every party playing Dave Matthews on a beat-up acoustic. Invest in a beginner-friendly guitar, so your friend from college with a full-time job promoting his Soundcloud actually, for once, contributes positively to the ambiance of your party (can you tell I’m bitter?).
Steal a note from a wedding’s book and on a table, place a Fujifilm Instax Camera that comes in every adorable color under the sun so guests can take home tangible evidence of their wonderful night. Place an assortment of Sharpies right beside it so guests can write notes on the photos, like real life Instagram captions. You don’t need to be four years old to swing with all your might at a giant animal. No matter your political affiliations, beating the candy out of a Donald Trump piñata is cathartic on many levels.
Look, I’m not your mom. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Instead of ruining one of your good glasses, grab a good-looking ashtray, which also works great for holding incense (in many ways, they’re less of a fire hazard than candles or tea lights in the presence of stumbling crowds). Plus, the gold tone is an invitation to add more gold accents to your décor.
Décor
In huge gold lettering, metallic balloons that read Eat Cake from Forever 21 aren’t so much a suggestion as a command. And when that’s your only responsibility for the night as both a host and a guest at your own party, you’re in for a pretty sweet time.
Nothing sets the mood quite like proper lighting. With eight different settings, these LED curtain lights provide a whimsical otherworldly feel to your venue (or, lets be honest, your living room).
Yes, people love milling about. But sometimes during a party they’ll want to rest their stiletto-battered feet and decompress, a.k.a check their phones. Those fold-up chairs your grandmother and her friends use to play bridge sure are convenient, but they’ll remind you of the geriatric ward and then you’ll start contemplating your mortality while everyone is playing Exploding Kittens. For the same compact convenience, these bamboo folding chairs boast a slight tiki vibe whether you’re lounging indoors or on the patio.
Confetti is a mess and a half to clean up, but relegate it to the confines of a translucent balloon a la Urban Outfitters Ginger Ray Jumbo Rainbow Confetti Balloon Set to really get things poppin’ (sorry).
See? Hosting can be so enjoyable you might just find minor everyday reasons to celebrate, and that’s a beautiful thing.
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