Suggestions on how you can enjoy your own party instead of having to run around all the time.
Tips on how to enjoy your own party. Step by step. Before the party
- Start planning well in advance
- Think about whether you want to hire a catering company to take care of the food and drink.
- Delegate certain tasks to guests. Many people are happy to be involved. Key words: setting up, decorating, cooking, music, photos, cleaning.
- Create a guest list and make a note of acceptances and cancellations. This will help you keep track.
- Send out the invitations about a month before the party. Set a clear deadline by which you expect feedback.
- Help your guests decide what they should bring as a gift. Contribute financially to the party, bring food and drink or help with the preparations.
- Designate a smoking area and show it to guests.
- Cleanliness: Rooms that guests can use or even just see should be tidy and clean.
- Space: Is there enough space and hangers in the checkroom to hang up coats? Where do you put handbags, can guests put plates and glasses down?
- Scents: When guests arrive, the smell of fine food is a motivating factor.
- Ventilation: After the meal, air the room so that fresh air wakes you up again.
- Seating: Even standing parties need plenty of seating.
- Mood: Introduce the guests to each other when they arrive to make it easier to break the ice. Otherwise, it's better to pair up with familiar faces.
- Memories: Set up a guest book and explain to guests your wish for each person to write a dedication in it during the evening.
- When giving a speech, keep it short and talk about people, not things. According to sociolinguist Albert Mehrabian, 7% of the impact of a speech is determined by the content, 38% by the voice and 55% by the overall impression of the speaker. So the choice of clothes is not unimportant either.
- Kitchen party the next day: If the dishes are piling up the morning after, invite friends or neighbors to a kitchen party to clean up together. This usually leads to the best conversations.
- Insights: Keep a record of your observations, you can benefit from them at the next party: Did the wine fit, was it enough, was there enough room for all the guests, was the chocolate mousse enough for everyone?
Bitte nicht einmischen, helfen wollen, rumfummeln!
Die Tipps sind sicher nützlich, aber nicht für alle Leute. Ich wehre mich jeweils gegen Gäste, die sich gross einbringen wollen. Das Essen koche ich sicher selbst, sonst müsste ich ja nicht einladen, und es braucht auch niemand im Haushalt Hand anzulegen oder auf den Gedanken zu kommen, aufzuräumen, abzuwaschen oder gar zu putzen! Schliesslich habe ich Gäste und keine Bediensteten eingeladen.
Genauso halte ich es auch, wenn ich eingeladen werde. Ich bring meine Hausspezialität nicht mit, weil das ja heissen würde, dass ich an der Fähigkeit der Gastgeber zweifle, ebenso gut zu kochen (ausser natürlich, die Gastgeber wünschen sich ausdrücklich mein berühmtes Tomatentartar).
Aber wie gesagt, das ist Geschmacksache und hängt vom Umgang ab, den man pflegt. Es würde mich interessieren, zu erfahren, wie andere das sehen!