Alright ladies, in today’s post, I am sharing my secret weapon to becoming the most confident hostess with the mostess, whether you’ve thrown one party or a hundred!! As fun as it is, hosting any kind of party can be overwhelming and daunting. There are so many things to do, decide, remember and buy, making it hard to pinpoint where to start! I have thrown a lot of dinners and parties over the last 40 some years… everything from an intimate mother/daughter luncheon to a 50+ person BBQ bash and I always start my party planning process by asking and answering the 3 Ws: who, when and what. These 3 Ws of hosting will help you break down your planning and get you started on hosting an amazing bash!
WHO? WHEN? WHAT?
Starting off with probably the most important W: WHO
Who is this party for?! Is it a celebratory event for one person like a baby shower for your niece, or a 30th murder mystery bday party for your daughter?! Or is the who more of a “whos“: some girlfriends over for cocktails or a backyard bbq for your family?
Once the who is determined, you can get more specific. For an event with a guest of honour (new mom, bride-to-be, birthday boy or girl) who are they? Extroverted life-of-the-party who loves a surprise, introverted and would probably prefer a small intimate dinner; are they someone who doesn’t drink, or has a dietary specification like vegetarian? Do they have something they love: cars, Disney, a brand (hey, we have thrown both “Rifle Paper Co.” and “Kate Spade” themed parties- see below!) or even as simple as a favourite colour? The specifics of your “who” becomes a great jumping off point for the theme, and deciding what kind of event you could host!
Once you have the main who, then it’s secondary who: who will be invited?? Will there be 3 guests or 30? Are these family and friends you host all the time, or are there people on the invite list that you don’t know?
Rifle Paper Co. themed bridal shower:
Kate Spade themed bridal shower:
The next W to decide: WHEN
When will you host this event? In 10 days or in 2 months from now? Do you have weeks to prepare or is it a last-minute event? Is the when seasonal, or dependent on sunny, summer weather? In my experience, BBQ’s are hard to host in a snow-filled backyard, LOL! Will this be a morning, afternoon, cocktail hour or evening event? When the event is happening will determine how you answer a lot of the WHAT questions. If you have 2 months to prep, you probably have time to order a custom wooden backdrop from that cute shop on Etsy, but if the party is next week, you probably have to forgo the wooden backdrop and swap in a simple but super fun balloon garland kit! Your time frame may also force you to call in the troops- a friend to come help blow up said balloons, or your daughter for her Canva skills and silhouette machine to make all those custom name cards and menus for your table!
With the first 2 Ws answered, all that's left is: WHAT
This is where it gets a little more intricate, as what covers a range of party details! What can also feel repetitive since some aspects will have already naturally been answered by the who and when, but they’re still important!! And remember, depending on the type of event you are hosting you may not need some of the whats… my family members do not usually leave with party favours after a casual backyard BBQ- just leftovers!
What matters most to you and/or the guest of honour? Revisiting the who quickly; how do you want the guest of honour, the guests and even you, to feel? You know them best, is your guest of honour someone who would love a surprise party and has family and friends that will be totally down to show up early and hide behind the couch, jumping out when the party person walks in?! Personally, I DO NOT EVER want a surprise party, but I am more than happy to throw one!!
What type of event will this be/what is the theme? Again, you may have already answered this with the above points, but are you going lavish or low-key? Big or small? If there is a theme, what is it? Of course, here at Hallo Haus Studio we are always “team theme”! I also believe that a party theme is more impactful when there is a consistent thread that weaves throughout all of the party elements. This is where the mostess comes in… a repeated party element is always noticed and appreciated by your guests (even if they can’t totally pin point it), and repetition makes your event feel cohesive and effortless (even if behind the scenes it was anything but!!)!
What is your budget? This what goes hand in hand with the event type and we know it’s possible to throw an amazing party with any budget!! An engagement party for 40+ guests will most likely cost more than an afternoon tea for three of your girlfriends, so this is an important aspect to consider and plan for as the host! You may have the budget and want to pay for the whole shindig yourself, but it may also be an event where other people could contribute, even if you are the host. Claudia was in charge of planning and set-up for a 9 girl, out of town, bachelorette party a few years ago. Everyone (minus the bride-to-be, of course!) gave Claudia $100 to buy salty snacks, sweet treats, drinks, party favours, tableware, balloons, and game prizes… that way Claudia had an $800 party budget to work with because the other girls chipped in!
What type of food and beverages are you serving? Menu planning is KEY to a successful party, we do not want any hungry guests at your house!! Is it a really good wine paired with one-bite appies, hotdogs with chips and lemonade, a diy mimosa bar along side a waffle brunch station, afternoon sandwiches and tea? The options are truly endless; so I think the best place to start with your food and beverage planning is: 1. Are there any dietary restrictions for guests attending, and 2. Are there any foods that work really well with your theme?! I once hosted a mountain-themed bridal shower where the bride was vegetarian and I have to say, vegetarian and mountain vibes paired really well together! The menu basically wrote itself; I served different flavours of granola with yogurt, fresh fruit cups and raw veggies with ranch dip… my inspo was anything that felt like you could “take-on-a-hike-and-eat-while-looking-at-a-lake”! If you’re hosting a late night no-kids Halloween party, a candy bar would be fun! Another easy idea is to build your menu on a specific cuisine like Italian, Asian or German for example (this can also be your guest of honour’s favourite food(s)!). There are so many directions you can go with the eats & drinks!
What decor can support my theme? Specific coloured flowers, balloons, patterned napkins, accessories, wrapping paper (if applicable) and candles… much like the food & bev, decor options are really endless. A fun themed wall your guests can take photos in front of definitely takes some work, but has such a big pay off, and people are always so impressed with it!! Also anything you can hang (think balloons, garlands, pompoms) adds a huge impact and instantly says party and creates a “decorated” atmosphere. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest typing your “theme decor” into Pinterest, IG or even TikTok to start getting the creative juices flowing! Staying within a specific colour palette helps keep everything feel cohesive and intentional!
What kind of music will fit your theme/party? Making sure you have some sort of music playing in your party space during your event creates a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. Silence at a party can feel really awkward, especially for those first few guests! With all the music streaming services we subscribe to nowadays, it’s so easy to make or find a pre-made playlist to create ambience for your party on Apple Music or Spotify… and I’m quite sure you could even just ask “Alexa or Siri to play jazzy background music” for your cocktail hour and you’ll be set! Once again, theme and vibe is important here… Techno-haus-musik (yes, I made that up!!) probably isn’t the right fit for a classy cocktail hour, unless that is what your guest of honour has requested!!
What activities will there be? Depending on your theme, guest list and size, you may want to have one or multiple activities/party games! If you’re hosting a poker night, the main/only activity is obviously, the poker game! But if you’re hosting a girl’s craft night you might have a diy candle station, a charm bar, a tote bag painting table, or cookie decorating in the kitchen. Games, question prompts for dinner conversation, backyard mini golf, trivia questions, a treasure hunt, or “guess how many jelly beans in the jar” are just some options you can offer! Party games and different activities are a fun way to make people feel involved and included, and they are great ice breakers!
Party Favours!
You are NEVER too old for a fun gift bag!! Giving out a party favour is such a fun way to end your event, and it’s a really nice take away and memory for your guests! The cherry on top of the party cake, if you will. Party favours should still match your theme, but you can truly go as big or as small as you’d like with what your guests head home with. We have given out sooo many different items over the years, snacks and sweet treats are always an easy option; we’ve done jars of granola, wrapped rice crispy treats, chocolates, small bags of popcorn/chips, homemade chex mix (our recipe here!), and small bags of candy/gummys. Small non-food options are fun too, we’ve done playing cards, tea cups, crystals, notebooks, lipstick, mickeys of alcohol, paint & paint brushes.
In our experience, the best place to start your party planning is with a pen and paper (we still love our stationary!), answer the 3 Ws, and write down any and all party ideas that spring to mind! Give yourself a day or two (depending on the date of your event) to mull this all over, revisit and then solidify! We also love scrolling Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok to gather hosting inspo! Claudia and I always make a shared Pinterest board when we plan a party, since it is a great place to collect and see all the visual elements that could work for your theme in one place; things like balloon colours, recipes that sound delish, or a cake design you want to recreate!
You will probably have tons of amazing ideas, but don’t stress if the event is approaching and you realize you have to tweak or eliminate things from your plan due to time or budget restraints. We almost always modify or get rid of things as the date gets closer, no one but you (and your “assistant” daughter!) will ever know if there is one missing appetizer, only 2 drink options instead of 5, or you didn’t get to finishing that handmade garland you bought paper for. Using our 3 Ws of Hosting as your starting point for any event you’re planning will help make the process and execution so much smoother!
We love the event planning process, but while you’re prepping and executing always remember that the true essence of any party is about spending quality time with people you care about… just hosting someone’s special something is a wonderful gift in and of itself! Let me know in the comments any party planning tip you swear by, I’d love to know!
Faire la fête,
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