Host a Post New Year’s Eve Party

New Year’s Eve is a happy time that calls for a celebration. There are many parties being thrown here and there that you failed to devote yourself in planning your own party in time for the coming of 2014. Fret not, for long after all the fireworks had fizzled out, you can still host a post New Year’s Eve party while everybody hasn’t overcome the holiday fever and is still on vacation.

Plan the Guest List. When planning for a New Year’s Eve party, the order of business includes drawing up the guest list. You can’t have a spectacular party without a spectacular guest list. This is crucial because the number of guests you want to invite can affect the other party components, such as the venue, food, and activities. It’s vital to come up with the final guest list as early as possible to allow you to make plans in case there are friends who don’t go along well with each other. This places you in a difficult position and may prompt you to remove some names from the list. You may have to use discretion in identifying guests who aren’t mature enough to be present in the same stage with some people.

The guest list can influence your decision where to hold the party. If you’re hosting a little party for some of your closest friends, you’ll likely choose to have it in your home. However, if you’re inviting many people, including children, it can be a problem unless you have a large property. The most convenient option is to rent an area big enough to accommodate all your guests. You can then plan the food and drinks based on the size of your guest list. Planning a formal sit down dinner is a convenient setup if you’re expecting a couple of guests, but this is not applicable for a larger group. If many guests are coming, a buffet or cocktail party is the ideal arrangement.

Set the Party Stage. The party calls for some action, so deck with decors that spell fun. After finalizing your guest list, you need to decide what kind of party to plan for. As a tail-end of a festive holiday, New Year can still be filled with lots of ornaments and trimmings thus you only need to recycle them and add a few to match the occasion. To save yourself from the stress of decorating the place, source your New Year’s Eve party supplies from an online shop with glitzy range of items to ring the night with a bang.

If you’re having an intimate dinner, wrap the table with gold table cover to lend glamour to an interesting dinner conversation with your well-chosen guests. Placing name cards would be an elegant touch and it ensures a lively tete-a-tete by deciding who sits next to whom to toast the New Year with a clink of your classy silver champagne glasses. If you opt for a strictly formal affair, insist that guests come in their finest outfit. After all, a New Year’s Eve party is one of the only few occasions where you can dress up to the nines.

A casual setting is more fun if you’re inviting countless guests for a post New Year’s Eve party. Provide lots of tiaras, hats, noisemakers, and sparklers for total festive mood. Choose to decorate with the classic colors of silver and gold to achieve sophisticated drama without losing the holiday ambiance. A silver paper loot bag filled with homemade goodies is a sweet gesture for your guests to remember through the years.

Sate the Palate. Build your menu around the size of your guest list. For a small group, an exquisite meal can be composed of oysters and lobsters. A larger group can be served with prime rib roast with au gratin potatoes, Thai-Italian spring rolls with peanut dip, and blue cheese meatballs. Not to omit is the traditional chilled champagne to celebrate the old year and welcome the new. Wrap up the heavy dinner with decadent tiramisu partnered with a cup of creamy cappuccino.

Make some Noise. Think about activities that can perk up even the most introvert wallflower among your guests. Set up a wardrobe station with fancy dress costumes for them to put on and rock the night away. Don’t let the kids get bored. Hang a New Year’s Eve piñata filled with party favors, sweet treats, and gold coins – everything it takes to create all the noises for the night. Host little friendly games to encourage guests to participate and stir up their competitive spirit. You may also set up a fortuneteller booth and hire a crystal ball or card reader to let you and your friends in to what awaits in the year ahead.

After the last guest has left, you can heave a sigh of relief. Everything turned out perfectly as planned. You have to admit it – a “better-late-than-never” New Year’s Eve party still allows you to enjoy yourself in the company of your friends.