How to Host a Holiday Event in Your Apartment

One of the best things about the holiday season is the chance to spend more time with family and friends at parties. If you’ve been contemplating holding your own holiday bash, but aren’t sure how you’ll manage the logistics, we’re here to help. No matter what the size of your New Jersey apartment, you can throw an amazing party to ring in the holiday season. Here are a few tips you’ll want to consider before you begin planning your next event.

Automate the Invitation Process

Using online invitations saves time, allowing you to take care of more pressing items on your party planning list. Sites like evite and Paperless Post allow you to choose a template or design your own invitation. If you know your grandma would really prefer a mailed invitation, Paperless Post also offers printed cards and invitations.

Calculate Capacity

How many guests can your apartment hold comfortably? Before you answer that question, you’ll need to work out some logistic issues, such as:

Party Type: Will you be hosting a dinner party or serving hors d’oeuvres? If you’re planning on serving a sit-down dinner, the number of guests you can invite will be limited by the size of your table. The more casual the party, the more guests you can invite.

Demographics: Your closest friends may be perfectly happy to find a comfortable spot on the floor if chairs are in short supply. If colleagues or older relatives are on the guest lists, you’ll probably need to offer more traditional seating options.

Flow: Do you expect guests to come and go and remain at your apartment for the entire duration of the party? If you’re hosting an open house with flexible hours, you can accommodate more guests. Would you like to ensure that your apartment doesn’t get too crowded at any one time? Stagger the arrival times on your invitations.

Add Seating

Do you have enough places to sit in your apartment? Because guests will mingle, you only need to provide seating for about 70 percent of your guests. Renting chairs is one possibility if you don’t have enough seats, but you may also want to consider a few other options, such as:

Floor Pillows: Large pillows provide comfortable seating options for guests who don’t mind sitting on the floor. Make sure to place the pillows out of the flow of traffic to prevent spilled drinks and crushed fingers.

Director’s Chairs: The chairs fold for easy storage and can provide seating on your balcony when not needed indoors.

Folding Metal Chairs: Nothing says “party” more than a row of ugly metal chairs, right? By making a few upgrades, you can turn these inexpensive chairs into fun, funky seating options. Check out Pinterest for a few creative makeover ideas.

Plan Your Menu

There’s no limit to the foods you can choose when you host a sit-down dinner, but a more casual affair involves some strategic planning. Cutting a steak or managing a plate of messy spaghetti is difficult when you’re sitting on a floor pillow.

Finger foods offer the best option for less formal gatherings. Depending on the preferences of your crowd, you might offer peeled shrimp, steak canapés, meatballs skewered on a toothpick, cheese cubes, raw vegetables, miniature sandwiches, stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta and mini holiday desserts. Foods that can be eaten in one or two bites and don’t require a fork or knife are ideal.

Encourage mingling by offering several food stations, each containing different options. The kitchen counter and coffee table aren’t the only places you can set up food and drink stations. Take advantage of a hallway or foyer by placing a small table for picky foods.

Whether you plan to serve alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, drink bottles can take up a lot of space in the kitchen. Since you’re not operating a bar, no one will expect you to have the ingredients for every drink imaginable. Keep it simple by sticking to one type of beer, a wine selection and one or two types of cocktails, in addition to a few non-alcoholic offerings.

Looking for a new apartment with space to entertain? Fairway 28, a Country Classics Rental Community in Bridgewater, NJ, offers one- and two- bedroom apartments featuring open spacious floors plans, and a community room, that is great for entertaining. Contact us to add your name to the waiting list.