|
Five Absolute Rules for throwing a great party |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Holly Bea, for NEXTnc
|
|
Thursday, 23 November 2006 |
|
|
|
|
 We’ve all been to those parties… The minute you walk in, you know shouldn’t have. For whatever reason, the party isn’t working and it sure isn’t a place you want to be.
A bad party usually doesn’t have much to do with who’s throwing it — they’re usually a friend, or a friend of a friend.
There are some pitfalls that must be avoided in order to throw a great party, one that people are not only happy they came to, but one they are also sad to see end.
1. Less Is More. At least when it comes to lighting. Nothing kills a party faster than bright lights. Use candles, lava lamps, table lamps, the flames from a fireplace, ANYTHING except an overhead light, unless it has a dimmer switch.
2. Control Your Music Destiny. This is much easier than it used to be, thanks to iPods and the ability to burn your own CDs. Help create the mood for parties by creating play lists that last the length of the party, designated by the hour.
The first hour, choose tunes that aren’t too intense. You want the energy to build. The second hour, ramp up the energy. The third hour is ramped way up. In hour four, make it as high energy as you want. When you’re ready to call it a night, put on something mellow. It’s a subtle hint for those who just don’t want to go home.
3. Novelty Drinks Really Kick Start A Party. Nothing says PARTY quite like a novelty drink. Whether you greet your guest at the door with a silver tray laden with an assortment of Jell-O shots, or invite them to visit the Make Your Own Martini Bar, a novelty drink gets it going.
Self-serve margarita machines are great, and you won’t have to play bartender all night. Serve different flavored mojitos, complete with raw sugar canes and fresh mint. Even if it’s a strictly beer crowd, serve beers from around the world and have people put pushpins in a map to chart their drinking.
Drink Tip
Even if you’re throwing a birthday party for your 7-year-old, a non-alcoholic novelty drink will add to the fun: Call your green party punch Green Slime or Toad Toddies and the kids will enjoy it even more.
4. Take a Deep Breath. If it breaks, gets stained or bursts into flames, save your tears for later. Shake it off. There’s plenty of time after the party to lament the loss of those fine speakers that were blown out, or to figure out how to remove red wine stains from the new white sofa of yours. (What were you thinking when you bought that?)
If a chair catches fire (like mine did during a particularly lively soirée), just haul it out on the balcony; douse the flames and party on. The guest who caused the damage feels bad enough already — don’t make it worse.
5. Keep It Simple. Sure, you need to serve food. But if you knock yourself out cooking all day, you’ll be exhausted before the party starts. Choose easy-to-serve munchies that aren’t messy. You don’t want to be cleaning up gloppy dips that have spilled all over. Cheese cubes, tortilla roll-ups, meat skewers, mini quiches, stuffed mushrooms… these little bite sized, easy-to-handle snacks should be served in waves throughout the night. You can also find lots of tasty hors d’oeuvres available at your local grocery store.
| Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
