I passionately love hosting events at my home. From dinner parties, to brunches, lunches and the like; its a task that I never shy away from and I find it deeply satisfying. My mother, an her mother before, instilled the art of hosting in my soul from a young age. She taught me how to manage the menu, plan, take care of things and navigate my way through a busy event.
The other day my youngest child turned three. I had initially not planned on keeping a get together for the occasion, because by the time your third child makes an appearance your mental and physical capacity is a little less than ideal. However, through friends and peers at school, with the addition of exposure to her siblings birthdays and the world of Netflix, she had learnt the value of a birthday celebration and kept asking when hers was going to happen.
So I scrambled together a dinner party in her honour, and also an opportunity to entertain some visiting family before the winter break.
Palak Aaloo, Mash Daal, Nuggets and Fries, Aloo Gosht, Cheese Pizza, Mutton Biryani, Murgh Chohlay, Baingan ka Raita, Chickpea Salad
The event was a success with the attendees thoroughly enjoying themselves, as well as the birthday girl going to bed happy. It can be hard to be in the position of hostess though and there are some things that truly rally together to make the experience a smoother one.
Plan
Planning is absolutely vital in helping you pull together a successful event. Even if you decide the day of to have a get together, take a few minutes to just jot down some lists. Make a quick menu plan, a basic seating chart, some general time references of how to manage your schedule and then jump into your tasks.
What’s that saying? Planning means that you’re already half way to doing; or something along those lines. Giving yourself the chance to plan through your thoughts rather than go in blind lets you set your best foot forward.
Pre Prep
If you are managing an event days in advance then you have plenty of room to get some pre preparation done. It could be kitchen based tasks such as slicing up the veggies, or preparing dessert, or any items which can kept in the fridge. Or it could be tasks such as decor and table setting, or simply ironing clothes the day before so that the busy day of isn’t overloaded further. The more that you go into the day with things checked off of your to do list, the more of a stress free event day awaits.
Photo by Katrien Sterckx on Unsplash
Start Early
Begin your day of hosting well rested from the night before, but aim to get going bright and early. Having the maximum hours of quiet available to you before the rest of the household stirs is truly a blessing. For someone like me who has young children, I find doing the maximum amount of work before they even wake up is the way to go. It helps me feel like I have enough room left over for those last minutes that always pop up.
Kids Involvement
If you have children then give your kids small, age appropriate tasks, and get them involved in the process of preparations and hosting. Encourage them to help you lay the table, make dessert, assemble the salad; simple tasks that they can accomplish with minor supervision. It’s a teachable moment for them and a chance for you to gain some help and support.
Add Variety
When planning your menu see how you can choose items of variety. It can be hard to make everyone happy, especially when you have a different number of age groups attending, but attempt to keep things interesting by bringing forward as much variety as practically possible. it doesn’t have to be a huge number of dishes, but just enough thought to add two to three different options can provide a lot of comfort to your guests.
Small Touches Matter
Things that may not seem meaningful can actually come together to hold value for your guests. Names of the dishes, a printable menu, names at place settings, themed items, a centrepiece; these are just a few suggestions. The main goal is to allow your guests to feel like you went a little bit extra for them. That extra mile can mean so much to everyone involved.
Photo by micheile dot com on Unsplash
The biggest suggestion though for hosting successfully is to enjoy the experience and not overburden yourself or bow to pressure. The experience is meant to be an enjoyable one and the event is meant to hold value for you as well as your guests. Your attendees will be touched when they feel the warmth with which you welcome them to your home. That is the most meaningful thing of all.
Are you a fan of hosting events? What sort of suggestions do you have?
Mums The Word 