Five Things A Party Can't Go Without

A party is an exciting way to celebrate a special occasion and have a good time with your friends. It is important to make sure you have all foundations covered ranging from getting in-wall speakers to essentials like cutlery. Here, we will discuss everything you need to throw the best party possible.

I’m sure everyone has felt the dreaded moment of arriving at a party only to realise you’re either underdressed or overdressed. Nothing is worse than realising you stick out like a sore thumb, while guests give awkward glances at you. Hey, sometimes it’s exciting to stand out from the rest, but in most cases we just want to fit.

A solution to this problem is having a theme to the event. This can be stated on the invitation and will allow everyone to feel included in the group. Some possible party themes include:

• 1980’s: This is a great idea for the older crowd, allowing them to relive their youth and have a flashback to the past. Guests can bring out the clothes and wild hairstyles.

• Movie theme: As the title states, everyone can come dressed as their favourite movie character. This theme allows a broad range of costumes, so nobody will feel out of place if everyone is rocking something really different.
• Holiday Theme: Guests can base their outfits on the colour scheme of the holiday and add trimmings to the outfits for variation.

Depending on size and reason, foods can vary. Mostly we offer sugary snacks and junk foods. These are inexpensive and bowls can be refilled all night long. Common snacks will include: chips, salsa, dip, candy, ice-cream, cake or anything to snack on.

Remember, foods are expensive and if it is a massive event, there’s no shame in telling guests to bring their own meat if it’s a barbeque. You might be providing snacks and drinks, so if they want a bigger meal they can bring their own food. If it's a normal party, with no particular reason, get everyone to contribute.

When talking about ‘drinking’ at a party, everyone most likely thinks about college parties with beer and shots, but a party doesn’t have to be about all that.

Based on age appropriateness of your party, be prepared to cater to all age groups. This can mean stocking up on alcohol, but also cold drinks and juices for kids.

Going back to alcohol, it can be important, and it is the highlight of most parties. A good tip to remember is investing in a keg. This will let you cut down on the amount of garbage, as most should know aluminium cans lying everywhere after a party is not fun.  Popular beer brands include: Keystone, Miller, Bud Light, Guinness.

Music is an essential part of a party, and you’re probably thinking what genre to play. If you have a big party, you may not know everyone’s taste so a good idea is to play different music throughout the night. Popular music at parties is: hip-hop; electronic (EDM); house and rap.

After you have decided on the genre of music to play, distinguish how you’re going to get the music there. In the past, DJ’s would be hired to play music. You may have a friend who is ready to take control of the music station. Get a good Bluetooth speaker or anything loud enough that will fill the whole event with sound.

Benefits of using a Bluetooth speaker is that guests can get involved and play music off their smartphones. Instead of having the pressure of choosing the next track, you could let everyone have a turn at choosing the next beat.  Some good sources to find music are: iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube.

Guests have arrived, music is on and drinks are flowing. Sure, it’s great to just chill out and talk, but they will most likely want to do something after they’ve got through the pleasantries. Some good ideas include:

• Swimming: Most parties are hosted at a house, and what better way to cool down.

• A designated dancing area: if possible, move furniture away from an area close to the music and lights. 
• Beer pong: a little variation to ping pop for the adults, beer pong is great to let everyone at the party get involved and laughing at those brave enough.
• Darts, pool and ping pong: these are the classic games for most parties.
• Video games.

The final ‘thing’ a party can’t go without is running it smoothly. This isn’t necessarily a thing you should get, but something you should do to have the best possible event for you and your guests.

• Prepare your home: pack all valuables and fragile things away. Have everything like glasses, plates and cutlery out in the open.

• Check up on your guests: make sure they're all happy
• Have a guest list: after sending out invitations, some people are bound to bring along an extra. 
• Ask others to clean up: Sweeten the deal by giving them access to the remaining foods and beverages after the party, or offer to help them when they host next time.

Preparing and hosting a party can be quite exhausting and there’s some pressure to making sure it all goes right. While the event commences, remember to sit back and have fun yourself.

Partake in the activities and enjoy all you have prepared. Now get planning, and make a party that your guests will be talking about whenever they mention you!