There’s so many occasions and reasons to celebrate – birthday parties, Halloween, job promotion, or sometimes even just making it to Friday is reason enough to celebrate. I’ve put together my top 10 essentials for throwing a party, whether patio drinks at the cabin with friends, or an all-out costume theme party. Of course, not all 10 are absolutely necessary – BUT, if you can manage to include all 10 at your party, then you can count on me hitting “Going” on Facebook 😉
1. Good company – It wouldn’t be an official celebration without having your BFFs there to toast with.
2. Drinks – While this can come in many shapes and sizes, having a welcome cocktail for guests can be a great way to kick off festivities.
3. Décor – Subtle decorations can be the icing on the celebration cake.
4. Cupcakes – Delicious and event-themed!
5. Photobooth – Long gone are the days of just putting a photo album on Facebook, instead snap a photo of every guest and make a photobooth-style collage.
6. Selfies – Thank you Ellen for paving the way for group selfies to be an acceptable form of event photography.
7. Hashtag – Obviously, you’ll instgram your party photos, so might as well use the event hashtag. (We brought out our red mittens and Canadian flags for this Winter Olympics themed party.)
8. Costumes – Normal clothes are from 9 to 5, check out how we celebrated Diwali (the Festival of Lights) in style.
9. Late night eats – 2am rolls around and sometimes you just need a snack. I’ve become the master of late night grilled cheese making.
10. A good breakfast – The next morning isn’t always easy, but start it off with a cup of coffee and a splash (or two) of Baileys.
What are your party planning “must have” items?
Cheers!
Sarah
Cheers to you, Vancouver! 
Loving the photo booths that have become so popular these days always a great way to look back the next day and see how the photos progress as the drinks start to flow!
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Love this!!! Great ideas!!! 🙂
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Loved your bog entry!! Good friends, drinks and food are probably my top 3 of all time.
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Awesome tips Sarah, and I love the matching pictures — I definitely get the sense that you’re a pro at throwing parties. Friends are obviously a must-have for a great party, but it’s the extra touches that set it apart. We held a BBQ over the long weekend and made frozen margaritas and daiquiris to welcome the sunshine!
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How fun! Many more sunny days to come in Vancouver so I suspect you’ll be hosting events lots more! 🙂
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Hi, Sarah! You are definitely having a great “party” life with so many creative ideas and friends!
As Ailsa has already mentioned, a match of pics and tips is perfect!
My favorite is your cake pic dedicated to Winter Olympic Games 🙂
And I would love to join breakfast starting with Baileys 🙂 My way is coffee with a few spoons of Baileys instead of milk. This pic has reminded me of my times in Germany when we used to drink champagne in the morning at the weekends as an after-party appetizer 🙂
Liza
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Thanks! We dressed up in our 2010 Winter Olympics gear for our Sochi party and decorated with Canadian flags and other Olympics merchandise.
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Yes, I’ll be putting this blog post on my ‘favorites’ list for whenever (if ever?) I decide to host a party.
Until then, it’s now my new standard for what I’ll expect at parties. haha
You’re an expert in the party-hosting-discipline – and you’ve got me craving a grilled cheese now!
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Thanks for the comment Kimberley! At our parties, we tend to go fairly conservative on the snacks and appies, but by the time 1am rolls around, we whip out the grilled cheese supplies. Our guests have come to know and love that.
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Love this!!! Good tips- best part is number 2! 🙂
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Great top ten ideas! Something I like to add to my personal parties is some ‘Minute to Win it’ games. Always a blast and makes for some great picture ops and some fabulous stories after!
Sarah B
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Thanks! I’m obsessed with Ellen’s Heads Up game. So much fun!
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I quake at the thought of having to host a party so I was keen to see how a pro does it. Do you have a regular group of friends you invite or do you carefully select the guest list to ensure the right atmosphere? And what did you do to that cheese?
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Hi Yolanda, thanks for the comment! I generally have a “go to” list of invitees, but it all depends on the size and type of party. Plus, you need to be prepared for +1’s. As for the grilled cheese, Jamie Oliver’s cheese toastie recipe with cheese crown is the best of both worlds – gooey cheese on the inside and a burnt cheese crown. Check out to make it here- http://invisiblepinkfood.blogspot.ca/2014/09/jamie-olivers-no-1-toasted-cheese.html – it requires a bit of practice, but once you can master the cheese crown, it really impresses guests.
Sarah
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Thanks for the party preparation list Sarah! Ps. I loved the decorations you posted. Very classy party. Now if only I had a kitchen like that one ;). Out of curiosity what types of costume parties have you hosted? Based on how you celebrated Diwali, I feel like you might have had a few in your hosting years so far. Looking forward to future posts and many party planning ideas.
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Hi Erica,
My most recent costume parties have been:
– WTF Are You Wearing?! – the more ridiculous the outfit the better, photo in this blog post – https://cheerstoyouvancouver.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/cheers-to-us-birthday-week/
– Anything But Cups – guests chose their drinking vessel, I drank out of a honey bear container, other “cups” included a pineapple, spray bottle, and watering can
– High School Yearbook
– Seniors Discount – dressed up like old people
Once I finish one party, I’m already trying to think of the next unique theme.
Sarah
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