There is almost nothing more exciting than your first home as a couple, and of course, you want to share that joy with all of your friends and family. Many people like to host a housewarming party to do that. As they say, a house without friends and family is nothing but sticks and stones.
Prepare the house
First, make sure you’re moved in all the way before having the party. No one wants to visit a house full of boxes and search for forks and glasses. Seating is also important. If you only have a loveseat and you invite 20 people, try to get some folding chairs
or something else so that your guests have somewhere to sit comfortably.
Prepare for gifts
Make a registry at one of your favorite stores. That way, when people ask you what you need, you can direct them to your registry and you won’t end up with 17 vases and nowhere to put them. Be considerate though – unless your friends and family are very wealthy, it’s not okay to ask for a $500 piece of artwork for your foyer. Also, don’t put the registry info on the invitations, because that makes you look like you’re fishing for gifts – save it for when someone asks (and they will). You can even use the wedding registry if you still need the same things.
Prepare to eat
As far as refreshments are concerned, don’t get too worked up about it. You don’t need to pull out all the stops and get a caterer. You can have everyone bring a dish, get takeout, or even make a bunch of frozen pizzas if you’d like. Your guests will understand that you’ve been very busy. As long as they’re comfortable and happy, it doesn’t matter what kind of food you serve. A housewarming party isn’t about showing off as much as it is about sharing your happiness with others.
Prepare for guests
When you’re planning the party, think about things like parking, directions, travel, etc., and have that information handy for your guests. Chances are, you didn’t buy a house on the same street you grew up. Your friends may not have a problem driving 50 miles to celebrate your new home with you, but at the same time, this makes for a long drive home. If you have a guest room, you can offer it to them, or you can suggest hotels in the area.
As far as the invitation list, don’t limit it to people you already know. Throwing a housewarming party is a great way to get to know your new neighbors. They will be happy to have been invited and a housewarming party is a fabulous way to become more familiar with your new neighborhood.
Have you thrown a housewarming party before? Do you have any tips to share?
Great tips. We bought our home 2 months ago and sold our old home last week. We are having a housewarming party next weekend (10/31/15). Yikes, I know it is on Halloween but, if I don’t do it, I never will. I am planning on having a chili bar. I am trying to get the guts to invite my new neighbors.
Definitely invite the neighbors, it is a great way to get to know them on your own turf 🙂
If you don’t feel comfortable asking them face to face, put a note in their mailbox and let them know you would love for them to stop by.
Congrats on the move.
Just an FYI. Mailboxes are federal property (even if u purchased it). Its illegal to put anything in a mailbox w/o proper postage.
Good to know! I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks, Kristina.
love the invites and great tips
Last year when we moved to our new house, we had a FUNtastic house warming party. There was all kinds of food and drinks, soft drinks and ice creams for kids and we gave small gifts to all the people whom we invited.
It was so much fun, I will share this article with my friends too.
Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I love to host parties. This is a really fun idea. Never been to or had a housewarming.
These are so pretty. We’re still doing some repairs in the house we recently bought, but we’re having a housewarming party once we’re done. I will bookmark this. Thanks!
I love a good housewarming party! Those invitation ideas are adorable too!
Great tips! I did a mini housewarming party when hubby and I moved into our first apartment. It wasn’t right after we moved in, but rather near the holidays. I went with a trim the tree theme and guests brought ornaments to help us fill the tree a bit.
Those are really cute ideas for invitations. I would love to try them some time.
People always expect me to throw all the parties in my family because I have the biggest house but I am always like, “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING.” Thanks for the tips because I am getting tired of just winging it!
Such cute invitations. We have lived in our same house for 14 years already and cute invites like that weren’t readily available.
We love throwing parties and I am always looking for cute/different invitations to send out. I love these invitations.
Thanks, Stacie. My favorite is the one with the heart in the house!
These are some great tips for preparing for a Housewarming Party. When I had mine, I made sure I had lots of food ready for my guests.
Right, Shannon! There is nothing worse than being at a party and wishing there was more food. I’ve been to a party where that happened, and people were not happy!
Those are really cute invitations – I like the idea of a potluck to “Break in” the new kitchen!
Definitely! Plus you might have leftovers 😉
Cute idea. I have never actually thrown a housewarming before.
I haven’t either, Debi. I wish we had when we moved in our current house… so many people in our families haven’t seen it, and that would have been an opportunity.
These are so adorable. Wonder if I can have a house warming party on the 1 year anniversary of buying our house?
I guess at that point, it would just be a party 🙂