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Woohoo - it’s almost New Years! Planning a party - and feeling slightly daunted? Well, the party planners at Winning Appliances are happy to give you some very friendly and casual advice. Read on ...!
Firstly, don't stress - one of the best tips we can give you is to keep your plans simple!
Remember, of course, there’s that built-in sense of occasion that will do a lot of the heavy lifting at a New Year’s Party in terms of joie de vivre.
Instead of searching for ways to make a statement, just find ways to facilitate a healthy sense of nostalgia for the year that’s gone by and that positive sense of the year ahead. And if you feel like it hasn’t been such a great 12 months - just focus on next year and the way things will only get better!
Relaxed Glam
There’s no need to go strictly formal with your New Year’s decorations. Forget the floral arrangements or expensive statements - this is a time for letting your hair down and celebrating with some easily applied yet sensationally effective glitz.
Consider the possibilities for no fuss arrangements - a good New Year’s Party thrives on what our official party planners call a “relaxed, glam vibe”.
Think glass vases filled with New Year’s silver balls, champagne glasses with ribbon bow-ties, sprinkle some confetti and sequins about for a bit of celebratory shimmer, while curling ribbon looks great hanging from the ceiling. And don’t be shy about throwing some leftover Christmas decorations into the mix - some residual tinsel will always add a celebratory vibe. Meanwhile, judicious use of tall unscented candles - placed near the food or the bar - go a long way to bringing a convivial atmosphere.
You might even inspire your guests to get in on the act, handing out bags of confetti or multi-coloured cellophane - which they can helpfully dispense about the place.
Of course, you will be vacuuming a good portion of this stuff out of your carpet at some point - but hey, that’s 2019’s problem!
Food
If you’re planning on serving food, don’t overthink it. In fact, we’ve been to New Year’s parties where the hosts haven’t “thought it” at all - just put a load of candies in bowls - and that worked out just fine.
But if you’re wanting to apply a bit more effort, we recommend creating a selection of sweet and savoury delicacies - especially if you’re hosting a reasonably large gathering. You’ll keep everyone happy throughout the evening - and the mix of flavours helps to keep everything fresh and interesting for your guests. Pacing things out will ensure people don’t get too hungry - particularly for those who want to keep thing going beyond midnight.
To give you some inspiration, here are some delicious suggestions from our recent 12 Days Of Christmas countdown - each one more than applicable for a grand New Year celebration.
When it comes to beverages, having a stock of champagne for the appointed hour is an obvious must. If guests ask what they can bring - ask them to bring some bubbly, there’s no shame in getting them to subsidise one of the more expensive party items. We also recommend having a bowl of punch on hand to stimulate proceedings with a nice communal, shared party vibe. (Naturally, you’ll also want to consider non-alcoholic options for non-drinkers - we suggest combining sparkling water and fresh juice as an easy mocktail.)
In terms of arranging things, the food and drink will always remain at the centre of things. If you want your guests to mingle in specific areas in your house - place the food there and watch ‘em flock. We suggest keeping the food “station” relatively near the kitchen - get a bar happening out in the living area as well, to avoid a crush in the kitchen. Just try not to take up too much room from the dance floor …
Compulsory Fun
Tapping into the buzz of New Year with some creative ideas can add fun to proceedings. We use the word “fun” advisedly, but remember generally anything involving champagne is fun sooner or later.
A playlist that reflects the best (or worst) of the year’s greatest bangers is always a solid choice - although depending on the age-range of the crowd, you might prefer something a little more nostalgic for days gone by.
A similar kind of nostalgia may apply to the dress-code as well - encouraging your guests to come in costume that reflects a prominent celebrity or event from the year. We think if you’re busting out the board-games then your party is probably in trouble - but all fun is relative, except when champagne is involved when it pretty much becomes an absolute.
The Big Moment
Okay, it might be good to prep a little for the stroke of midnight. If you have a view of the fireworks, great. If you don’t, having the TV broadcast going is always a fallback option - although a potentially depressing one.
Whatever the case, make sure your guests are supplied with appropriate amounts of noisemakers: blowouts, sparklers, party poppers and so on. Hey, it’s your big chance to be annoying. For something a little more classic - we’ve been advised that arrangements of old clocks set to midnight add both an elegant aesthetic and the appropriate chimes to welcome in the New Year.
Some people like to speculate about the prospects for the future (hope and positivity n’ such). We’ve heard that getting guests to write their resolutions or hopes for 2019 on cards and getting them to attach to balloons or origami boats (in the case of those who live near water), then letting them go at midnight can be a poignant affirmation for these optimists.
If you have youngsters (or oldsters) who are liable to conk out before midnight - then giving them something to cheer about earlier in the evening will be nice. Those in Perth might be able to welcome in the New Year as it occurs in Sydney - if you’re in Sydney, you might choose to welcome it in as it occurs in New Zealand … or just wind the clocks forward and make it an early night!
However you choose to welcome in the New Year - we wish you and your family a safe, spectacular and thoroughly joyous 2019!
