Preparing for a party or company

Having guests over to your home can often times create unnecessary stress on you and your family. There is a lot to do to get ready for their arrival; however, if you are properly prepared, it will be a breeze. The more on-top-of-things you are the more relaxed you'll be, which ultimately will lead to a better time for both you and your guests. Plus you can show them how care-free and organized you are.


After you nail down a guest list and a time for the event you should begin preparing yourself for the party. It is difficult to determine quantities and portions until you know for sure how many guests will be in attendance. So skip that until you have a concrete answer on who will be there. But, you can start planning what to eat and drink, where people will sit or mingle, orchestrate decorating details if desired, hire a babysitter if needed, and tend to other logistical planning.

An important part of preparing to cook for a large or small crowd is planning out a timeline. Determine the length of time it takes to cook everything and at what oven temperature then work backwards to figure out when everything needs to go in the oven based on what time you want it all to come out of the oven. When you know how many people to expect you can use that number to calculate the food and drink quantities to prepare, which will help you plan out your serving timeline. Another part to this process is determining what serving dishes to use for your cuisine. Do you have enough serving utensils and platters and casserole dishes, or do you need to borrow some from a friend or relative? It helps to physically set everything out where you plan to use it the night of your event to make sure that you have enough space. Planning out these small but important details can make the event run ever so smoothly.

When I am in a hurry trying to get everything done on time before my guests arrive I can often overlook the cleaning. That is one thing you should never forget, because your guests will not overlook a dirty house, especially a dirty kitchen. Split up the cleaning among your family, or if you hire a cleaning service make sure they come either the day of or the day before your party so everything is spick and span when the guests make their appearance. Cleaning can certainly be done the day before your event, which may be helpful in reducing your day-of-event stress and workload.

Don't neglect the little things. Plan for everything. Do you need a coat rack or a place to store people's jackets and purses? What about parking for your guests - do you have easily accessible parking? Did you remember to put extra toilet paper and hand towels in the bathrooms that your guests will be using?
Should you offer to have a babysitter on-site for your guests to use? If you're thinking of sending your guests home with some leftovers do you have food storage containers for them to use? Of course these obstacles will be more prevalent the more people you invite, but they are certainly plausible things to consider even if you're having two couples for dinner. Planning these steps ahead will save you a lot of stress come dinner time.

For an extra touch, include holiday decor throughout your house, utilize your candle stash to give a festive holiday glow, consider using luminaries to light your sidewalk and driveway and welcome your guests (to make your own: use several white paper lunch bags, cut some holes in the sides, stick a scoop of sand in the bottom and top it off with a tea light), ask your children to greet company at the door and offer to take their coats, make name cards for the hors de oeuvres or entrees, play fun music throughout your home, and some fresh flowers for a nice aroma and clean finish.