The paint is dry, the furniture are all arranged and your family is settled and comfy. You’ve done it. You have a new home. There’s only one thing left to do: invite your friends over for a fun housewarming party!

It’s always been a tradition for people to host housewarming parties when they move into a new place. It’s a way of welcoming their friends, family and new neighbors into their new, sweet home. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to impress others with the lovely abode they managed to get.

Throwing a housewarming party is exciting and fun, but it can also be a lot of hassle. There are numerous factors to consider for it to be successful. If it’s your first time to throw one, don’t worry. Here are some helpful tips to help you plan this kind of celebration.

Check out this video of a house warming party sample.

What’s The Theme?

Some people prefer to throw a casual housewarming party. They simply prepare food, drinks, and ask people to come over. While this is very enjoyable, it can be boring. Chances are your guests will be impressed by the house, but not your party. To make it more enticing, why not settle for a theme first? You can either have a traditional theme, a chore theme, or a feature theme.

Chore Theme

This lets your guests do two things: To visit and see the home, and to help you get settled. It works best if you’re not yet completely settled in your home. Planning a party like this needs careful planning, especially since not many guests feel comfortable at this type of event, even as a favor to you. Examples of chore themes include:

• The Moving Convoy - If you need help moving stuff from your old home to your new one, this theme fits you well. You can ask your friends to bring over their vehicles and carry boxes and furniture, and when you all arrive at the new place, welcome them with a fun celebration.
• Unpacking Party – Still got tons of boxes left unopened? Have an unpacking party and let your friends help you break into your stuff.

Moving convoy

Housecleaning

Redecorating

• Housecleaning Party – This will require your guests to get down and dirty—literally. Housecleaning lets them pitch in and enjoy different chores like washing windows, vacuuming and scrubbing floors. Everyone will be surprised at how fun cleaning can be when done with family and friends.
• Redecorating Party – New homes sometimes require a new coat of paint or landscaping, pruning and other renovations. If you think your guests are more experienced with these tasks, them have this kind of theme. They’ll help vamp up your place and make it more delightful to live in.

Traditional Theme

In contrast to chore theme, which is great for places that need a bit more work, traditional themes don’t let the guests do anything other than socialize, admire the home and enjoy. With a traditional theme, the central attraction of the celebration is the house itself. Popular traditional housewarming party themes are:

• The Block Party – This not only allows you to invite family and friends, but also the neighbors. It gives you a chance to fit into your new neighborhood.
• Open House – This is the most famous type of housewarming because it’s casual and it’s not hard to plan. The guests can come and go as they please, while you can give tours of the house during several periods of time.

Feature Theme

Do you have a specific area of the home that you want to flaunt? If you do, then a feature theme is your best choice. For example, if you have a luxurious pool, then you can have a housewarming pool party. If you want to show off your stylish garden landscape or extensive deck and backyard, then a housewarming barbecue or picnic is a good idea. For a beautiful home with a lovely dining room, a dinner housewarming party works well.

After you’ve chosen what type of party you’re having, you can now move on to the other important party details.

Warm Housewarming Invites

The invitations should reach the guests at least a couple of weeks before the celebration. Since they’re busy attending to other party details, many homeowners don’t mind this party aspect much. They either buy ready-made ones from party supply stores or they just e-mail the invites to their guests. These two options are practical if you don’t have much time on your hands anymore, or if you just want to keep it sweet and simple.

If you want to add a bit of glamor to your invitations and to make the party more special, you can also make your own homemade invites. With a few craft materials and some creativity, you can never go wrong. These will look more enticing and will make your guests see how much work you put into the home and the event.

One simple homemade invitation idea is to take a photo of the new home and photocopy it. Then, glue the picture on the front of a blank card, and write the details inside. You can say “Welcome to our humble abode! Celebrate with us as we move in to our new home on ____”.

Another is to find a picture of a tumbledown shack. Photocopy it, then post on a piece of cardstock paper. Write on the front “This is our new house….”. Then on the back, write “…not really! If you want to see what our new home looks like, join us at our housewarming party on ____.”

If you’re having a chore theme for your housewarming, send inexpensive hammers or wrenches and tie a curling ribbon to it, with a note containing all the party details. Write something like “Help us make our new house a home, sweet home!”

Aside from the catchy wordings, make sure you put in important details about the party. Write in the date, time, the type of party (“It’s a housewarming pool party!”) and the attire. You should also put in contact numbers where the guests can RSVP.

You should also specify the directions to the home efficiently. Remember, it’s the first time for everyone to visit your new house. Write the address clearly. Include a map if you can. By doing so, everyone will arrive quickly and safely for the party.

Decorating Your Place

While most parties require extravagant and fancy decorations, you might not need these for a housewarming party. The guests are not interested in lavish décor, they’re there to check out and admire the home itself. Too much fancy adornments will distract them from seeing the beautiful features of your new home. Just make sure your place looks neat, tidy and dustless during your party.

You can still add a bit of party decorations for your housewarming event. Just don’t overdo it. Try some of these suggestions.

• Put a sign on the lawn or porch that welcomes the guests. Tie a bunch of balloons next to it.
• Set a small table in front of the place and put a guestbook on it, where the guests can write their congratulatory messages, quotes, advice and greetings.
• If you’re having the housewarming at dinnertime, or during a cold and chilly day, put candles around the house and light a fire in the fireplace. You can also have some incense for an enticing fragrance. If you don’t have any incense, put some orange slices and cinnamon sticks in a pot of water on the stove for a homey and sweet scent.

Put a guest list on the entrance

Arrange flowers in the house

• If it’s a chore themed party, decorate the place with saws and work horses. You can hang construction tools on the door and inside the house. A wheelbarrow with outdoor tools in it will look great in the front yard.
• Spread delightful-looking tablecloths all over your surfaces.
• Cheery floral arrangements also look nice and homey.

What To Wear?

Unless you’re planning to have a costume party for your housewarming, you don’t need to bother your guests with costumes to wear to the celebration. Even so, you need to specify what kind of attire suits your party best. It’ll be embarrassing if you planned a casual party and your guests arrive wearing cocktail dresses and suits.

Most housewarming parties are informal, so you can just ask everyone to come in their most comfortable casual outfits. Jeans, dresses and t-shirts are welcomed.

If you’re having a particular theme, like a pool party or a evening dinner party, you can specify other kinds of attire for your guests to wear. If it’s a dinner event, you can tell them to wear their best semi-formal attire. If it’s a pool party, ask them to bring their swimsuits and towels.

The same goes with chore theme housewarming parties. If you’re going to ask everyone to help out with cleaning or renovations, tell them to come in their work clothes. They can also bring a change of clothes for the party after.

One reminder: if you do decide to have a dress code, make sure the guests know in advance. Specify it clearly in the invitations. Mention that if they have any questions, they can call you up anytime.

Having Fun In Your New Home

It’ll be a shame and a disaster if your guests decide to go home early because they find your party boring. You should plan enjoyable activities to keep everyone preoccupied. Certainly there’s more to your party than just socializing, eating and admiring the home. Here are some ideas to help keep the party lively during your housewarming.

Ribbon cutting
• The Ribbon-Cutting – You know how business owners cut large ribbons in front of a building they just bought or finished? You can also do the same during your party. Get a thick ribbon and tie it in front of the house. When everyone has arrived, give each of them a helium balloon. Then, gather them in front of the ribbon, and let them watch as you cut it. Afterwards, let everyone release the balloons at the same time.
• House Tour - You can’t have a housewarming without touring the guests around your home. Conduct the tour yourself, or if you can’t ask a close family member or friend to do it for you. If you want, you can also ask the guests to conduct self-guided tours for themselves. Just give them a floor map and let them move around at their own pace.
• Reference Book Making – This works best if you’ve moved from one town to another. Ask the guests to help you make a reference book that contains all the listings of their favorite places (tourist spots, restaurants, salons, bars, hospital/clinic, bookstores, and many more). Each guest can add a page. When the book is finished, the owners get to keep it.
• An Around-The-Town Activity – This is similar to an around-the-clock party and also works if you’re in a new town. Every guest is responsible for a specific area in the town, and during the activity, he or she gives the highlights of the particular area. You can even ask them to bring gifts from the area assigned to them.

Wine tasting
• Wine Tasting – For a more classy event for the party, have a wine-tasting activity. Gather several bottles of red and white wine and let everyone taste them in wine glasses. Let them choose and vote which wine tastes best.
• House Blessing – This is a nice touch for any party. Ask a minister, rabbi or priest to visit the home and have a short and simple ceremony to bless the place and each room.

Housewarming Munchies

Food is a staple in any party, even during a housewarming event. While a full and appetizing meal sounds great, this is not the best time to do it. Remember, you’ve just moved in and you’re just settling. Your kitchen might not even be organized yet. Besides, you’ll be so busy greeting guests and giving tours that you won’t be able to exercise your cooking skills.

Instead of planning an extravagant and filling buffet with several courses, keep it simple. Just prepare bite-size finger foods and dips, those that can be carried around by the guests in small plates as they explore the house.

Delicious finger foods you can serve include:

• Fruit and veggie with dips
• Little tea sandwiches
• Meaty skewers on a platter
• Mini eggrolls
• Chicken strips
• Meat balls
• Chicken wings
• Shrimp cocktail
• Stuffed mushroom and appetizers like cheese, nuts and assorted olives

Dips also add flavor and delight to your finger foods. Prepare several kinds to serve with your finger foods. Here are a couple of examples you can try.

• Simple Cheesy Dip - Get a crock pot, and add a can of chili without beans, a jar of salsa and a large Velveeta Cheese block. Mix and stir occasionally. When the cheese completely melts, it’s ready to be serve. This tastes great with tortilla chips.
• Artichoke Dip – Chop one can of artichoke hearts into small cheeses and mix with one cup of mayonnaise and one cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and serve with crackers.

Cheese dip

Artichoke dip

You can serve an assortment of beverages for your party. Beer, fruit soda, fruit shakes and punch are refreshing choices. Hot drinks like tea and coffee are also all right. For a more classy drink, red wine is great.

For easy cleanup and no washing dishes, buy paper or styrofoam plates and plastic utensils. It’s also a good idea to setup food in different rooms along with the plates, utensils and napkins. The guests will be greeted by yummy “surprises” as they walk from one place to another.

Before They Leave Your Home

After all the exploring, the activities, the eating and socializing, it’s time to say goodbye to your guests. Before you let them leave, give them a little something to remember the fun day they had. It’s not required to give party favors during a housewarming party, but it’s a nice touch and a wonderful ending to your celebration.

One idea is to give stylish personalized key tags to your guests. You can use any design you like, or better yet, have a mini-photo of your home laminated. Include a thank you note behind the key tag’s design. Write something like “Thank you for coming! You’ll always be welcomed at our home sweet home!”. Attach spare keys to the tags.

Miniature of the house

Small hammer for favors

If you had a chore themed party, new tools will be great giveaways. Get small hammers, screwdrivers, chisel and tie a ribbon around them, along with your thank-you note.

Plants are also wonderful party giveaways. Get several small potted houseplants or flowers and attach bows and thank-you cards to each of them.

You can also give edible party favors. A bottle of wine or gourmet chocolates will delight any guest.

A housewarming party isn’t just about showing off your new place, but it’s also about celebrating with family and friends, old and new. If you’re already settled into your new house, then it’s time to open up your doors. Try these delight party ideas for a fun bash in your home, sweet home.