High Verbosity

1. Plan date well
The date you pick can make or break your party. Having a party on the same night as another friend in your social circle can cause distress to your friends. Coordinate with nears and dears first. (I made this mistake recently – doh!)

2. Provide things for your guests to do
Not everyone will know each other so to get people talking make a message board with poster board and post-its, have a basket of hats for them to wear, have costume materials, have a table set up wear people can make nametags, have “mood” stickers something so people can have something to talk about with each other

3. Libation, libation, but in moderation
Have lots of drink on hand, but pick you poison wisely. Whiskey tends to make men kind of mean, sippy light drinks are a good choice… get people happy not puking drunk. Keggers are only cute when you are college. Go ahead and spring for the good beers and the mid-priced bottles of wine.

4. Grace under pressure
Shit will happen, someone will pass out, the toilet may overflow, wine may be spilled on the floor – it is your job as the host to casually float over the scene, calm and reassure everyone things are just fine and hide the body.

5. Keep moving, like a shark
You must interface with every being in your home. Walk up talk about something lightly, smile a lot, dance a jig here and there, say nice things to folks in passing, a thumbs up is a little goofy. But for effs sake move around.

6. It’s okay to be silly
Be the first one to wear a silly hat, dance around, crack jokes, and flirt outrageously it’s your party…do whatever the hell you want. Just don’t get pissy drunk.

7. Secure the valuables
Send the cat to the neighbor, hide the really good wine, and put the 200.00 vases in an off-limits room. Cover the sofa, you will party a lot easier knowing your precious things are safe.

8. Make sure the plumbing is order

9. Mood light
Dark, but not too dark, ambient light, candles in safe places make the place fragrant and sensual.

10. Get a great soundtrack going...
get your playlist together, songs people recognize and rump shakers.

11. Mix it up
Invite an eclectic mix of people, people who wouldn’t ordinarily meet, make introductions. Your introductions should be juicy… for example: “Lola, I’d like you to meet Lenny. Lenny is a sculpture artist, plays soccer and recently returned from Tanzania, Lenny, Lola is a painter, she loves skydiving and she is planning a trip to Tanzania…”

There you go – you just gave two people something to chat about…get them started and off you go to get the next two people talking…