Hosting a party at home is a chance to open your doors to friends and family, and put together an event that reflects your personality. Throwing a successful get-together takes plenty of planning and attention to detail. To stay ahead in the process and ensure a seamless, stress-free event at home, we’ve compiled a list of Muslim party hosting tips.
Set the theme
Even if it is subtle, setting a theme helps with choosing your menu, decor and gives you a direction for table setting. The theme doesn’t have to be extravagant. It can be set by occasion, season, color, food, etc.
For example: occasions can be Eid party, baby shower, Mother’s Day, Aqiqa and such. Seasonal parties can be Summer tea party, Fall dinner party, spring brunch, etc. Color doesn’t need an explanation, it explains itself. Food themed parties can be Italian food, desi food, Arab food, etc.
Finalize the guest list
It doesn’t matter if it’s an intimate dinner party or a huge Eid open house; you need the headcount to plan your party. So, finalize your guest list and make sure to send out the invitations.
Make the menu
SHOP THE PHOTO
Once you have a theme and guest list, it’s time to set the menu. Decide if your party is going to be a sit down or buffet style gathering?
Personally, I prefer buffet and serving family-style. I want my guests to go in for seconds and thirds and pick and choose what they like vs don’t like. it also creates a more casual feel that promotes mingling and conversation. The key is to keep the menu flavorful and delicious.
We serve homemade food at 90% of our parties. When picking a menu, choose recipes that can be made ahead. For example, appetizers can be made ahead and you can just throw them in the oven to bake on the day of. I usually also make my desserts 2-3 days prior to the event. Chicken and rice is what I cook the day of as they taste the best when served fresh.
Needless to say that there shouldn’t be any alcohol in the menu and all food should be halal.
Be Strategic With the Space
SHOP THE PARTY STATION
Geometric Arch Light | Zaina Tray
Create conversation areas. Often in Muslim households, men and women sit separately. If that is the case in your household, decide where everyone will gather. Create cozy feel in those areas to encourage guests to linger. Don’t forget the children. Have designated space and activities for them.
Think of your party layout by creating stations such as dinner buffet, drink station, dessert table, etc. Make sure your food buffet and dessert station or tea/coffee bar is away from each other to avoid bottlenecks.
Whether you want or not, guests always end up in the kitchen. If you don’t want that, serve appetizer in the living room or the dining room as guests tend to gather around the food. I actually don’t mind having guests in the kitchen around the island while I’m warming and getting ready to serve. This way we can talk while I wrap up so guests don’t feel left out, and I don’t feel left out either and can be part of the conversation.
I love the use of trays to organize my party stations. A party buffet looks more organized and cohesive by just putting the plates, glasses, silverware into a tray. A tray gives any buffet table boundaries. And our eyes love organized boundaries!
Do this little experiment and see for yourself. Keep the same sets of items in a tray and then without a tray on your buffet table.
Big difference, right?
Decide on the Decor
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Decorations are the icing on the cake. Spruce up your home décor, clear clutter and make sure the house is clean. No one is going to check your baseboards, so no need to kill yourself by deep cleaning the day of the party. Make sure the space is clutter free and dust free. Start a few days before the event so you aren’t frantically shoving everything into a closet the morning of.
You don’t have to go overboard with décor for every party you host. Eid parties and kid’s parties are when I add extra festive décor. For all other casual parties, fresh flowers, a pretty table runner, trays to organize plates, glasses and silverware, and string lights are my to go décor. Carry your theme throughout with accessories like napkins, table runner, flowers, etc.
My piece of advice when decorating for a party is to have a main focal point. Pick one area and go all in. The entrance, the dessert table, the dining table, are all great areas to focus your decor.
I like to change up my home decor time to time and a party is a great opportunity to do so. I may rearrange my home décor on the entry table, coffee table and the dining table centerpiece but nothing out of the norm. Reorganizing things like simple candle holders, decorative serveware, fresh flowers and other accessories from one place to other add a refreshing feel, infuse extra style and personality into the room, and also emphasize a party’s energy.
Creating the right mood for your party takes time, so tackle party decor a couple of days before.
Day of Party: Pre-Party Prep Tips
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One critical lesson I learned the hard way is to plan the food buffet ahead of time. Don’t waste time digging for dishes buried in the back of your cabinets right before serving the food. Get them out ahead of time and set out your serving platters and serving spoons the night before and design your buffet. That way, you know exactly what goes where. Label them with post-it-notes or your food labels if you need to. This helps to set the buffet quickly and orderly instead of having to move your dishes 8 times to make room and fit everything while everyone is waiting for the food. I like to design the buffet in order of the food people will be plating. For example, rice, salad, chicken and so on.
As people gather, the house can become hot if your oven is on to warm up the food. Turn your AC down about 2-3 degrees lower than normal 1-2 hours prior to guests start arriving.
Line 5-6 bags in your trash bin. This way, you can empty the full bag and not worry about lining another one while guests are waiting to use it.
Be sure the dishwasher is empty so you can easily slide in the empty dirty dishes in the dishwasher instead of piling them in the sink.
Also, pick your and the rest of the families outfit ahead of time so you can clean up and get dressed for the party without any hiccups. Light the candles and you’re ready to party!
Connect & Enjoy!
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The colors, special touches, and displays aren’t what make parties memorable. It’s the connection you make that is memorable. My husband have a rule to check in with each guest at least 3 times during a party. When they first arrive, when they are eating and when they are leaving. Make people feel like you’re glad to have them over and enjoy the company.
Take care of your guests and make them feel welcomed and they will never notice you didn’t serve the fourth dessert you wanted to make or the flowers weren’t arranged perfectly.
End with a personal touch
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Walk each guest to the door to say salam and goodbye. Prolong the warmth by handing them a small keepsake or treat as they head out. When my husband and I hosted our very first party in our first apartment, we handed out a pretty yet very inexpensive candle to the guests and everyone was so delighted and talked about it for years.
Don’t feel like you need a big holiday or reason to have a party. I think it’s extra fun to have an event when there’s no real reason for it. I hope these tried and tested party planning tips are helpful as you get ready to host your next party.
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