5 Things To Have On Hand For Every Party
Hosting can feel daunting sometimes right? No matter who is coming to your table or how many times you’ve gathered people together, there are always things you forget or run out of time to do. Being a host really means you’re equal parts hospitable and problem solver. And after having to solve many many problems last minute, I realized the things I always needed at every gathering also happened to be the things I always forgot about before every gathering. These are all things that fall in my “miscellaneous” category, which inevitably means it gets overlooked during party prep. But now I know to put each of these things at the top of my list!
Paper Towels / Kitchen Towels
I cannot stress enough how much both paper towels and extra kitchen towels are needed during event prep. As you hurriedly run through your house straightening up and moving things around, stuff will spill. That’s just a fact. The same kind of fact that you will spill spaghetti sauce on your white blouse ;) And you don’t want to reach for your party’s napkins in a panic only to then realize you no longer have enough napkins for your guests. Or if your guests spills while mixing together a dish they brought and you don’t want to use your nice linens, have paper towels readily available! Similarly, having an extra supply of kitchen towels is key. In the hours leading up to an event you can typically find me running around with a towel on my shoulder (a trait I picked up from my dad cooking in the kitchen). Whether it’s dusting off a chair, carrying a hot dish, wiping up a spill or drying your hands when they get sticky for some unknown reason. It saves so much time just having one (or two) rags with you.
Extra Rolls of Toilet Paper
True story, I was co-hosting a dinner party at my home and was running around getting everything set up when I took a bathroom break. It was only then that I realized we were out of TP in that bathroom. I ran to the other bathroom and wouldn’t ya know it, we were out in that room too. Mere hours before guests were coming and I had no time to stop what I was doing and run to the grocery store! I texted my co-host (who, by the way, I had never met in person) and asked if she could pick up some. Luckily she was able to grab some rolls, but it really had me thinking how I never want to be in that place again (literally or figuratively). A bathroom is something almost every guest will use at some point during your gathering. It can also be a place people feel embarrassed talking about, especially around new people, so it’s really important it’s well stocked!
Easy Access to Water
No matter how many different types of drinks you have at your party, people should always have access to water. Just like at a restaurant! It should just be a given. This comes back to being thoughtful about your gathering and your guests. Maybe it’s a wine and cheese night, but a guest is trying to cut out alcohol for the month. Or maybe the main course is heavy on the salt and no amount of fancy drink will do what a glass of water can do. The good news is having accessible water is easy! You can fill a pitcher up with water or get a case of water bottles. To make it fancier you could put festive ice cubes or slices of fruit in the pitcher. Even something as simple as removing the labels on the bottled water can make your gathering feel more intentional.
Speakers
The next thing I always make sure to have on hand (and fully charged) is a portable speaker. I can’t even begin to tell you how music can affect your gathering. A good playlist sets the tone for your entire event. An upbeat tempo allows guests to feel energetic and have lively (or loud) conversation, while a softer tempo helps guests feel calm and have relaxed conversation. Music can transform the time and place of any gathering, helping guests feel like their walking the streets of Paris instead of sitting around your dining room in Burbank. But truthfully, you can have the best most curated playlist, but without a good speaker system no one will hear it. These days there are so many portable speaker options and you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to get one! You can definitely find the right one for your setting (and tech skill level) at Target, Amazon, etc. Even MacGyvering a speaker out of a toilet paper roll (another reason to stock up on TP before a party ;) or a cup can do the trick!
Extra White Dishes
White dishes are just one of those things that are good to start collecting. Doesn’t matter what you see - big, small, round, square, bowl, plate - get them whenever you see them! White dishes go with almost everything, so no matter what your theme is, it will most likely come in handy. Having extra serving dishes on hand in case someone brings over a beautiful appetizer but doesn’t have anything to serve it on or a stack of extra small plates in case people want to use a clean one for dessert, is always helpful. Luckily white dishes are fairly inexpensive and easy to find. Walmart and The Dollar Store have great inexpensive options (plus it won’t be a casualty when a plate breaks) or you can go for fancier things to have on hand! Really you can never have too many and they are a great way to save your gathering in a pinch while also keeping the event beautiful.