Stress-Free Party Planning

Having people over doesn't have to be a source of anxiety for the host or hostess. Whenever we entertained, I have driven myself and my poor family crazy for days before the event as I went into anxious preparation mode. While we would have great parties, I found myself time and time again delaying gatherings to different dates, waiting for the ideal conditions so that I could plan the perfect party. By following a few simple tips, however, I found that I made my life, and everybody else's around me, that much easier.

Everything Doesn't Have to Be Perfect - it sounds obvious, but as a self-described perfectionist, everything in my house had to be just so before I let someone in the door. That meant an incredible amount of advance preparation. The problem was I was expending the same amount of effort for areas of my home that no one would ever see. So make sure the primary areas of the party are neat and clean. But if someone sees a pile of unfiled papers in the office down the hall, don't freak out, you're letting them know your human and they may actually like you better for it.

Let People Help You - My Martha Stewart version of a perfect hostess meant that you didn't let a guest pick up a plate, let alone help you set up for a party or clean up afterwards. What I didn't realize was that a good number of my friends and family actually enjoy being part of the process. And once I did realize that, not only did the extra hands diminish the work, but I found that I had a better time catching up and chatting with them than if I was running around trying to take care of everything myself.

Pick at least some Food You Can Prepare Ahead of Time - I work full-time and don't get a chance to cook very often. So when we do have guests over, I love to have everything home made and extravagant. But nothing adds to the pressure of the day than trying to work your way through multiple complex menu items. Spread the work a few days before if you can with items that can be prepped early and cooked on the day of the event, or better yet, have no ill effects from sitting in a refridgerator for a day or two.

Have Guests Bring Something They Like - similar to letting your guests help during the party, let them bring something to the party if they want to. Not only does it take some of the burden off of you, it helps ensure they will have at least one thing there that they really like.

Enjoy Yourself! Again an obvious one, but for years I never took a breath or ate a bite until all my guests left the house. Now I make sure that I take the time to sit with my guests, have a drink, and really enjoy their company. Everyone who comes into my home now, knows that they can treat my home like theirs. They can grab a drink for themselves or get themselves a second helping.

The most important thing that you can remember about having an event is that you want to make sure your guests are comfortable and enjoying themselves. That's a lot easier for them to do when the hostess isn't a mad woman.