Housewarming parties are a great way to celebrate your big move and give your friends and family a chance to see where you live and help you settle in, and there are various different ways to make your housewarming party pop!
In this article, we’ll look at housewarming party ideas that fit the way you feel about your new home, and help you get your new life there off to the perfect start.
Whether you would rather throw your housewarming party as soon as possible, or if you’d rather wait until you’ve had chance to settle in a bit first, our ideas will help to guide you through the process of getting the place ready and making sure everyone has a great time.
The just-moved-in housewarming party
So you’ve got the keys to your new house and you’ve sorted out some of the furniture and boxes. The place still needs a bit of work, but you don’t want to have to go through all that before toasting the fantastic feeling of having pulled off a successful house move! If this is the case, there’s no reason not to throw a housewarming party.
In fact, house parties can work better before you’ve had the chance to clean and arrange everything to perfection. There might be less clutter and more space for your guests to move around, and you perhaps won’t be so worried about housewarming party debris and spills if you haven’t had chance to decorate yet.
If your main living spaces have yet to be properly furnished, you can place a few sturdy stools, crates or boxes around the room for people to sit on, and you’ll be amazed how far a bit of bunting goes in creating a party vibe when it comes to housewarming party decorations – you can buy it cheaply and write your own ‘happy housewarming’ message on it to set the mood!
Given that the vibe is informal, you don’t need to worry too much about housewarming party invitations. You could just set up a group on social media and add everyone you want to be there, posting a quick message with the details. If you’re worried about a shortage of seating or other essentials, you can always ask people to bring some of their own!
If your crockery is not yet unpacked or organised, paper plates and cups are more than adequate for a quickly put together house warming party, and if you want to really save on preparations then having pizzas delivered at an opportune moment will keep your visitors more than happy!
It’s easy to succumb to the thought that people will be judging your new house and everything in it, but by throwing your housewarming party before you’ve started putting everything in its place you can bypass those worries. And you might be surprised by how happy people are if you give them a drink, a slice of pizza, and an empty beer crate to sit on while you crank up some celebratory tunes! Maybe drop a couple of hints that you’d love a bottle of Nyetimber gin along with your new home card and you won’t even have to spring for drinks…
The carefully planned housewarming party
If the idea of letting people into your new home before you’ve had chance to organise it fills you with dread, then you might want to spend a bit more time planning your housewarming party.
You can start by setting a date that gives you ample time to prepare, and by sending out house warming party invitations that give people plenty of notice. Make sure you include your new address, with directions if you think it’ll be useful!
The next step might be to plan the food and drink you’re going to serve, and whether there are guests who you might ask for help on that front. For example, if you’re inviting that one friend who makes the spectacular chocolate parfait, see if they’ll bring one along to add to your dessert selection!
Take some time to think about the spaces in your new home that you are happy for party guests to spend time in. If you want to restrict certain rooms, make signs for the doors. If you’re inviting a lot of guests you might want to designate a room for coats and bags, and if children are invited you could set up a space as a playroom.
People will be curious to have a tour of your new house, but if you’ve just decorated then you might want to protect certain areas and surfaces. You could lay some sheets or plastic matts over areas of carpet that might receive heavy foot traffic, or even better ask your guests to take their shoes off at the door.
A housewarming party might be a great way to get to know your new neighbours. You could send them an invitation and give them chance to come and meet you in person, or if that feels like a bit too much too soon you could instead give them a knock on the door and let them know that a party will be taking place. People tend to appreciate the courtesy of being informed, and it will stop them from wondering what’s happening when a load of cars pull up on your drive!
Housewarming cards and gifts
Your friends and family will be keen to bring you housewarming gifts that will be useful to you as you start life in a new place, and you can set up a gift list on various different websites that your party guests can visit to find out what you need.
If you’re heading to a housewarming party rather than throwing one, you can peruse thortful’s collection of new home cards to find a range of designs to suit every taste. You can also pair a card with the ideal gift for a green-fingered friend over at our plant and card page.
We’ve even got some guidance on what to write in a new home card, with suggestions for funny, caring, witty and sweet messages that will hit the right note with the recipient. For more party ideas and creative DIYs, head to the thortful blog.
