In the Beginning
Comments (0) Whether it’s your first move or your fourth move. Be it a house, apartment, or condo. It is a space of your own that you will call home. What better way to christen your new home than to throw a party, a housewarming.
A housewarming might be one of the most stressful parties you’ll throw. Between this being the first major event in your home and you still being in some stage of unpacking, it can be overwhelming. Also, chances are, if you are anything like me, you might not have a ton of entertaining items to properly host an event, not to mention enough time to prepare enough food for family and friends. It’s understandable, you did just move! So let’s make it easy on ourselves, shall we?
Invitations
While mailed invitations are a nice surprise for guests, they are an expense and do take some forethought. You can save these great return address labels from horchow.com which are much more stylish than the labels you find in the coupon ads. 
Time and money might not be something you have an abundance of at the moment, so my favorite invitations site is evite.com. Not only does the site let you choose from a number of its themed templates, you can also design your own. Not only can you can easily manage your guest list and inform them of changes, but you can also take polls and and even request that guests help out with the spread. Which brings me to the next topic.
Menu and Serving
There is nothing wrong with having a potluck for your first shindig. Order some chicken and a pasta salad or a fruit and veggie tray for your contribution to the event and have your guests help out with the rest. Another way to personalize the day is to have each guest include the recipe for the dish they made so you can incorporate it into a custom cookbook. Your friends and family supply the recipes and tastebook.com will produce the cookbook.
You can lighten your load even more by using paper and plastic products. There is some plastic ware out there that at fist glance you’d swear was silver. Find your luxury, inexpensive dinnerware at dontdodishes.com.
Decorations and Accessories
Your entertaining decoration and accessories may be lost in a jumble of boxes, or if this is your first move, you haven’t yet started acquiring items. No need to worry. At a housewarming people are more interested in the new space rather than the stuff inside. Besides, it’s a chance to add some great basics to your registry. Glasses are versatile and can go from mixed drinks to juice cocktails. A clean profile an good grip make these inexpensive items ones that will last for many events to come. Chip and dip trays can be used for chips, fruit, vegetable, and nuts. The one, two, and four sectioned choices below should provide enough options for any size and style of party. Below are a few selections from two very accessible retailers. Once you have some dollars saved you can start to add appetizer plates and serving trays to your inventory.
curved and comforable
classic and crisp
fun and colorful
1 section in glass
4 sections in wood
2 sections in porcelain
After it is all said and done, the main thing is to enjoy yourself. If you are starting over or starting out for the first time; your finally home and that is really something to celebrate.
