FEATURE
The Comprehensive Party Guide!
A how-to guide for throwing the ultimate house party, no matter how you want to do it.  Plus, tips from expert party thrower, Danielle Iversen
by KYLE MORRISON
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PHOTOS: THE COBRASNAKE








STEP ONE - BEFORE THE PARTY
WHAT’S THE PLAN? – Cocktail Party, Dinner Party, Black Tie, Filet Mignon or Pizza Delivery?  The first thing you have to do is lay the groundwork for the party as this affects every decision you make.  In terms of party trends, Danielle Iversen from that PR thing says, “Going green is a big thing now.   People are trying to become environmentally friendly when they throw parties."  Instead of ending up with a wine rack full of Yellow Tail, why not ask for donations instead?  “You can have people give money to charities or raise money at the party.  I sometimes ask for people to bring $10 to feed a child rather than bring a bottle of wine.”

WHAT’S THE BUDGET? – How much do you want to spend?  Now add 20%.

WHO’S INVITED? – Who do you want at the party?  Always invite a few more than you want as it’s almost guaranteed some will cancel.  Once you have decided on your guest list, you have to let them know you are actually having a party.  You can get invitations printed and sent out if that’s the vibe you're going for, or you can just send out emails.  “I think more and more people are sending out personalized invitations in the mail, and not doing emails all the time.  It’s a good idea to remind them through email, but when they get the invitation in the mail, it’s like wow!  That person really cares about me.”  Do this at least two weeks before.  Ask for them to RSVP so you know how many people to expect.

NEED HELP? – Planning on catering?  Give yourself a few weeks before the party so you can set the menu.  If you have a favorite restaurant, a lot of the chefs will cater for you if you ask, starting at around $40 per person.  If you need servers or bartenders the caterers can set this up for you or there are companies that specialize in this as well, starting at around $30 per hour.  If you need tables, chairs, plates or glasses make sure to order a week or so in advance.  “If you're going green, there are these plates you can buy rather than paper plates made from a food product, a potato, which are totally bio-degradable.” says Danielle.  You don’t have to worry about breaking anything and you don’t have to bother with clean up.  If disposable cups don’t send the message you’re going for, glasses are surprisingly cheap.  If you want a band or DJ, now’s the time to start looking, or ask a friend who has good taste in music if they want to spin for the party.  “You have to have a great DJ.  It’s all about the tunes.  I like a DJ that starts it off with really fun, cool music, pretty low key in the beginning, and then in about two hours has everyone dancing” says Danielle.

STEP TWO – SET UP
MAKE THE PLACE LOOK GOOD – You’re going to want to clean up your place.  Throw your clothes in you closet, wipe down your counters and clean your washroom.  Get some candles or dim the light.  Your place will go from dingy and dirty to cool and romantic in the strike of a match.

THE BAR – If you are having a bartender you’re going to want to set up a bar and stock all sorts of liquors, mixers and garnishes.  If you don’t want to go that route, you can set up a self-serve bar or just have some beer, white wine and red wine.  A lot of people don’t do red wine if they have carpet, but it’s up to you.  You can also do a signature cocktail.  Just mix up a batch of martinis or mojitos or whatever you want, so you don’t have to worry about tending bar all night long.

STEP THREE – THE PARTY
MUSIC – If you are not having a DJ or band, have a stack of CDs on hand, or even better make a mix or iTunes playlist.  Try to keep the music eclectic so there is something for everyone and have the tracks match the mood of the party. 

WHAT TO DO? – Have some activities on hand.  You may want to have some games lined up to play.  It may seem cheesy but Pictionary always turns into a good time. Karaoke’s fun, and machines can be had for around $20 for the night. 

STEP FOUR – THE AFTERMATH
CLEAN UP – Don’t worry about cleaning up too much the night after the party.  I usually leave most of this for the next morning.   Collect all of the bottles and get rid of the trash.

THE NEXT MORNING – Feeling a little (or a lot) hung over and your place is a mess?  Take some time to feel better before you start to take care of the daunting task ahead.  There’s a million and one hangover remedies out there, from drinking an egg to drinking some more booze, but I’m partial to some leftover pizza or some greasy diner food and a Gatorade.