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If you’re one of my followers on Instagram, then you probably saw my post the other day about our Gender Reveal party we hosted last weekend. It was so fun to share the moment we found out the gender of Baby Spence with our friends and family! I recommend doing it if you’re into hosting parties and want a fun memory about how you found out the gender of your first born (or possibly second, or third, hell do it with your sixth!).
It’s a BOY!
My husband is a BIG golfer, so my sister in law had the great idea of using one of those exploding golf balls to reveal the gender and it was so fun. Even though I was convinced it was a girl, we’re both super excited to have a boy. You can get these gender reveal golf balls HERE
Knowing we would have about 35 or so people over for the reveal, we decided to keep it casual and do it in the late afternoon on a Saturday happy hour style. That way people could come have a little appetizer and snack before they enjoyed the rest of their Saturday night.
I am loving seeing everyone’s pictures and videos from the reveal and if you get the chance to have your own reveal, I figured I would give you a few of my party hosting tips to help make your party stress free and memorable for you and your spouse!
1.Know Your House Flow
This is my number one tip because it can help you figure out what to serve, how to set it up and what you may need to help provide enough seats, etc.
We have an open floor plan and when we have had parties in the past, I noticed people typically love to congregate around the food table and all around our big kitchen island. Knowing this, I knew I needed to do two things:
-open up the room by moving seating away from the dining room table
-put drinks in multiple spots so everyone didn’t have to crowd in by our bar area
So if you have a common area where you will place the food, I recommend removing the chairs from that area if you’re having a larger amount of people. Instead, place them in other spots around your space to give people more opportunity to sit.
2.Pick a Food Vibe
So this one really plays off tip number 1 but also it depends on what type of party you’re having. We wanted a casual happy hour vibe, so I immediately knew a grazing table would be ideal. We didn’t need to feed people a full meal, just some snacks to munch on because the party ended at 6.
We had some kiddos coming over, as well as adults, so a giant charcuterie table, fresh fruit, some mini cupcakes from Bird Bakery (highly recommend stopping at this bakery if you’re in Dallas) and of course, some Chick-Fil-A nuggets was the perfect combo for everyone.
3.Make Labels & Signs
Yes, I do admit that i’m Type A. However, people really do appreciate knowing what they are eating, especially when you have a giant arrangement of various cheeses, meats, dips and crackers set up.
I snagged these cute little toothpick flags from Target in their party section to match the decor of pink and blue. They were perfect to label the food because you can write on them whatever you want and then just stick them right in the food. This may seem silly, but it will really help you out because your guests will be coming to you to ask what things are and instead of saying ‘It’s an Italian Truffle Cheese…” 700 times, you can just stick a sign by it and go mix and mingle with guests instead.
4.Get Creative with Serving (the less dishes the better)
A few things on this point. I really try to not use paper plates or those types of products for the most part. I personally prefer real dishes and I just feel good that I’m doing something for the environment. Now, that being said, at a party with 35 + people, you don’t really have a choice but serve on some paper plates (so better make them super cute!).
But what about all the food you serve? Sometimes you just don’t need to worry about busting out all your serving platters, bowls and trays. You can get creative with the display, especially if you’re serving up a gigantic charcuterie board like I decided to do.
Since I wanted to lay everything out right there on the table, I used a plastic table cloth I got from Target and folded it in half. Then I layered on some wax paper so the meats and cheeses could sit directly on the wax paper. It was super easy and cleanup was THE BEST PART! Minimal dishes for me to do once everyone left. Praise the lord.
5.What to include in a GIGANTIC charcuterie board
The simple answer is… ANYTHING YOU WANT!
My “helpful tip answer” is…things you don’t mind having around to snack on later.
The basics in my gigantic charcuterie board were all from Trader Joe’s, though you can get these things at just about any grocery store.
- watercress crackers
- brioche toasts
- hummus
- brie cheese, smoked gouda & an Italian truffle cheese
- fresh veggies: celery, tomatoes, carrots
- cheese slices (easy for kids to grab)- I just grabbed a party pack of flavors
- pretzels
- olives & baby pickles
- peppered salami, proscuitto & pepperoni
6.Fresh Flowers & Matching Plates – the minimum decor requirements
I love to be creative and tend to let my mind get the best of me (a.k.a. biting off more than I can chew). So, I have to remind myself of what’s really important at a party and most of the time, extravagant decor is not going to be the star of the show.
That being said, a few little details here and there make all the difference. So for our gender reveal, I stuck to the blue and pink theme (though I was leaning more towards pink because I swear it was going to be a girl).
I grabbed a bunch of pink roses & tulips from Trader Joe’s to make a bouquet to sit next to the pink napkins and plates, and a bunch of blue hydrangeas that sat over by the blue napkins and plates. Beyond that, I let the giant charcuterie board wow the crowds!
7.Communicate with Guests Beforehand
I just love a good invitation, don’t you? Maybe it’s the marketing/advertising background in me that loves to communicate the details of the event, but I think people really appreciate the fact that you thought of them in advance and purposefully sent them the details. I always think it makes people feel welcome!
This adorable Paperless Post invitation below is what I sent to our guests. It was super easy to put together and cost about $10 to send to everyone. The hardest part is just gathering up everyone’s email addresses.
My other advice for communication with guests is to follow the standard Who, What, When, Where format for the details. But, make sure to let people know that refreshments will be served (or not served). Helps parents and pregnant ladies like myself know whether to eat beforehand, pack a snack or both! HA.
8.Chick-Fil-A Nuggets are ALWAYS a hit
If you have never served these at a party before, then you’re missing out! These are ALWAYS a hit and ALWAYS the first things to go. We never have leftover nuggets. For this size party, we called our local Chick-Fil-A the day of and placed an order for 125 nuggets. It costs about $60 and it’s so worth it. Especially if you’re serving alcohol, a few nuggets in crazy Aunt Carla’s stomach will prevent her from trying drinking too much white wine and repeating the same story to each of your guests 😀
9.Clean the Guest Bathroom & Light a Candle
My mother always taught me that a happy home has a clean bathroom! And I think she was onto something…
I make sure to wipe down the mirror and fixtures for spots. Stick a new roll of toilet paper in and light up a candle. The candle is both for ambiance and any uhh, stinky visits to the bathroom.
Oh, and I sure do love some PooPourri
10.Progressive Cleaning Saves the Day
And my all-time favorite party trick… progressive cleaning.
Don’t freak out about keeping everything spotless when your guests are there, but when you have a free minute or two from chatting with everyone, take a look around and see what cups look like they have been left for a while or any other trash that is just sitting around. Grab it and throw it away.
Same goes for any dishes that need to be washed. Either replenish as you see things need to be replenished, or if that item is just gone for the party, remove the dish, give it a rinse and set it to the side in your sink. No need to fret about cleaning it completely, but if it’s out of the way out in the party area, it will make your life a lot easier once all the guests leave!
Hope you guys find these tips helpful and enjoyed our little story behind our gender reveal! If you have any other good party hosting tips, please comment below and let me know! I always love learning new ways to entertain people at a party!
xoxo, Ashley