Perfect New Year's Eve Party

New Year’s Eve is the one day of the year, where people want to celebrate, declare resolutions and be surrounded by close friends and family. For the eternal host, there is nothing more exciting than putting together a New Years Eve soiree. Planning early is the key to a successful and memorable New Years Eve party.

Here are a few key points and ideas to make your party unforgettable.

Theme - Traditionally, New Years Eve parties tend to be either black tie or cocktail attire, but to spice up the party, add a theme to your party. The perfect New Year’s Eve theme party will be subtle, classy, and easy to pull off. Choose a color theme like black and white, gold or silver. Choose a different era or place in the world and build your theme around it.

Food – A very important element to any party is what food to serve. For New Year’s Eve, best to stay away from dinner, buffets, or anything that requires people to sit down to eat. A better choice for the best New Year’s party is appetizers, both passed and stationary. Build your menu around handmade and store bought to ease the pressures. Consider asking your foodie friends to bring their favorite new appetizer.

Guest List – The perfect party requires a great guest list. Typically the ideal New Year’s Eve party will not include children since it is such a late event and is the one time of year for an adult party. Make sure that every guest invited to the party will know at least one other guest. You want all of your party-goers to feel included.

Adult Libations – New Years Eve is not complete without Champagne or sparking wine. Make sure there are other choices for the hours before midnight. Think about a “signature drink” and tie it in with your theme. Have a large enough selection of adult libations, but do not feel compelled to stock like a hotel. Make sure to have a large supply of ice to last throughout the night.

Decorations – To make your event space aesthetically pleasing, decorations are essential. If you’re having a theme, which you should, coordinate the decorations to the theme. The trick is finding the perfect amount of decorations, without over doing it. The goal when decorating is to stay classy.

Party Favors – Traditional party favors for New Year’s Eve parties are easy. All you really need are noise makers and New Year’s Eve hats and tiaras. Think about adding the extra touch by giving each of your guests a souvenir from the party. Something related to the theme or homemade by you will make it extra memorable.

Music – The type of music you play will depend on the kind of party you are throwing. It is important to get the volume just right. Create a special play list on your i-pod of the favorites from 2009.

Invitations – Best to plan ahead and choose the traditional paper invites with a RSVP date included. “Evite” is easy, but not quite as classy as the traditional choice. Make sure the theme matches the invitations – it gives your guests a peak into what the party will be like.  Sending out early is the key to a great turn out.

Entertainment – When people come to a New Year’s Eve party, they expect to have a good time. While the company, food, and alcohol are large components, you may also need some entertainment. If it’s a classy party, the television is on mute with the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square is probably enough. A smaller crowd could encompass a fun game or two.

Traditional New Year’s Kiss – Everyone wants that special New Year’s Eve and to have the perfect New Year’s kiss with that somebody special.

New Years Resolutions – Each year people take on lofty resolutions that are often forgotten by the end of January. Have each person bring their list and read them out loud to everyone. In addition, have them leave a copy with the host. In turn, you will compile and email out the entire group. Peer pressure tends to keep people closer to achieving their goals. Check in every quarter to see how the group is sticking to keeping them.

Happy New Year to everyone! 
May it be a year filled with prosperity, health, happiness, peace and success!