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How do you have a housewarming party?
H and I bought our first house 2 months ago and we are finally settled. People keep asking us when we will have a housewarming party and I honestly don't know! They also keep asking us what we want, and I really don't feel comfortable asking people for gifts. I want to have a housewarming but to be honest, I don't know how!
Apparently around here it is the norm to register for a housewarming, which I would feel silly doing especially since we just got married 2 years ago and the people we would invite to our housewarming would be most of those invited to our wedding plus our coworkers. Do you do it open house style or set certain hours? What time period is appropriate? What kind of food should you serve? What time of day is best?
Obviously, I've never entertained because we've never had the space to do so. Any help you can give would be great!
Re: How do you have a housewarming party?
Welcome over here
I was trying really hard not to be the first person to respond and to wait for someone else to answer, but your post is an hour old and I can't resist any longer! lol
I think in the summer, a Saturday evening cookout would be fun. Sunday afternoon open houses with appetizers are typical for housewarmings, but that seems a bit formal to me for summertime. Do a casual dinner meal (grilled chicken, corn on the cob, pasta salad, plum tart), have beer and sodas iced down in a tub, and offer to give tours to anyone interested.
If a registry is common in your area and your guests really want it, I might make a small one. I agree that it's a little squicky, but if they're really all insisting on giving you stuff, might as well give them a little guidance.
Lemme know if you have more questions.
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Totally agree with the pp.
If you still feel odd about registering, why not do a "stock the bar" party. Yes, you're still dictating a gift, but your not asking for things you don't actually need. (In my head, booze is a need not a want.)
Friends of ours have had housewarming parties, but it's just an e-mail or text saying, "Here's the address and you can show up anytime after [time]." There are usually drinks in tubs of ice, and pizza or platters of snacks. People mingle, and when someone new shows up the host usually gives a quick tour of the house.
I've never seen anyone register for a housewarming, but most guests I've seen usually bring something - usually flowers, wine/champagne, a picture frame or a candle. I usually give a gift card to Lowe's, Home Depot, Target, or Bed Bath & Beyond.
I would set out some platters of snacks that can easily be eaten while standing up, if you'll primarily be inside. A backyard barbecue would be great if you have a big enough yard for everyone to sit. If you already have a patio set, I might get some extra folding or camping chairs so that others can sit if there's no room left at the table.
Around here, when people ask what they can bring, the most common response is, "We'll have soda, wine and [insert brands of beer here] available. If you'd like to drink something other than that, please feel free."
We built our current house and so we had tons of people wanting to come check it out once we were settled. We had a Housewarming Party on a Saturday afternoon and served appetizers. I sent out an e-vite invitation to all our friends and it was an Open House/Come and go style.
We didn't register for gifts. I think that's tacky.
ditto.
just because something is the norm doesn't mean it isn't tacky...
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That is kind of what it means. "Tacky" is what a culture or society says it is, just like a custom is what a culture or society says it is. I went to a wedding in your state last month that I thought was one of the tackiest things ever - but it was tacky by my standards, not theirs - the guests kept exclaiming how wonderful it was. None of us lives in the OP's town, so if registering is customary for them, who are we as outsiders to tell her that the local tradition is wrong. (See: the perennial money dance debate on TK.)
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Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.