In order to inaugurate your new home in a formal manner, you must be aware of the necessary housewarming invitation etiquette. It takes a lot more than simply inviting people over, and you as the host must ensure that your guests feel welcome, comfortable, and have a great time interacting with you and the other guests.
aIt isn’t every day that people get to buy and actually live in their own house. Therefore, if you are moving into your own personal residence, you must throw a housewarming party. Definitely so! However, a proper party will need to be based on how you, as the owner, would prefer it to be. Some like the event to be relaxed and fun, where close friends and family can visit and feel comfortable. Yet, if you wish to make it into a more formal event, you must remember that you will need to abide by some essential housewarming invitation etiquette.
Different Housewarming Party Etiquette
1 – Homemaking
It is very improper to invite guests over to an unfurnished and unset house. You will need to ensure that you set up your house and make it look and feel like a home. You will need to ensure that the furnishing and décor in as impeccable as it would be had the house been inhabited for longer. Do not leave clutter lying around, which means, no cardboard boxes must be visible, no tapes must be hanging off the walls and the paint job must be complete!
2 – Invite in Advance
When it comes to inviting friends from different towns, you must always send out the invitation 3 weeks in advance. This is the ideal duration which every host must offer to their guests. For family members, a simple telephonic invitation is sufficient. Your invitation may be through email or through proper post, this depends on the host’s personal choice. However a personal post being handed out to you is far better than any other method.
3 – Invitation Card Requirements
- Invitation Wording – Your card must have the most aptly chosen housewarming invitation wording, which will express how thrilled you are to be throwing this party and how glad you will be if your guest could join you in the celebrations.
- Timing – The invitation, must mention all the relevant information pertaining to the housewarming party. It must specify a suitable time, when everyone can visit. Holding the party on a weekend or a holiday is the ideal option.
- Theme for the Party – You must clearly specify if you wish to have a theme for the party or not. If you wish that your guest dress up in a particular color, you must specify that in the invitation.
- Specify Directions – The invitation must include proper directions and a small diagram map, so as to help friends living out-of-town to reach your house with ease. It would be considered very rude of the host, if the guests get lost or cannot find the house, because of bad instructions. Remember to specifically mention important and distinct landmarks for the guest to look out for.
- RSVP – Since it’s a formal party, your invitation must include an RSVP. This will help you keep a tab on the total number of guests who are agreed to visit and the ones who politely declined. The RSVP can be sent through email, making the procedure much faster for you.
4 – Welcome Guests at the Door
No matter how many times you will have to get the door, you are required to welcome your guests by opening the door for them as and when they show up. Show them into the house, after which you can take a bigger group of people, for a house tour. It would be best to let the guests roam free and see the place for themselves.
5 – Must Offer Food
A good host will never leave her or his guest starved! Make sure you make proper arrangements for food to be served. You may order the food in and set up a buffet or you could prepare one on your own. The food must be wholesome and filling, and not seem too less, as that will make you appear miserly. Also offer drinks, which may either be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, depending on your preference and time of the party.
6 – See Off Guests
Make sure that you see each and every guest off from your house, as and when they are willing to leave. Thank each of them for accepting the invitation and visiting your new home.
Accept gifts graciously and never complain of not having received one, not even as a passing joke. It will not be taken kindly and will make you look bad. Another very important etiquette is to never mention any sort of gift registry in the invitation. Only if people ask to send gifts must you mention about gift registry because asking for a gift is simply too tacky and must never be done.
