Maybe the living space is a little bit smaller than
a house, but that doesn't mean the fanfare should be toned down!
It can be a little tricky, but here's a quick couple of suggestions
to get you started. (As seen on Apartment
Living from Apartments.com)
Congratulations!
You’ve just moved into your new apartment and you’re
starting to sink your feet in. O.K., maybe your boxes aren’t
unpacked and you have yet to put out the welcome mat, but give yourself
a break! Moving can be a stressful yet adventurous task. To relieve
some of the tension and allow your legs to breathe from carrying
boxes up flights of steps, consider throwing an apartment warming
party for you and some friends.
There are numerous reasons for apartment warming parties. First
and foremost, to show off your new pad! Invite friends over to see
how you just bought the apartment of your dreams and maybe bounce
some ideas off them as to how you will fill those spaces. Secondly,
you can use the party to get to know those who will be living around
you. If you plan on staying here for a while, it might be a good
idea to invest some time in getting to know those down the hall.
Your living situation will be a whole lot better if you can walk
the halls and greet your neighbors by name. Thirdly, it can be a
short break from the whole process. Packing your things, moving
them, loading them into the new place and unpacking them is a long
and strenuous process. Give yourself a short breather. Set out some
finger foods, a couple of drinks and surround yourself with friends.
That will help things go a lot easier.
The first part of the party will be sending some invitations out
a week and a half to two weeks prior. If you are inviting the people
next door, you don’t even need to mail the invites. You can
simply knock on doors and hand them invitations or slip them under
the door. If you are inviting friends from out-of-town that would
be here for a couple days for the event, give them a couple pieces
of information about the town so they don’t feel like complete
strangers. List some good places to eat, cheap places to stay and
where all the nightlife lives. No matter who you are inviting, it
is important that you give good directions to your new place. If
they need to buzz in, give them that number and an alternative phone
number they can call if you’re not there. Be specific!
Next on your agenda should be the shopping. You’ll want to
provide your guests with some food and drink for the gala affair,
so make a list. Get cans or small glass bottles of beverages so
unused portions can be shoved into the fridge instead of going to
waste. For food, consider getting finger foods that are easy to
make. Get a good variety of cold and hot so you don’t have
to do much cooking beforehand. Don’t forget plates, cups and
utensils. Make sure to buy more than you have people invited. They’ll
be sure to leave a drink somewhere and forget it.
You’ll want to assemble a small team to pull off the party.
Guests will be arriving and leaving off and on. If you plan on giving
tours to your guests, be sure to gather a couple friends to either
play host while you’re showing guests around, or to act as
tour guides. You can even allow guests to tour at their own bidding.
Depending on how many people are slated to show up, you may want
help cooking your delectable snacks earlier in the morning. Finally,
you should have a go-to friend in case you run out of ice or food
that can make a jaunt to the store to pick up more.
An apartment warming party is not a high-maintenance party, so
do not feel as if the place has to be completely clean. You can
even have unpacked boxes around. The focus is on the place itself
and people may want to see that before it’s filled. Activities
are not necessary, as the main event will be the tours. However,
if you are trying to meet the neighbors, you might consider some
icebreakers.
While the low-maintenance and activity-less agenda of the party
might seem boring, there are a couple of creative things you may
do. Grilling works great if you have access and the weather is good.
If you have a rooftop open to tenants, maybe this will be your meeting/dining
area before or after the formal tour. This makes for great mingling
if the weather cooperates. To aid with the kitchen work, you may
ask guests to bring a dish of their choice and throw a potluck.
The apartment warming is a great time to welcome old and new friends
to your new place and fill up the empty space with new memories.
Although they are customary and may be presented to you, don’t
expect gifts. Be sure to open a bottle of champagne in your name.
Toast up – cheers to you, your new place, and a new beginning.
