LOL Kats! This is my exact plan too, I already have our invite list determined and we're still about 1.5 months to go. We definitely don't want one with gifts, so we're calling it an "open house".

I plan to serve finger foods that I can cook in my fancy new kitchen with all my wonderful new gadgets, and we're hiring a bartender to serve.

You'll laugh at me, but I started planning this when we torn the old house down...I think it's keeping me grounded so I don't get so stressed. "Just think of all the fun we'll have at our party" lol

Mind you, we lived in that old 1946 house since 1999 and it was soooo beat up I refused to entertain guests. So yeah, this is a HUGE deal for me!!

What plans do you have cooked up so far?

Kats, Parties are so much fun! No better way to celebrate life, love, and friends.

We plan to have one or two or more. We moved about 3 hours away from our families and friends (we have met tons of new friends here). So we will probably have a large camp out. I am a homebrewer, so we will have a couple of kegs of homebrew, a big bowl of herb, plenty of bbq, a big telescope, and lots of tents and warm sleeping bags.

We will not expect gifts, but our families and close friends will most likely bring some. We are fairly young (I'm 32 and my wife is 27) and this is our first house. We are super informal and will not have guest lists. We will just make some easy invites and email them and ask friends to pass them around.

I was hoping to be done by x-mas, but looking at how things are creeping along, will be stoked to be done by March. So at least the weather will be warmer for the camp-out.

Shoot I have been waiting so long to get started, I will probably throw a diggin dirt part.

Like mikeyvon we are planning on several parties, but we have already decided to have a party for just the general contractor and all the subs. The GC said hardly anyone ever does this, but he's been to a few and he says the subs love to bring their spouse/partner and show off their work. We're planning on a catered "pig roast" in early September before the actual move in date....so there won't be furniture or other stuff to clutter up what these guys have helped create. I think it'll be alot of fun.

Later on...after move in....we'll do a neighborhood party and are planning on holiday parties with extended family.

See, I knew it....just mention a party to bring people out!

loralee,
That's neat that planning your party is sustaining you from the long build. And getting to do something fun and really festive is great since you haven't felt comfortable enough to entertain in your current house
You gotta have a bartender. Are you doing a full bar or a couple of specialty drinks? What I'll do I think will depend on the menu. I'm leaning towards Hawaiian pineapple babyback ribs and chicken cooked in a friend's smoker. If I do that I might do wines, and for the guys gotta have the beer (HoHoHo) and maybe pina coladas and mia tias (plus non-A drinks). But DH wants this great tortilla man that comes to your home and will make fresh carna asada tacos with lots of cilantro. If we do that it will have to be a margarita bar.

mikeyvon,
I hope you have many many parties in your first home! How exciting!!! And throwing a digging dirt party would be a really cool way to start the build. Get every one of your friends involved so they'll always feel like they had a special hand in building your home.
Here's hoping too that you'll be in for Christmas. But if not, like you said March is great for tents and sleeping bags a big bowl of salad and a BBQ.

denise,
I like the idea of having a special party for the guys that got you to this point in the first place. Just a nice way to say thanks. And, like you said, they can show of their talents.
We're in a bit of a different situation in that our GC is moving to Texas to be with his wife and kids the minute the builds is through. I've heard that most of his crew will be moving with him.

Hmmm, a big party is definitely in order! Maybe a couple of 'em. Since we are where we are, a crab feast is most decidedly called for including anyone and everyone who helped us, listened to us, guided us, supported us etc. along this long and winding road. And then, of course, a meet the neighbors party. And then.....

Amy

Maybe we should all move nearer you guys!

I build and my family moves into a new home every few years with no more fanfare than taking a morning shower.

But I guess maybe husbands take on the social lives their mates provide. In previous incarnations, every move meant a celebration. Yes, we even had an onsite get-together for the tradesmen.

You guys enjoy!

Kats,
I am thinking of having some sort of party - our house will be finished not too long after our 30th wedding anniversary and it would be nice to combine the two events.

Problem is, I haven't ever given a large party and haven't given any kind of party in about 25 years. I don't even go to parties really. So I'm pretty clueless as to what to do. I may have to turn it over to a professional though I'd prefer to keep it casual.

Anybody have any suggestions as to where to go for advice on giving parties for the clueless? ;-)

Hi all!
It's funny I should come home late tonight from our house site and find this post because I've been thinking about the very same idea all evening! I told my DH several weeks ago that I thought we'd have a party for all the neighbors (many of whom are distant relatives.) We will be living in the country so our neighbors will be within about a mile radius. Then tonight I thought I'd like to have a get together with the builder, my kitchen designer, the super nice older Andersen dealer that ordered all the windows and exterior doors, the electrician, the plumber and whoever else I get to meet during this journey. Wish I knew how to contact the little guy from Nicaragua whose English was very broken, but whose personality was so warm and friendly. Anyway, just a nice meal together to show our appreciation. We did this 20 years ago when we added a kitchen to our present home and the guys loved it and said no one had ever done it for them before. One other idea--my very good friend from church used a choir party as a way of having people over for a house dedication to the Lord. Our pastor prayed and she asked me to sing "In This Very Room." It was very heartfelt and very sweet.

Mostly, I am looking forward to all those family holiday dinners with my children and future children-in-law and grandbabies. I keep buying my discontinued china on Ebay, just waiting for those days to come!

Susan

I'm having a big ol' BBQ. I'll invite family and friends and my 1 neighbor. It won't be billed as a housewarming so people hopefully won't feel obligated to bring gifts.

I'm planning on crawfish, porkloin, beer butt chicken and a bunch of casseroles. Since our yard is so big we won't be forced to play cornhole, maybe just maybe we'll play a great game of horseshoes.

I love to entertain, I did it all of the time in our last house even tho it was itty bitty. I can't wait to do it in our new home.

YAY! Now I'm excited!

We have an annual BIG party each summer. Next summer it will be a house warming of sorts I hope. It will also be our 5th wedding anniversary.

I've been invited to this kind of thing where the invitation says," Best wishes Only" which basically means "no presents please"

We threw a Low Country boil and sent out a bunch of invitations with "y'all bring friends" printed on the bottom. A couple kegs, 100+ friends and aquaintances, very good music, a ton of great food, and a balmy October evening. We had a ball.

I don't think it would have occurred to anyone to bring gifts. We just billed it as a party, with no mention of a housewarming or anything similar, although everyone knew it was the first party we'd thrown in our new house.

Ours is on Saturday, September 22 with the eating starting at noon! We're having smoke cooked brisket, pork and chicken plus the trimmings. It's catered so no work for us. And we found someone who knows what BBQ is, and isn't. It's easier to find a good GC than someone who knows BBQ out here. The house grounds won't be done so having the party up at our farm. It's the only time some of our back east friends could make it. The next day we'll head to the house and show it off. Sept is also my 60th. What could be better than celebrting with all my friends and family plus have a new home. We will also have a contractor's party at the house in late Sept or October. Tom

I am definitely already thinking about parties in our new house, even though we're only on the foundation.
I expect we will have a series of parties for our various groups of friends/family:

- In my husband's large family, we divide up the year and take turns hosting parties every two months for all the birthdays within that period. I signed up for Nov/Dec so we will have that one hopefully a little bit after the house is finished. It will be during the day, family oriented, potluck food with all the kids and everything. No alcohol.

- Then, we'll probably have one for our friends, many of who are from my husband's job. That will be still casual but more adult. Probably in the evening with buffet food and some alcohol.

- We might have another one for my husband's childhood friends that would probably be a cookout, possibly camping. Beer and video games would be a main event.

- This one I'm not sure about, but I'm considering having something for the neighbors on our road and the people who worked on the house (some of these are the same). Most of our neighbors we have known for many years, but they don't exactly socialize together. I think it might be nice to invite them over, but I don't want it to seem arrogant, like I think they're all dying to see our house or whatever. I haven't decided about that.

Anyway, I love planning things like this, and it definitely gives you something to look forward to during the wait.

I am definitely already thinking about parties in our new house, even though we're only on the foundation.
I expect we will have a series of parties for our various groups of friends/family:

- In my husband's large family, we divide up the year and take turns hosting parties every two months for all the birthdays within that period. I signed up for Nov/Dec so we will have that one hopefully a little bit after the house is finished. It will be during the day, family oriented, potluck food with all the kids and everything. No alcohol.

- Then, we'll probably have one for our friends, many of who are from my husband's job. That will be still casual but more adult. Probably in the evening with buffet food and some alcohol.

- We might have another one for my husband's childhood friends that would probably be a cookout, possibly camping. Beer and video games would be a main event.

- This one I'm not sure about, but I'm considering having something for the neighbors on our road and the people who worked on the house (some of these are the same). Most of our neighbors we have known for many years, but they don't exactly socialize together. I think it might be nice to invite them over, but I don't want it to seem arrogant, like I think they're all dying to see our house or whatever. I haven't decided about that.

Anyway, I love planning things like this, and it definitely gives you something to look forward to during the wait.

Amy,
Ohhh, good food! A crab feast sounds like so much fun.
I already have volunteered for our neighborhoods 3rd annual Lawn Mower Races and BBQ Party next May. I figured since the neighbor 2 doors down started it 2 years ago and then my next door neighbor had it this year that we were in line to continue the progression. This year the winning riding lawn mower was made up to look like an airplane! Fun Party!

Woodswell,
You know, I think the best advice is to not do everything yourself. Or, if you want to, do it WAY far ahead of the party day. Getting ready all by yourself just tires you out on party day.
I'd hire someone to bartend or limit the drinks to only beer and wine and maybe one specialty drink (plus Non-A's).
I plan to cater but might change that if we smoke ribs. Inviting the people is not a problem. Usually it's the food.
Anyone have better advice to help us all out here?

Worthy,
You and yours will always be invited. Just make sure you bring a lawn mower and a smile! LOL

ogoopogo,
LMAO! I can see a bunch of old tarts getting mug shots at the local PD. Reminds me of the time we had dark-thirty "golf cart races" out at our mobile home park at the Colorado river. Only ones to NOT get scolded by our park's manager were all our teenagers who sat on the side-line shaking their heads!

mlauder,
I love your idea of the choir. Never forget the man that made this all possible!
I keep thinking like denise said about having a crew party. But I know half of the crew is now gone (another reason everything is going so slowly for us?) A couple of these guys have just been around for so long and they really are a great group.

housewitch,
Good idea to say it's just a party and not mention it like it's a house warming b/c I really don't want gifts.

Tom,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Finding someone that knows how to smoke a good rib is almost as hard as finding someone that can do a good BBQ. Your menu sounds like.....Yummmm!

Owl,
Lots of parties! Sounds like your home is going to be filled with love over and over.

I know the one party that we've already spoken for (the Lawn Mower Races) I but forgot about the other....SUPERBOWL! Now THAT's going to be some party! and then this year it's my turn for Christmas. Oh boy!!!

I have been kind of conflicted about this and you guys are not helping! :) Husband thinks we should have one big all-day kind of party with people coming and going. I was thinking multiple parties. We should be moving in July and would wait until Oct/Nov when the weather is decent here in FL. It is just that I have a staff of 20 people who have lived through this house building with me. They have families so there is 30-40 people. Husband practices Aikido, they love any reason to party, add another 30 people. We both come from large families so add at least another 30 people. Too many people!!!!! Aaaaaaahhhhhh! And you could not talk about three more diverse groups of people. I actually think the dynamics might work. There are just too many. It makes my head hurt to think of it.

I already promised my girls a party for their friends that would be separate from the boring adults.

I'll worry about all that later. Paint is up on the walls and looks great. Having an interior decorator helped since I am a color dork.

Well, so far, I can think of at least four we are definitely going to have:

1)contractors/subs
2)friends
3)family
4)wedding reception at our place for a good friend

Of course, we will be doing all the cooking--got to use that new kitchen and pantry!

kats,
you would love my husband, the man smokes any meat he can get his hands on, after brining, of course!! He brined and smoked our thanksgiving turkeys the last two years, and it was the best we've ever had. He smokes ribs all the time, and our kids favorite, (because they help with the rub, and because they like to say it!!) smoking butts! Nothing like some smokin' butt....:-))

Amy

We're building just two blocks from the campus of the University of Oklahoma. When our home was scheduled to be completed in July, we were planning to throw a party at our house on the first home football game and then to have smaller tailgating parties every home game. But, our most optimistic move in date is now mid-September. Hopefully, we'll still get to entertain for at least one football game this season. A big reason we picked this location was to host game day events at our home.

Music is so important for a party. I want a sound system that pipes the same music indoors as out. But I am a year a way from my party... still clearing my 32 acres.

"a couple of kegs of homebrew, a big bowl of herb"....?

Be careful... cops tend to arrive, invited or not.

gardencpa,
We should be moving in July and would wait until Oct/Nov when the weather is decent here in FL.

DH and I just had a conversation about that yesterday! You must not be too far from us - we're outside Tallahassee. Our house may be finished July/August, but that is far too hot around here to have a party anywhere other than a sinkhole or the beach. ;-)

So we're thinking October, but I am still trying to wrap my brain around putting on a party at all. DH likes the idea of a open house and letting people come and go as they wish between certain times. He's insisting that we have it catered so I won't stress myself out about everything. I don't know if we'll have enough money left by the time the house is finished!

I'd insist on a BYOB policy - I don't drink and don't want to provide booze for anyone. We know a couple of bands or could rent a sound system, though I don't want to blast loud music across the neighborhood. (I've called the cops on one party that happens every May down the road, so I don't want to inflict the same noise level I've complained about.)

I don't know - lots of reasons for me to NOT have a party...

A neighbor has a bash once a year and you call the cops?

I'm sorry but that does not come across to me as neighborly. I don't care how loud it is... once a year, you should put up with it.

The world needs more parties and fewer cranky bitter people.

My two cents.

I *thought* we would have a big bash or two once we were in the house, but the end of the build was so rushed and stressful, we were just happy to get in! Once we were moved in, there was so much to do with unpacking and try to get settled and all that the party just evaporated. Now we're so busy getting loose ends tied up and the money's gone, so it's on the back burner for *someday*. We did have a mini-celebration with some of my family when they helped us move. (I have a large family; I think there were about twenty of us.) We took them out for a steak dinner, and back at the house later on, opened a bottle of Dom Perignon we had saved for the occasion and toasted them for their help. That was about the extent of any partying we could handle at that point!

I've heard it's common to anticipate a party after a build, but in reality, few materialize. I didn't understand that until we went through it! I still want to have one, but not for quite a while!

vancleaveterry - i agree 100%. The only time I get pissed about loud parties is when I cannot be there (work, kids, whatever). It need not cost a lot to have a party. Have a bring your own beer and meat party. Costs almost nothing.

Have fun and enjoy life!

vancleaveterry - i agree 100%. The only time I get pissed about loud parties is when I cannot be there (work, kids, whatever). It need not cost a lot to have a party. Have a bring your own beer and meat party. Costs almost nothing. I love the cops (at least since I turned 21) - just make sure to invite them over when they are off thier shift, they know where you live, lol. Cops party hard!

Have fun and enjoy life!

I recently did an outdoor party for 75-100 for pretty cheap. We had brats, hot dogs, and burgers cooking on the grill, with corn on the cob and potato and pasta salad. Everyone came with beer or wine and we had cold drinks as well.

We lined up people to take a 30 minute shift on the grill so no one got tired of it.

If you can be outside, the menu is simple and the mess is pretty easy to get rid of!

gardencpa,
See I can't imagine having just one party and then calling it quits. I hope to have several. But not all of them as big as I hope to have when we move in. That's a different thing and I think BIG works there. To do that often would take the fun out of it for me.
So what colors are you looking at for your house?

fishpants,
Cooking, hummmm...... You know, DH did mention something about my new Wolf rangetop and cooking. I just don't remember if it was something "important" so it must not have been.....right?
A wedding reception, now that would be a "fun" party!

Oh Amy, your DH's rub sounds Gooood! Does he hire out? LOL!

Soonermagic,
football game parties are like the perfect size. Big enough for fun but there's no stress involved. What kind of menu do you do? Or, just easy stuff.

Woodswell,
I don't know - lots of reasons for me to NOT have a party...
that's sad!
I think your DH's idea of catering an open house would be a great idea. No Stress level. But I guess you'd better keep the music down! LOL

Hoosiergirl,
Just because you're in and haven't had the party doesn't mean you can't have one later. Look how many honeymoons are delayed in this world.

Like mikeyvon and vancleaveterry said....It's NEVER to late to have a party and if you want one badly enough there's always a way to get her done! Having fun is the important thing!

Bonelady,
SMART! Plus having everyone do something like helping to BBQ in shifts makes some people feel good. Easy menu too. Parties like that just seem to turn out perfect. :)

vancleaveterry,
The first time they gave the party we were hosting mounted police and sheriff deputies from all over the state for the annual memorial service for law enforcement officers.

*I* was going to ignore the party but the *officers* who were visiting complained since they could not hear each other speak from a couple of feet apart. This with the party being a quarter of a mile away.

EVERY SINGLE OFFICER on my property agreed that the sound level was completely unacceptable under the laws of any jurisdiction in the state. When the local sheriff's deputy was reluctant to go to ask for a reduction in the noise level, about ten of the visiting officers offered to go as a delegation to do so.

Since then I have only called a couple of times - once when the bass reverberation started shaking glasses off the shelf in my kitchen; again when I was recovering from surgery and the noise level was so high it woke me from a narcotic stupor.

We're not talking about a party with regular music - we're talking a noise level higher than most rock concerts. And as I said, I am a quarter of a mile away.

We've got other neighbors who have parties that I hear that are not a problem. But when the noise level is vibrating objects in my house as though there was an earthquake (in Florida???!!) that is NOT acceptable.