How many is too many at a party?
We are finally going to have our first big party in our house. It is a fairly conventional/traditional layout brownstone (although with kitchen at rear of parlor) 20’x45′. My question is, how many people is too many – especially given it will be too cold to use the garden? Will be mostly adults but kids…
We are finally going to have our first big party in our house. It is a fairly conventional/traditional layout brownstone (although with kitchen at rear of parlor) 20’x45′. My question is, how many people is too many – especially given it will be too cold to use the garden? Will be mostly adults but kids too. How many have you had & did it work? How did you spread the party though the house? Anything else we should think about?
Thanks
i think the rule is one person per square foot, no?
-rob
Thanks – much appreciated.
Sorry, I meant reply for going4broke, got distracted by amuse-gueule tête-à -tête.
THL: Last winter I had a party on the parlor floor, probably attended by 75 people over the course of the evening, and no less than 30 at any one time. It was much more of a gathering-of-old-friends-and-families kind of party, and not a dance party. The parlor floor consists of a sparely furnished double-parlor, a smallish eat-in kitchen, 1-1/2 bathrooms and a bedroom at the back. My advice is to remember that your friends are coming to celebrate with you, and that there’s a natural ebb and flow to parties and partyers. Unless it’s a sit-down dinner you’re planning, enough good food, drink, and any kind of seating is your primary worry. For additional seating, we just had a bunch of cheap, fold-up camp chairs—easily moved, easily stowed away. Some people travelled long distances to get here, and everyone had a great time. Since everyone attending was (more or less 😉 an adult they worked out the smoking, seating, bathroom and political issues among them. The biggest complaint? That I spent too much time cooking, and not enough time visiting. Enjoy your housewarming! Your friends will be back again and again—you don’t have to do all and be all on this one evening.
Thanks Zinka. The second time it didn’t look right either but I decided not to try to mangle it anymore than I already had! Jeez!
keep trying… hors d’oeuvres, perhaps?
Screww the seating. Turn up the music and make ’em dance!
I meant Hor’Dourves (my bad!).
I think about seating, number of bathrooms, and type of food/meal. Will it be a sit down meal or a mingling cocktail party? Do you need table space? Most people at some point want to have a sit even if just for a few minutes. Make sure you dust/vacuum your stairs people will use them for impromptu seating.
My kitchen is in the back of the house as well so I try to make sure the cold hor devours (olives, cheese plates things that you put out before guests arrive, etc.), cocktail plates and glassware(and a trash can!!) are stationed towards the center or front of the house so as to mitigate the number of people in the kitchen while I’m trying to do final food prep, plating & clean-up.
I also try to think about guests to restroom ratio. If you’re serving a formal meal, one with a lot of alcohol or young children you’ll want to mentally factor that in as well. My general rule of thumb is 15-20 guests per bathroom max.
Keep in mind your smoking friends. I have quite a lot so I usually make sure I deck out the back patio with ashtrays, chairs, and cushions on the stairs for them to have their smokes. Even though it’s cold part of the party will migrate out there depending on how many smokers you have. After people eat I lose half my guests to the out-of-doors.
All that said, with good friends, good food and good spirits it doesn’t matter how many people pile in, you’ll have a blast! Enjoy!!