Moving into a new home? Housewarming parties are a great way to celebrate with neighbours and friends as well as the opportune time to show your new home without the awkwardness of being perceived as a show-off. From renting to buying a new home, or even making a few renovations, housewarming parties are acceptable for any of these reasons. Here are some tips to guide you in your quest to pull off a memorable one:

Housewarming Party or Open House?

This will depend on the magnitude of the item being shown. Throwing a party after renovating a kitchen or adding a few adjustments to the living room would be better described as an open house rather than a full-scale housewarming party. The latter evokes perceptions of immense propensity while the former rather suggests the celebration of a minor object.

1. Appropriate Modes of Invitation
   
   It is a far simpler process to send out emails or even place phone calls to invite guests. Again, organizing a party on an open house scale will be better served through the above-mentioned modes of communication. However, a housewarming party which includes celebrities and dignitaries on the guest list will need to incorporate a formal mode of invitation, that is, through invitation cards. Cards are also a great way to put some gloss and hype around the event.
2. The Music
   
   Hiring a professional DJ and pulling some strings to get A-rated artistes to perform is a great way to stir up excitement and lift the mood of your guests. This, however, could come at a huge cost and it might be better to settle for a home theatre system and have a suitable playlist while getting a trusted person to DJ.
3. The Menu
   
   Ghanaians and Africans for that matter, no matter how small the party is, like to make guests feel literally at home. One of the ways this is done is through the service of hot meals. From local dishes such as fufu and banku, to continental ones such as taco salads, these are all appropriate for the menu depending on the tastes of your guests. It will, however, be an oversight to assume your guests need only light snacks unless you intend to end the party after 15 minutes!
4. The House Tour
   
   The very reason why you are having guests over, this part of the program has to be carefully planned, especially when inviting a great number of guests. You could start by showing important dignitaries around and then segmenting your guests into smaller groups in order to accommodate them during the house tour.