Moving into a new home is definitely an exciting step for anyone. Especially memorable is the first move, which, although laborious, brings the movers immense satisfaction. Organising a moving-in party is a wonderful way to share the joyful emotions with family and friends, creating memories in the home. Learn how to organise such a party, as well as how you can impress your guests.
Organising a housewarming party: Planning
Wondering where to start when organising your move-in celebration at your new home? Start by making a list of the guests you plan to invite. The next key detail is the date of the celebration. Choose a day that would be convenient for as many of the party invitees as possible. Often these are weekends when you would have time for better and relaxed preparation. Once you set the date, inform your neighbours about the upcoming party. Yes, no one would want to anger their neighbours in the first days after moving. Make sure to minimize the loud noise and show consideration to them as well by surprising them with something to eat or a small gift.
Next up is invitations making, and here you can go straightforward by simply writing or phoning your guests, or get creative by creating original invitations (again, it all depends on the time and inspiration you have available). Shopping is the next important step. Your list should include everything needed for the party, from food and decorations, board games, or special gifts for guests, to cleaning supplies. Preparing delicious meals and choosing interesting ways to stay entertained during the move-in party are the next activities to consider. Well, all that's left is to take care of the atmosphere by choosing the right music and, voila—you're ready to welcome your loved ones to your new place.
And here's a quick checklist to help you plan the basic housewarming party tasks:
- Make a guest list
- Choose the date of the party
- Inform your neighbours about the upcoming party
- Invite your guests
- Shop
- Prepare food and drinks
- Decorate
- Choose interesting ways to stay entertained
- Choose appropriate music
- Welcome your guests and show them around the home
Housewarming party invitations: Creative ideas
Making invitations when organising a move-in party at a new home may seem unnecessary to some of you at first, but it would definitely make a good impression on your guests. You can approach this in several ways: by designing a paper invitation, creating a digital one, or filming a short video inviting your loved ones to celebrate moving into a new home together.
Making a paper invitation. A great choice for the handier among you, who would find making such an item a pleasure. We recommend that you approach each of your guests with personalized designs. For example, you could draw a shared memory, recall a moment you talked about moving into a new home, or make a collage of your photos with the new home as a background. You have the freedom to get creative, and there are plenty of ideas for handmade housewarming party invitations as well as interesting materials and designs (paper, glitter, ribbons, pebbles) to work with.
Digital Invitation. It could be done in just a few clicks. Programs like Canva even provide ready-made templates to take inspiration from, making customizing invitations more than easy. In addition, you can add and edit photos and various graphic elements. Sending this type of invitation is also easy and is ready in seconds, as no printing is required.
Shoot a video invitation. You could shoot directly from your new home, filming a short teaser showing a part of the home, and invite your friends to your party. Give them a hint of what you're preparing or show them footage of what the apartment looks like before it's furnished and decorated so they're pleasantly surprised by your design skills.
Arranging a housewarming party: Food preparation
When organising a housewarming party, you can prepare your own food for your guests, or you can trust a catering company. Here are a few ideas for quick and easy meals you can prepare yourself to welcome your loved ones:
Pizza. While seemingly common, pizza is a surefire option that almost everyone loves. For variety, you can order (or make) several different types of pizza - including with and without meat.
Bruschetta with prosciutto and goat cheese. A great option for an appetizer that guests can also eat on the go while exploring the home. Preparing bruschetta is easy. All you need is a baguette, goat (or other) cheese, prosciutto, basil, olive oil and fig (or other) jam. Bake the bruschetta briefly, then cool, spread with cheese, add jam, a slice of prosciutto and some basil.
Garlic hummus. A dish that is extremely easy to prepare. Mix chickpeas, crushed garlic, olive oil and juice of half a lemon. Blend the mixture, then add 1/4 cup water, parsley, cumin, and salt. Before serving, add more olive oil and garnish with parsley.
Stuffed mushrooms with veal and cheese. Filling and at the same time easy to eat. Fill the mushrooms with a mixture of veal mince, egg, and savory. Bake them in an oiled baking dish, then add grated cheese and leave them in the oven for another 5 minutes.
Depending on the season, you can bake homemade cookies or make homemade yogurt topped with fruit for dessert. Use fruit yoghurt, crumbled biscuits, fruit of your choice and an ice cream ball. Arrange the dessert in a glass, alternating several layers of crumbled biscuits and yoghurt and finish with a scoop of ice cream topped with fruit.
As for the drinks, opt for homemade lemonade or a Mango Bellini. For the lemonade, you need fruit syrup of your choice, sparkling water, and honey. Mango Bellini can be made by adding chilled champagne to 15 ml of mango juice (per glass) and garnish with frozen cherries on a stick.
Entertainment when organising a housewarming party
Organising a housewarming party is far from limited to showing guests around and sharing a meal together. You could spice up the experience by preparing a variety of activities to entertain as well:
Board games. Board games are a great way to add variety to your housewarming party. Guests could each bring their favourite game and together choose the most suitable one for the evening. If you're one of the avid fans of this type of games, you could even share with your loved ones that they would be the perfect gift to celebrate moving into a new home. Don't have a board game handy? Opt for a game of word association, with one of the group writing interesting words on small pieces of paper for the other guests, divided into teams, to guess based on the principle of association.
Prepare a quiz related to the home. You can also add a game element by preparing questions in advance for your guests related to details such as furniture, number of rooms, size or specific elements of your home. To encourage a competitive spirit, you can also prepare small gifts for each correct answer.
Treasure hunt in the new home. Make a game with riddles to place in different hidden places in the home. Once they've found them, guests should join forces to "sort the puzzle", discovering the hidden treasure—an item to delight everyone.
Outdoor activities. If you've moved into a house with a yard and are hosting your housewarming party during the summer months, then outdoor activities are also a great choice for bringing your guests together. Plant something together or play Twister outdoors. Movie night under the stars is also a great way to surprise your guests, making them feel right at home.
DIY housewarming party ideas
Your housewarming party can be made truly unique and memorable with a few DIY decoration ideas and guest gifts. And here they are:
Chocolate Keys. Make some key-shaped chocolates as a gift to your guests. This will be an unforgettable memento of your housewarming party that will hardly leave your close ones indifferent. You can also prepare a similar dessert for your new neighbours (as mentioned earlier).
Decorative tray. Involve your guests in decorating the new home by asking them to place a handwritten wish on a serving tray. You can then hang the wishing tray prominently and turn it into an attention-grabbing decorative element.
Food sticks in the theme of the new home. Decorate traditional toothpicks with interesting elements in the spirit of the new home. It is on these items that you can also insert hints for the treasure hunt mentioned earlier.
Memory Box. Make a box where each of your guests can place a slip of paper with a fun memory written with you. This can become a tradition for each subsequent after-party moving party.
Make a wall of polaroid photos. A great way to immortalize your move-in party is by making sure you capture the most fun moments in your new home.
Organising a housewarming party: Best gifts to ask for
An often-underestimated aspect of moving-in celebrations are the host’s gifts. We've prepared a few ideas to give as a guest or ask for as a host:
Board games. As we already mentioned, these are an excellent choice especially when it comes to gifts for a family. They would surely bring the tenants together and remain the perfect solution for entertaining during the evenings shared with friends.
Household appliance. An Air Fryer, a rice cooker, or a can opener are among the practical appliances that make everyday life easier. They are an excellent choice as far as movers with children are concerned, as they reduce household stress and provide more private time.
Innovative furnishings. Such as rotating table tops, book racks, storage boxes, or other innovative or decorative furnishings to enhance the comfort of the home.
Personalized gift. A door plaque engraved with the family's names, a bookend with a personal greeting, or towels with the owners' initials—this type of gift is sure to show that you took extra care in selecting and crafting it.
Plant. A simple solution that, although not particularly original, will ensure cleaner air, fragrance, and durability. Recommended especially for those living in a house with a large yard, and you could opt for an exotic and less common species. If it's a yard plant, you could plant it with the guests at the party.
List of materials when organising a housewarming party
And here's the full list of materials you'll need should you decide to throw your move-in party, following this guide:
- Colored paper, markers, and decorative items (for paper invitations)
- Food items: pizza dough, sauce, ham, mozzarella and basil, a few baguettes, goat cheese, prosciutto, fig jam, chickpeas, spices, lemon, garlic, olive oil, mushrooms, ground beef, eggs, cheese, yogurt, fruit of choice, crackers, ice cream, sparkling water, fruit syrup, honey, champagne, mango juice, and chocolate.
- Board games (such as Jenga, Monopoly or Activity) or different types of playing cards
- Chocolate shapes
- Gifts for guests (if you decide to go for a personalised item)
- Sticky notes
- Glass jar (or box)
- Toothpicks
- Cork board and crayons (for the polaroid wall)
- Polaroid camera
- Decorative materials such as balloons, coloured straws, or confetti
- Cleaning materials: garbage bags, detergents, and napkins
We trust that our guide to organising a housewarming party has sparked your creativity and encouraged you to prepare for this event, which is no less exciting than the actual move. And in case you need expert help in organising a relocation, don't hesitate to contact us, the Movega Removals specialists, right now. We'll be happy to contribute to making you feel truly welcome in your new "home". Get in touch via our contact form or the chatbot feature available on our website.