Food: Your menu should consist of the two most important food groups: dips and dessert. As long as you plan your party around a non-meal time, a table full of hummus, spinach dip, fresh salsa, cake pops, and cupcakes are a guaranteed hit.
Drinks: Okay, since it’s impossible to stock your bar with everyone’s favorite cocktail, consider creating a so called signature drink. Call this out on the invite, and people will know to bring their own if it doesn’t suit their tastes.
Decorations: We officially relieve you of the obligation to run to your local party store and stock up on plastic tablecloths and matching napkins. In fact, we encourage you to definitely not do that. While your impulse may be to fill every empty corner with a helium balloon, decorations are not actually a requirement for a successful party. Allow a decadent dessert table or kitschy barware to provide the eye-candy instead.
Guest list: This one is pretty simple—invite your favorite people, and make sure your have enough room for all of them.
Et Cetera: While the party basics are good food, people, and drinks, remember all the small stuff that goes on behind the scenes. For example, keep your bathrooms stocked with plenty of toilet paper and hand soap, make sure your guests have somewhere to park, and so on. After that, the most important thing is to just join in on the fun!