More Party Tips For The Bachelor Sophisticate

About author / Josh Gunn

Bachelor chef; southern cooking; mixologist; university professor. Josh's recipes will delight (and sometimes terrify) you.

Last weekend I threw another party, and I think it is fair to say most attendees had a good time. There was dancing. There was eating. There was socializing. And more importantly, no one pranced around with a lampshade on his head. After such a success, I thought I might summarize the top ten things that I do to help run a tight party ship—things that will also help protect your stuff, and heck, perhaps even a life.

10. Use Signs: using a black marker and plain, white copy paper, make signs that direct your guests to behave. Remember, some people will be drinking to excess, so be bold to drive your message through a befogged brain. Helpful signs include: "Pets Only! Do Not Enter" for bedrooms and "Recycle Only" or "Trash" for different bins. You say to don't have pets? This doesn't matter: label a room you do not want disturbed the "pet room" anyway!

9. Invite Your Neighbors: As I've written previously, this tip is a must-do. Invite all your neighbors surrounding your apartment or home to your party. On the invitation, mention that neighbors should alert you to any noise annoyance before they phone the cops—in a nice way. This will help to keep the police off your doorstep.

8. Plan a Sobriety Strategy: Although I have unfortunately not taken my own advice from time to time, if you are hosting a party it is imperative you stay more sober than your guests. Accidents will happen—spills, sickness, someone in labor will need to deliver a baby—and you may need to respond. If you're waste-faced, you won't be able to respond as you should.

7. Don't Let the Guests Drink and Drive: Closely related to number eight, make sure every group who comes to your party has a designated driver. Just ask groups of partiers jokingly (so as not to offend), or put up a sign that states "don't drink and drive," which also provides local taxi service phone number. Also, if you see a baby faced stranger imbibing, take their booze away and ask for ID. In some states if you serve alcohol or provide an alcoholic environment to someone younger than 21, you could end up in the pokey.

6. Have a Stash of Extra Bedding: If you have a medium or large sized party, it is likely someone will have consumed too much and will also not have a way to get home. Have extra bedding—pillows, sheets, and blankets—washed and stashed close at hand. You may be turning your couch or floor into an extra bed. You'll get bonus points from your guests for having an inflatable bed or cot for such a purpose!

5. Make Sure You Have a Hair Dryer: Someone will spill a drink on someone else. That embarrassed someone and someone else can erase the gaff quickly with a little hot air. Party foul forgiven!

4. Don't Forget the Ice! You'll need to have plenty of ice on hand; tell folks to bring coolers of ice so partiers have a place to stash their beverages. Have an extra bag or two of ice in the freezer. Cover your keg with a mound of ice. Cold drinks are better than hot drinks, I don't care what you tea drinkers say!

3. Premix Party Drinks or Score a Keg: For smaller parties, I premix Margaritas or Long Island Iced-Teas for guests—or at least for the first ten people to arrive. For larger parties, you might simply want to score a keg. Do not put the keg in the house or apartment, as it makes a mess. Put it outside on a patio or in a garage. If you're having a party in an apartment, in general, a keg is a bad idea. Trust me. Use bottles.

2. Observe the Buddy Rule: As a sophisticated bachelor, it is totally bad form to hit on your buddy's girlfriend or boyfriend---even ex girlfriends or boyfriends. I'm always astonished how easily buddies forget the buddy rule: the past and present romantic interests of your friends are off limits! For serious. This will make sure your party is fight-free.

1. Don't Forget the Music! Ask your DJ-friend to provide music for the party, hire a DJ, or DJ the thing yourself. Parties without music are just plain wrong. You need music, especially dance music. A week prior to the party, visiting a music website and find out what the most popular pop dance singles are. Spend a few bucks and download the singles and play them at your party. You'll be amazed by how much people like to dance at parties!