Summer is finally here! Warmer weather and longer days mean more opportunities to celebrate with friends. Julian and Piera, the Party Specialists for Evite, share some party hacks to keep your summer healthy and affordable.
Top Health-Focused Party Ideas:
1. Yoga + Brunch
Do you have a big living room? Clear the furniture, grab your mat, and invite friends over for a zen hour of yoga followed by a healthy brunch, and a mimosa bar (#balance). Chances are you have a Yogi friend who can play teacher. Alternatively, search YouTube for yoga videos! Popular channels include Yoga with Adriene, Kino Yoga, and Yoga with Tim.
2. Throw Your Own “Daybreaker” with a Dance Party + DIY Smoothie Bar
Have you heard of Daybreaker parties? They’re morning dance parties held in large cities like New York and San Francisco, but they can be expensive AND usually start early (no thank you 7 am) – so why not DIY your own? Gather your friends for a sober Saturday dance party followed by a DIY smoothie bar. Explore the option of hiring your favorite dance cardio teacher or have your friends take turns leading the class—you can find free classes on YouTube! Request that everyone submit their top 2-3 favorite songs to dance to, queue up the party, and dance for 45 minutes to an hour for a good sweat. Definitely make time for “open dance” so everyone can show off their best moves!
Then, for a post-workout treat, prepare the smoothie bar by buying a mix of leafy greens, yogurt, juices, nut butters, and fruits!
3. No-Phone Party
Just like it sounds, host a no-phone party, where your guests are required to throw their phones into a bowl upon arrival and live in the moment. Face-to-face communication is critical for our mental health and happiness! Make things more interesting by enforcing rules—like forking over $5 if you reach for your phone. At the end of the night, enter those who haven’t touched their phones into a raffle, and have each of those who did touch their phones send $5 over to the raffle winner.
4. Host a Crafternoon
Remember how fun art class was? Bring it back with a Crafternoon! Host your friends for a fun day of crafting and chatting. Serve healthy bevs like Kombucha or a non-alcoholic version of blueberry ginger mocktail. Prior to the party, select an easy craft that everyone can complete in one afternoon like DIY sunglasses! This one is best saved for a Sunday afternoon so you can show them off after!
Top Budget-Friendly Party Hacks:
Taco bars, salad bars, s’mores bars, any-kind-of-dessert bars, candy skewer bars like we’ve made here… Who doesn’t love a good food station? Ask everyone to bring one ingredient for your set-up, then line it all up so everyone can make their own plate. Less time in the kitchen, and more time for socializing! It’s like a potluck, but even easier. Asking friends to bring an ingredient saves your wallet and it’s also a great conversation starter!
2. Make a Big Batch Cocktail
Everybody’s familiar with the fact that alcohol is expensive, so stick to a signature drink. Upgrade the old college “jungle juice” for a more refined big batch cocktail (like a Pineapple-Basil Sangria or a Rose-Watermelon Lemonade). When your guests ask what they can bring, don’t be afraid to simply suggest sending over a few bucks to offset the alcohol costs. It’s cheaper than bringing a wine, and chances are they’ll prefer this over a grocery run. Or, you can set out a tip jar—we suggest putting it in the bathroom so there’s no awkwardness about how much they choose to leave.
3. Save on Invitation Costs with Evite
We all get a little thrill from receiving an invitation. There are so many free, fun and animated invitation options on Evite which make contacting guests super simple! You can use one of our templates or design your own. You can also easily keep track of RSVPs, special requests and what everyone is bringing to make sure your party runs smoothly. We’re not just saying this because we work here …
4. Thrift Your Party Accessories
Thrifting is the affordable way to go especially for theme parties, when you’re shopping for one-time accessories that, let’s be real, you’ll probably never use again. You can also tap your own friend group for clothing swaps! You never know what awesome finds are just collecting dust in your best friend’s closet.
5. Time it Wisely … Between Meals
Here’s a party hack: schedule your party between major mealtimes—like after dinner, or mid-afternoon. Try a late night movie night, or a mid-day board game marathon. This way, you can get away with serving snacks instead of full-on meals, which tend to add up in terms of dollars.
So there you have it! And remember, just because the 4th of July has passed, doesn’t mean summer parties are over. In fact, our data shows that more summer parties are thrown in August than in July! Time spent face-to-face with friends increases your happiness and is a great form of self-care, so get out there and make some plans!
The post Evite’s Healthy and Affordable Party Hacks for Summer appeared first on Evite.