10 Ways to Host an Instagram Worthy Holiday Party

Let’s face it: nowadays, we take photos of everything. From our gallery walls to our food, everything is Instagram-able. And around the holidays, there are a million Insta-worthy events, parties, and get-togethers.

But instead of being an invitee, this is your year to host an epic shindig. Here are 10 Ways to Host an Instagram-worthy Holiday Party!   

1. Make it a potluck

It’s hard enough to play host at a dinner party. So let’s start out by making things easy on yourself- make your holiday party a potluck. It gives guests a chance to share their favorite holiday dishes, while taking all of the pressure off of you to buy groceries, cook for an entire day (or two), and deal with all those dirty dishes.

To Potluck effectively, I tell each person to bring a certain dish; Friend 1 is in charge of vegetables, Friend 2 brings the wine, and so forth. This way you don’t end up with 4 appetizers, 3 salads, and no main course.

2. Use all of your own serveware

Here’s the key to potlucking but keeping things Instagram-worthy: tell friends to bring their dish in a to-go container, then transfer everything to your own serving plates before the meal. You’ll kill 2 birds with 1 stone, as guests will have a container to bring home leftovers, and your table will look cohesive and totally photo-ready with matching serveware.

3. Design around a color scheme

Table setting is not my strong suit. Ain’t nobody got time for that. So to create an Instagram-worthy tablescape, design everything around a color scheme. For a holiday party, some of my favorites are:

green + gold + navy
sage + ivory + red
grey + charcoal + gold
forest green + plum + white

Pick one color for your plates, one for your napkins, and one for your centerpiece. It’s as easy as that!

4. Put comfort above formality

The ambiance you create will dictate the your guests’ mood. Generally the more formal your party is, the stiffer your guests will feel. Keep things comfortable by using mismatched cups and linens instead of silk. This feeling of comfort and warmth will also come through in your photos, making your holiday party feel like an intimate affair.

5. Shoot it on a killer camera

Smartphone cameras just won’t cut it for our soiree. Capture your Instagram-worthy dinner party like a pro with high-quality camera like the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. It’s compact, stylish, and packs all the punch of a big dSLR without the hassle or the price tag.

The OM-D E-M10 Mark III is perfect for anyone looking to make a seamless transition from their smartphone camera to a high-quality, easy-to-use camera. Plus it has built-in wifi, making transferring photos straight to your phone a breeze. Your friends will be double-tapping the heck out of your professional-quality holiday party photos.

6. Have a dress code

To truly create an Instagram-worthy Holiday Party, have a dress code for your guests. This way you’ll all match in pics and look like you walked straight out of a holiday catalog. For my guests, I suggested thick, comfy sweaters for girls, and plaid and flannel for guys.

7. Create a foliage centerpiece, and keep it seasonal

The center of your table should be the focal point of the table. To play into this cozy, intimate setting we’re creating, I love using foliage as my centerpieces. Greens, especially, work so well as centerpieces. I got one bunch each of gold-painted eucalyptus and seeded eucalyptus and from my local farmer’s market. I then spread them out across the length of my table and accented with small jam jars of white chrysanthemums to play off of my white plates.

8. Make an epic cheeseboard

Nothing says party like a truly epic cheeseboard. My go-to way of creating a knockout cheeseboard is the 4 by 3 rule: pick 3 meats, 3 cheeses, 3 starches, and 3 accompaniments. For this board, I did prosciutto, soppressata, and pepperoni, cheddar, goat, and brie, flax crackers, 9 grain crackers, and baguette, and pomegranates, olives, and pears.

9. Pay attention to lighting

Nothing ruins an Insta-worthy moment like bad lighting. So set your scene accordingly. Use a minimum of 10 candles, dim your overhead lighting, move your table towards a window if possible.

10. Create a rockin’ playlist

Ok, so maybe the music won’t come through in your photos, but the feeling will. Create a playlist that will make your guests feel laid-back and easy-going. Some of my favorite artists for holiday parties are Anderson .Paak, Miguel, Drake, John Mayer, and Raphael Saadiq.

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This post is sponsored by Olympus USA. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Broma possible!