Ways we gathered in 2025! Breaking down all 11 gatherings in our new home
Every single thing I hosted this year from intimate gatherings, to 30 person parties! Your 2026 guide to gathering with seasonal menu & decor ideas, ways to bring people together, & all of the things I wish I did differently!! For this blog, I am going to go in order of each month so you can see how I tried to improve each party!
Wow!! What a year it has been. From buying our first home to planning our wedding, I can’t even believe how we were even able to fit in all of these gatherings into the year. Spoiler alert - it is because I have been procrastinating on wedding planning, oopsies. But that’s okay because this has been great practice for the big day! If you didn’t know, we are having an intimate wedding dinner send-off in our backyard & then eloping in Italy. In 2026, I will be preparing for our biggest dinner party yet, our very special wedding dinner with all of our favorite people. We have spent all of 2025 renovating the backyard to get it ready! More on that soon. But I think I know which dinner party will be my favorite in 2026.
With all that being said, I do not plan to slow down on our other hosting endeavors before the wedding. Before this year, I felt distant from friends & loved ones. Now, going into 2026, I can say with a happy heart that everything we hosted truly and most definitely brought everyone closer together. Not only do I feel truly connected to my friends, but, I feel like our friends who had never met previously, have also grown to love each other. This is how you build community and a village. My soul is so happy. I love bringing people together and even if things are a bit less extravagant in 2026, it is bringing people together that is the real duty of a host. Not impressing, not being the best chef in town, none of it. Simply showing people they belong.
February: Galentine’s
Our last party in our first apartment!!
Galentine’s was the second time I hosted a party in our apartment and the last! We moved into our new home in March. I do love that we got to host in this smaller space because I did not think it was possible. If you have an apartment or a smaller space, don’t hold yourself back. All of our gatherings here turned out so fun.
Decor & dresscode
I loved the Galentine’s decor!! I hung silver streamers on the ceiling and I feel like that transformed the room and really set a fun tone for the evening. I told all the girlies to wear red and we had a fun time mingling & snacking!
Things I loved:
We had a sundae bar & a bouquet making bar! I will definitely be recreating these sections for spring & summer gatherings in 2026. They just make everything feel so special. For dinner we served spaghetti & otherwise, just had appetizers and a delicious gluten & dairy free chocolate quinoa cake (it turned out amazing, I promise I will get you the recipe soon!!)
Things this party needed!!
We needed to play more games! This is always the hard part for me! Although this was more of a mingling event, games would have brought the party together more! We played Tapple which is a favorite of mine, but I think it would be fun to do more icebreakers!
April: Poppy & Basil Cafe Our Housewarming Party
Probably our most wholesome gathering!! It was such a treat being able to share our new home with friends and family. Plus, a cafe party is so simple to put together and even easier for guests to enjoy
The menu
Bagel Bar
Pancake Bar
Sandwich Station
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cake
Tarts
Pancake Skewers
Parfait Bar
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Lots of homemade coffees & teas
So many of these foods can be made in advanced which makes for a super easy day of the party.
The reason I have recreated the cafe party so much is that it is so low lift with such high rewards. A cafe party works so well because people know once they show up there will be cozy pastries, coffee, and time to just relax. There’s truly nothing intimidating!! People can come and go as they please, play board games, and sit at our “cafe” all day. Plus, as the host, you really get to relax and spend time with those you love. Unless you are on barista duty all day. In that case, order to-go coffees for everyone.
Super simple spring florals!!
Things I loved
This party was super simple to put together with limited decor besides florals and a tablecloth. The tablescape did most of the work! Which was perfect for us since we had just bought our home and were still settling in. Since we hosted this party in spring, people got to also explore and sit in the backyard which was quite nice!!
I set up blankets and pillows for everyone to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. I think Poppy enjoys it the most though!
Things this party needed:
Nothing really! I think it went super well!
June: Summer Solstice Party
This Summer Solstice party was the first dinner party we hosted in our backyard!! We had a blast! This was before we started any backyard renovations and so it was nice to share our home in it’s first most basic state and to have so many memories of it before moving into the next stage.
The Tablescape & Menu
I absolutely loved this tablescape!! We did florals throughout as well as candles and lanterns for nighttime lighting. Whenever I host a dinner, I like to do it around golden hour so we can enjoy sunshine, the sunset, and ultimately a cozy dinner with candles and lanterns. The perfect ambiance. Letting nature assist in the flow of the night is so calming and beautiful!!
I mixed old and new on this table per usual with some Antique Lenox candleholders from my favorite antique store, a new tablecloth, new wine glasses, and some pretty florals.
Appetizers
Summer appetizers are soooo tasty! For this party I had bowls of crusty bread and butter on the table, A burrata & prosciutto board, & a tomato burrata board drizzled with balsamic! It was so tasty.
We also served pizza which I did not get great photos of!
Dessert
Lemon Posset!! Oh my goodness such an easy crowd pleaser and so tasty. Ugh these are amazing and I can’t wait to make them all summer and spring long with grapefruit, citron, lemons, and other citrus!! I will be sharing a simple recipe soon. I garnished with blueberries, lemon zest, mint, and chamomile. These need to cool and harden in the fridge so they are a perfect make-ahead dessert for hosting! Everyone loves them too!
What Went Well
The menu was so tasty. I loved the ambiance and hosting outside. We also had a make your own drink station so I did not have to play bartender all night. People loved making their own drinks and mingling before sitting down to eat.
The make your own drink station was another way for me to spend more time with my guests as the host! I added some limes, lemons, syrups, mixers, and alcoholic bevs to the table so people could enjoy making their own drinks. I definitely needed to add some soda to this mix though haha! Wait - I guess Poppi counts right?!
What this party needed!
Quick bummer about this party - Mostly everyone flaked day of or did not tell me they wouldn’t be able to make it. This party taught me that sometimes people won’t show up. However, it reminded me that the people who do show up are people you need to hold close. We still had an incredible night and the table was still full. Now I just have a list of people in my head who will “most likely flake”. I hate to say that but as a host you start to recognize people who always RSVP yes and never show up. I have shortened the guest lists of my parties to only invite people who usually show up and less people who tend to not. It’s not because I don’t love having them over, but it is because it is really time consuming to put a party together! If you can’t make it, let me know a day in advance or don’t make it a pattern. I know things happen so guests have about 3 “flakes” before they are on my naughty list.
For this party I prepared the appetizers and desserts in advanced, but I wanted to make fresh homemade pizza. I ended up spending a bit more time in the kitchen than anticipated & made a huge mess in the kitchen as well. It’t not expected to keep the kitchen perfectly organized when cooking, but I felt a bit embarrassed afterwards and a little frazzled because I made a mess while trying to get food out to guests! Now I try to limit the food that is actively being prepared while guests are over. Next time I would prepare the pizza before guests arrive then simply pop it in the oven during appetizers.
June: Father’s Day Brunch
A quick and easy Armenian-style breakfast for my fiancé’s father!! I utilized most of the same decor from our Summer Solstice party which made this super low-lift but kept it feeling super intentional!! We prepared pilaf, a vegetable spread, eggs, and bought my fiancé’s dad’s favorite Armenian pastries. It was the perfect morning!!
This was pretty casual so I won’t list what went well and what did not. However, I will say that I did enjoy reusing decor + florals. It was nice to get some food delivered, although, I tend to prefer to cook haha! Sometimes it is nice to just spend the day relaxing though.
July: Outdoor Summer Movie Night
Such a fun way to just relax and hang out with friends outdoors! I loved this party so much and it was so low lift because all I had to do was bring the snacks and set up the projector!
What I loved:
I loved how low lift this party was and I am so happy we have a projector that will last us years and years and years. I also wanted to recreate this with spooky movies and christmas movies but that did not happen in 2025! I will definitely be pulling the projector out again soon! Plus, during fall it may be easier to host these types of things since the sun goes down earlier. I assume the reason so many people flaked on this party is because it started around 7pm when the sun was going down in summertime.
What this party needed!
Literally only two people showed up and 30 people RSVP’d. My worst fear as a host. Most of our friends who usually show up were out of town (which we knew). Many of the invites were sent out to people on the naughty list. None of them showed up. We did have 2 guests and it allowed us to get so much closer to them!! I am happy that the food still got eaten and we still had a blast. But boy oh boy was I embarrassed :(
As a host, all you can do is take it and move on! I don’t take it personally anymore! I am so happy this did not stop me from continuing to put myself out there. Your people will show up!!! Even if they don’t you tried and that’s what matters. I am lucky I love every part of putting together a party. I love to decorate, I love to bake, I love to cook, I love building a tablescape. Building connections and sharing these moments with friends is truly the cherry on top of something I already love to do and I think that’s how you make it past all the rejection that comes with putting these types of mini events together.
September: Poppy & Basil’s Harvest Cafe
Probably the cutest party of the year!! Ugh! So wholesome and cute! 10/10 points for creativity as well. This is when I really began leaning into baking and making everything from scratch.
The Tablscape & Menu
I spent months perfectly curating the menu for this party and practiced perfected every pastry I wanted to serve which is why we had a bit of time in between the summer and fall gatherings. I settled on an Apple Crumble Cheesecake, Brioche Blueberry Buns, Apple & Brie sandwiches, A harvest charcuterie board, Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon rolls and more. It was the perfect fall themed menu!! We also had personalized fall drinks!! We did a Pumpkin cold foam matcha and pumpkin spice lattes! Images below:
I will most definitely be recreating this party in 2026! It was so so cozy and so much fun. Like I said, cafe parties are probably my favorite to throw just because the simplicity of them allows you to get super creative with the menu and cafe decor. I do have a full blog post breakdown of this entire party up here on the blog if you’d like more detail on this super fun idea!
What I loved:
I loved how creative I got with the menu and the decor of this party! It was so so much fun!
What this party needed:
Probably more games and activities or a fun craft!
October: Nostalgic Birthday Cafe at Home
Such a fun & wholesome party to celebrate my fiancé and I’s birthdays!! The color scheme was all of em! I had lots of homemade treats, a raffle, a homemade balloon arch, and a matchbox decorating competition. We also decorated candles! Super wholesome and fun!
The crafting table where we made matchboxes and decorated candles! Super easy and fun craft and everyone had a fun time!!
We had chicken nachos and I made a ton of super fun little treats as well as a homemade sprinkled birthday cake!!
What went well!
I love how people got to do crafts and we had a competition! Everyone had something to do and something to eat and everyone was so excited to do the crafts!! The voting process for who decorated the best matchbox was also fun and people got to go home with prizes. We also did a gift exchange. Everyone had to bring a favorite thing under $10. This was a fun way to make sure everyone got to leave with something fun and memorable.
What this party needed!
Maybe a 2nd and 3rd place winner for matchboxes!
November: Joint Friendsgiving at a Friend’s House!
Kelton and I hosted friendsgiving at his place and it was so much fun!! I brought everything for the tablescape and we spent the day cooking away!! This was more of a potluck so it was mostly stress free!
The tablescape was a mix of old and new with my new scalloped plates, a new tablecloth, and some antique finds I love!!
Us making some stuffing together! Since this was more of a casual party and pot luck I won’t say what went well and what it needed. I think this party was amazing!!
November: Our First Thanksgiving At Home
Ugh what a treat it was to host Thanksgiving for the first time ever and in our new home. I really spent a lot of time practicing Thanksgiving recipes and creating this new tradition. I can’t believe I am saying this, but it was really stress-free!! Mostly everything was able to be prepared in advanced!
We prepped the carrots, candied yams, and lots of other delish Thanksgiving food!! So many things were prepped in advanced so this was very stress free!
I made Jingle juice with this crushed glass punchbowl I antiqued. By the way, always make sure your punchbowls are crushed glass and not crystal. You can not use true crystal for acidic drinks because they may have lead!!!
What went well!
All of the food was tasty, everything was prepped in advance, table was set early, my time management for this party was impeccable. I am so so proud and happy we had to have such a lovely first Thanksgiving at home. I have no notes honestly! Maybe just more games!
December: Friendsmas
Probably my favorite party of the year filled with the people who always show up!!
The Tablescape!!
This was probably my favorite table of the year!! I found an antique candelabra at an antique store and it really just pulled the entire table together. I used my classic Spode Christmas tree plates and napkins and gold napkin rings. I also love the patterned tablecloth!! It was so so pretty
The Table Day VS Night:
Fable home was kind enough to gift all of my friends wine glasses and serving trays!! I wrapped them and used them as place settings for our guests!!
The Menu:
I had bread and butter bowls, a roast, jingle juice, a winter salad, and more for guests to enjoy!! I served homemade hot cocoa and a dessert tray for dessert as well as my French silk pie. Not a ton of food photos! Sorry!!
Everyone got to take home a cookie box!
December: Our First Christmas At Home
Christmas was so wholesome but incredibly tiring haha! We had homemade cinnamon rolls and frittata in the morning, guests over by 3pm, and food in the oven all day. It was a true hosting moment! So so special to spend our first Christmas at home together! No notes!
What went well!
We had tons of food, games, and lots of good laughs around the table!
What this party needed!
Although I planned so much for Christmas, it was still a lot of work for some reason! Not sure why!! Maybe just a lot of people around the oven haha! I love the chaos though…
Cheers to more gatherings in 2026!
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