The $736 Cost of Hosting a Holiday Party

Welcome to Show the Receipts, a series where we ask interesting people to share exactly how much it costs to get shit done. No matter the task, we're tracking every last dollar from start to finish. Up next: hosting a holiday party.

As a professional event planner, Cameron Forbes knows how to throw a party. She's orchestrated many occasions in the three years since founding Forbes Functions, her event planning agency that serves people in New York and the Hamptons. "We do everything from super intimate like proposals and dinner parties to larger corporate galas and weddings," she tells PS.

Beyond planning parties professionally, Forbes is part of a close-knit friend group that was formed in high school. The group has gathered for a Friendsgiving dinner every year since 2013. To keep everything manageable and fair, they rotate hosting duties and bring food potluck-style. "Whoever hosts is in charge of what we call 'ambiance and alcohol,' so all of the other guests are in charge of food and dessert," says Forbes.

This year, it was Forbes's turn to host 10 of her friends at her New York City apartment for dinner and drinks. After creating a poll in the group chat in early November to set a date, she harnessed her event planning skills and supplies to festoon her apartment. Planning a holiday party can quickly add up in terms of both time and money, but Forbes approached her own event just like she would a professional one: by making smart purchases for items she needed and repurposing items like dishes that she already had. The result? Beautiful decor and a stress-free evening in which Forbes could just focus on her friends.

Here's the full cost breakdown of throwing an elevated holiday party.

Task: Hosting a Friendsgiving party
Occupation: Founder of an event planning company
Location: New York
Timeline: One week

The Receipts

Personalized wreath placards for each guest: $30
Statement candles for table: $35
Wine: $200 for six bottles
Cocktail garnishes and mixers: $25
Tablecloth: $46
Custom floral garland: $350
DIY ornament wreath and garland supplies: $50
Total: $736

How I Did It

Forbes's work as an events planner gave her a leg up on creating a beautiful — but manageable — party. Here, she shares some of her takeaways and advice she'd give to those hosting a holiday party.

PS: How did you tackle drinks for 10 people?
Cameron Forbes: We make a shared note where everyone marks what they'll bring. We try to have someone sign up for traditional dishes like mashed potatoes, but others just bring their favorite foods like salmon or Joe's Pizza. For dessert, someone brought a box of Chip City cookies.

I was in charge of beverages, so I bought three bottles of red wine and three bottles of white. I also made what I call my "Martha May Margarita," which is just tequila blanco, apple cider, lime juice, cinnamon sugar, and Quantro. I already had everything except for the lime juice and apple cider, and I also bought some mixers.

PS: How did you create ambiance at the party?
CF: I wanted a pink, red, and white theme to match the Christmas decor already in my apartment. I repurposed existing decor, like my inventory of decorations like vases and candles and my dining table. I really wanted to have a stunning tablescape and a photo moment, with a ceiling installation and tablescape to create a beautiful backdrop.

Because I was hosting at home, there weren't any entertainment or venue costs. We listened to a Spotify playlist I made for the party with classic rock and R&B songs that I played on my Sonos speaker. I also laid out lots of holiday-scented candles, and I retrieved my holiday dish towels from storage.

PS: Did you DIY anything?
CF: I made a little DIY ornament installation to hang from the ceiling above the table with some ribbon, ornaments, fishing wire, tinsel, and glue dots. This wasn't a big splurge in terms of time and money, and I had fishing wire in my event kit. You can also buy ornaments meant for hanging from the ceiling [like this set].

I also created an easy DIY ornament wreath and garland with more fishing wire, ornaments, and my hot glue gun. I have tons of ornaments, so I spent most of the money on tinsel.

PS: Where did you splurge?
CF: My big splurge was a custom floral garland from Colleen McCarthy, one of my vendors and a friend. She crafted a beautiful 10-foot garland for the table with a ton of ribbon and accents, which was my big show-stopping moment for the table. It's a splurge I'll enjoy for the rest of the holiday season because evergreen and cedar last a long time, and I just moved it over to my mantel after the party.

I also found a vendor on Etsy who was selling little wreath-shaped place cards for each person. I bought them on Black Friday for about $3 each, and I worked with the vendor to personalize them. It was really fun because everyone took them home at the end of the night. I also purchased some fun taper candles for the table: ones shaped like gold Christmas trees on Amazon ($44), and ones shaped like Nutcrackers from this little shop on the Upper East Side, E.A.T Gifts. I have so many classic red, white, and pink tapers, but these were just so fun and festive. [Forbes also scored a festive printed tablecloth ($58) on sale during Black Friday.]

PS: Where did you save?
CF: I saved by utilizing a lot of the decor I already own in my dining room, like my Anthropologie plates ($72) and a couple different linens for the table. I also already had plenty of the cocktail and craft supplies, and I used my own ornaments for the DIY projects. Those were more of a time investment. I also used Canva and Partiful to text a free custom e-vite to my friends.

Final Thoughts

PS: Is there anything you'd change for next time?
CF: I don't think it's necessary to spend a lot of money for 10 people, but design is very much my love language. Creating a beautiful atmosphere is how I show people I care, so I was happy to go all out. I like how my friends do it.

PS: What are your best tips for low-lift party planning?
CF: Use thrifted, secondhand items, especially tableware. It's a great way to execute eclectic, meaningful design — I actually used some thrifted pitchers for the party.

Don't just order everything: look at what you already have and think of how you can feature and elevate those items. If you have a big bowl, flip it over and make a riser for a dessert stand. Trying to use what you have is smart because events can be wasteful, and creative repurposing cuts down on that.

Helen Carefoot is a freelance lifestyle, culture, and entertainment journalist based in Washington, D.C. Previously, she was Well+Good's Lifestyle Writer and worked at The Washington Post on the lifestyle desk in the features section.