Bon Voyage! 5 Tips for Throwing a Goodbye Party with Friends

One of the hardest parts of moving (if not the hardest part) is having to say goodbye to friends, coworkers and neighbors. Whether you’re moving for an exciting job opportunity or for a family commitment, relocating to a new city is almost always bittersweet. Even if you’re thrilled for the new adventure, it’s still sad to bid adieu to the ones you love. Not to mention, it’s also extremely difficult to say goodbye to everyone in person in such a short amount of time. To make parting with friends easier, we highly recommend throwing one last hurrah before you move.

Hosting a goodbye party is the single best way to personally say goodbye to everyone and to celebrate your new adventure. Here are a few tips for throwing a last minute goodbye party without (many) tears!

Determine the place, date and time

Chances are, you won’t have more than a few months to plan a goodbye party. That means your venue choices may be limited. Also, considering the fact that your home is currently filled to the brim with boxes, hosting the goodbye party at your house probably isn’t the best idea. That leaves two options: you can either have a friend host the party at their place or you can host it somewhere outside the home, such as a restaurant or bar. If you choose to host your goodbye party at a public venue, you may want to call the restaurant to reserve a private room or space for your guests. If you’re hosting a small goodbye party, then a dinner party will probably suffice. Planning more of a “drop by” kind of event? Then hosting at a bar where people can come and go easily makes the most sense.

When selecting the party’s date and time, take your guests into consideration. If you’re planning to host it on a weekday, you’ll want to make sure your guests have plenty of time to get there after work. If you’re hosting it during the weekend, you’ll need to send out your invites as soon as possible to make sure people save the date.

Create the guest list

Unless you prefer a small, intimate gathering of your closest friends, I recommend casting a wide net when hosting a goodbye party. Anyone who you wish to see one last time before the move should certainly get an invitation – along with friendly neighbors and close coworkers. Just make sure your venue can fit the number of people on the guest list. Remember: this could be your last time seeing your loved ones for a while – or at least until you decide to visit after the move. So make your guest list count!

Find a theme

If you’re really looking to get creative, I suggest incorporating an appropriate theme into your party. If you’re moving somewhere well-known, it may be a fun idea to host your goodbye party at a restaurant or bar that reflects your new city. For instance, if you’re moving to Boston, host the goodbye party at an Irish bar. If you’re moving to Texas, host it at a Texas BBQ place. Hosting it at a venue that allows decor? Bring in your own themed decorations. From a goodbye banner to framed photos, there are plenty of ways to make your goodbye party a memorable experience.

Send out invitations

Send out your invitations as soon as you have a venue, date and time secured. If you’re moving at the last minute, you may just need to settle for a quick email to friends. Plenty of websites also provide easy-to-create online invites. I suggest looking at Paperless Post, Minted and Evite to find customized online invitations to fit your venue and theme. All you have to do is enter the email address of each guest, and the site will send the invite straight to their inbox.

Short speech

Finally, once all of your friends are gathered in one place, it’s time to party. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to say a few words at some point during the celebration. Let your friends know how much their friendship has meant (and still means) to you; mention a few funny highlights from the past few years; and toast to a successful and exciting new venture in a new city!

While planning a goodbye party may be stressful, choosing the right moving company doesn’t have to be. Whether your move is long distance or international, Moving.com has you covered. When searching for movers, I recommend choosing from our extensive network of reliable and legitimate moving companies. You can rest assured that all movers in our network are properly licensed and insured