Chica and I have thrown many parties over the years and as a result, we have really honed our party throwing skills. I wanted to share a few of our most useful party tips with you, including everything from the basic party strategies to ideas for making your party a one-of-a-kind standout.

1: Consider the size of the party space

You want to have enough room for your guests to move about comfortably, but more is not necessarily more. Think about how many people you are likely to have and choose the party area accordingly. It is very important not to have too much room or your guests will spread out too much and you will lose the festive atmosphere. It is actually better to be a little crowded than to have too much room.

2: Always have music

Whether it is elaborate and live or just your iPhone belting out a playlist of your favorites, make sure there is some type of background noise. People are more comfortable talking when they feel like they can't be easily overheard by others. For a dinner party, shower, or low-key birthday party, keep the music low and instrumental. For a cocktail party, Christmas party, NYE party, or other rambunctious occasion, pump the volume level up a bit and feel free to use music with lyrics.

3: Plan ahead

I can't stress enough how important it is to plan ahead as much as possible. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time so that when your guests start coming through the door, you aren't stuck in the kitchen or sweeping the last bit of dust under the couch. I always plan to be ready 30 minutes before the time on the invitation. That way I'm ready and the space is presentable for any early birds, and it allows me to kick my feet up and have a drink a few minutes before the fun (and chaos) begins.

4: Greet your guests

Greeting your guests individually may seem like a no-brainer, but as a host or hostess, you will often find yourself preoccupied with getting things ready or already wrapped into a conversation with another guest. When the doorbell rings, excuse yourself and warmly greet each guest at the door. Take coats if necessary, and immediately offer to make your guests a drink or escort them to the bar area to prepare their own.

5: Have prepared cocktails

Making individual drinks can be time consuming, so consider mixing up batches of a few alcoholic beverages beforehand and put them in nice pitchers. Drinks that lend themselves to this are margaritas, cosmopolitans and sangria. Label the pitchers and have plenty of glasses on hand. This works especially well for larger parties with lots of guests. Also set out a few different types of wine, some beer and plenty of non-alcoholic choices to round out your beverage area.

6: Help your guests mingle

If you have guests who don't know a lot of people at the party, spend a little more time with them to help them mingle and feel like party of the group. Introduce the newcomers to other guests by giving names and starting the conversation with a topic they might both relate to. Once your newcomer looks more at ease, excuse yourself from the conversation so you can spend time with other guests as well. Try to keep an eye on your guests throughout the evening and intervene if someone appears isolated from the group or locked in to a small group and not mingling with everyone else.

7: Hire a caterer

Hiring a caterer for your party might seem like a crazy and expensive idea, but having someone else prepare the food takes an enormous load off your shoulders as party host. And here's an idea that can cut the cost dramatically — contact your local culinary school and ask about hiring students to do your party. The students love to get the experience and you don't have to pay the full cost of a professional. Just keep in mind that sometimes inexperienced students will over-estimate the amount of food needed, so be sure to rein them in to a set budget.

8: Make the house cooler before everyone arrives

Before your party starts, adjust the thermostat so it's about 5 degrees cooler than normal. In the winter, this means turning the heat down and in the summer this means turning the A/C up. When everyone arrives and starts talking and milling about, you'll find that the temperature of the house climbs pretty quickly, and your guests will be more comfortable if you've given the air a head start before they got there.

9: Keep take-out containers on hand

If you're having a large party with lots of food or a big dinner celebration like Christmas or Thanksgiving, you'll likely want to send leftovers home with your guests. Make this easy for you and for them by keeping plenty of disposable takeout containers on hand in a few different sizes to make it super easy to pack up food to go.

10: Empty your coat closet

When guests arrive with coats and purses, you'll want to put them into the coat closet, but if it's full of your coats, there won't be much room. Go ahead and remove all of your coats and put them upstairs in a bedroom out of the way for the night. Then your guests will have the entire closet at their disposal, and it becomes much more convenient for them.