Special Guests

Menu planned? Check. Wine ordered? Check. Guest bath stocked with extra toilet paper? Check, check! You've got this entertaining thing down—almost. Are you prepared for these five immutable party-guest truths?

#1 They will congregate in the kitchen

The smaller and messier it is, the more people will jam in. You can shoo one or two of them out by putting trays of hors d'oeuvres in their hands and sending them out to the crowd, but it's a temporary fix. Take it as a compliment—you're in there, right?

#2 They will break something

Save Grandma's crystal for quieter occasions and use inexpensive wine glasses from an online restaurant supply company. (Plastic? Perish the thought!) It may take a little clicking around, but you should pay only around $2 a glass when you buy by the case.

#3 They will spill

Got white carpet? Serve white wine. Or stock up on the world's best carpet-stain remover. (We're red wine fans, so we've gone through a couple of cans by now!)

#4 They will arrive too early or stay too late

Consider these people free kitchen help.

#5 They will peek in your medicine cabinet

That lip-waxing kit or Rogaine stash you don't want people to find? You need a better hiding place than the middle shelf!