Once a month, I plan to share my tips on “The Art of Entertaining”.
My goal is to help those of you who might hesitate to entertain, to do so with pride and confidence. For those of you who are already veteran party givers, I hope my ideas and suggestions will be interesting and helpful to you.
NOTES from Part 1
Last time, we talked about getting in the party mood, and we discussed the why, who, and what of planning our event. For this exercise, we will be planning two events… one for the Novice of entertaining and another for the Veteran.
For the Novice, we are planning a Holiday Tree Trimming Party for a group of close friends and family with drinks and light refreshments.
For the Veteran, we are planning a New Year’s Eve celebration for 20 guests, with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a midnight buffet.
Your “homework” was to make a list of the guests you would like to invite.
In Part 2, we will discuss the guest list, the WHERE and WHEN, choosing and saving the date, invitation possibilities, and picking a party menu.
I hope you have all made out a list of people you would like to have at your holiday gathering!
I find it helpful to have an Excel sheet with this information, especially for a larger gathering where you will want to track RSVPs. If you are mailing or emailing the invitations, you will want all this information in one place.
A simple handwritten list may be enough for a smaller party.
Now that we have a list, it’s time to pick a date, time, and place, and send out the invitations!
The WHERE and WHEN, Inviting your guests
Most entertaining is done in the home. The type of party you have, and the number of guests you can invite must be determined by the place. Parties held in an office or public venue are usually catered affairs, so for our purpose, we will concentrate on home parties.
If you are fortunate to have a large home, you have more choices available to you as far as the size and style of your party. I personally have a small home, yet I still have found ways to feed and entertain my friends in style! A small apartment can be a wonderful place for an intimate dinner party, or wine tasting with friends.
If you are having just a few guests, you may want to email or call ahead to check on dates that will be mutually acceptable for all to come. The further ahead you plan, the easier it will be.
For larger parties, choose a date that works for you, and that you believe will work for most of your guests. Set the date in plenty of time, and maybe even send out a “Save the Date” note, so your guests can reserve the date on their calendars. Around the holidays, it is especially important to pick a date as soon as possible!
Now let’s get more specific…
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