Party Guide,Perfect Party Tips,Party Ideas,Party Etiquette,Dinner Party,Cocktail Party

Party Guide - Throw the "Perfect" Party

Don't over-do it. Let the "real you" shine through ~ your guests will feel more comfortable and so will you. A perfect party always includes a relaxed atmosphere for the guests while tending to every detail and offering an air of simple elegance. For example, wearing flip flops with your perfect wedding or cocktail dress works to set the tone for a seaside theme.

Pay attention to mood. Think about the music, lighting, and where you're placing the food throughout the house so the party flows and the guests still have a place to land. For example, serve cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on your elegantly yet simply decorated deck or porch. Then move indoors for the main course. This gives the illusion of more space as well as allowing you to have each unique space decorated and set-up in advance. You can clean up the outdoor space later too!

Do enough pre-party preparation. Anything you can do ahead of time is going to make you that much more at ease. If you are serving a sit-down meal, have your table set in advance.

Plan early and mail invitations in a timely manner. Wedding invitations should be mailed 6-8 weeks in advance while less formal party invitations should be mailed 3-4 weeks in advance. This allows time for guests to make plans to attend and time for you to plan your menu with an accurate guest list.

Be sure your guests know what to expect in regard to weather and proper attire. This holds especially true for evening cocktail parties, morning brunch buffets or outdoor parties.

Pay attention to your time and budget and let it be your guide -- it is better to limit the choices than to have a wide array of cheap food and drink items.

Serve cider or sparkling grape for a non- alcohol alternative.

If you are serving a buffet, make it interesting! Try serving a themed menu, ethnic cuisine or have a desert only buffet.

Be creative and festive with your decorations. Try using candles of different lengths and sizes, silver and crystal trays and bowls. Fresh flowers on tables and greenery along the tops of furniture, over doorways and on mantels (especially for Holiday Parties) make a real festive statement. Weave lighting along stair rails, mantels and around the buffet tables.

Have a designated spot prepared for guests' purses, coats and gifts.

Program theme music on cassettes or CDs to last the entire party. Simply put some great CD's in your CD changer (if you have one) after thinking out your party time frame. Music can assist in transitioning your guests from one activity to another. Remember to put them in order of theme and tempo ~ a little "Frank Sinatra" for cocktail hour could be the first CD or a little "Mozart" or "Bach" for a formal sit-down dinner hour might be the third CD. Your favorite dance tunes are perfect for a cocktail party, but toward the middle of the evening. Slow dance tunes are best at the end of the party when you are trying to wrap up the evening.

Be sure that you have plenty of help during the party so that you can greet, entertain and enjoy your guests. Enlist a sister, best friend or spouse.

Send thank-you notes (if applicable) immediately after the party.

Perfect Party Hors D'oeurves

Have cold hors d'oeurves prepared and ready for your guests when they arrive. Stagger hot hors d'oeurves after your guests begin to arrive so they have a variety of piping hot delicacies to fuss over before the main course! This is perfect for cocktail parties too!

Choose your hors d'oeurves carefully. Buffalo chicken wings are perfect for entertaining outdoors while stuffed mushrooms are a better choice for a cocktail party.

Choose foods that complement each other. If you are serving baked stuffed shrimp for dinner, skip the coconut shrimp hors d'oeurve and go for scallops wrapped in bacon instead.

Try setting a theme for the food in each room or on each table.

Allow 4 to 6 hot hors d'oeurves per person.

Don't serve drippy sauces near expensive rugs or furniture.

Tip of The Day From The Purple Mermaid

From setup to cleanup, you should write down everything that has to happen in order by time. This will help you see where you may need a hand, such as rearranging furniture or prompt you to add items you may have forgotten (matches for candles on the cake) and show you that picking up the cake at 2:00 while also picking up balloons at 2:15 is not going to work. Success or disaster is all in the details! Your event agenda will also be a great tool onsite to hand to volunteers and to keep everyone, even the planner, on track and on schedule. Keeping a similar timeline list in the kitchen for cooking preparations is especially helpful for dinner parties or Holidays. If you have pre-thought out times to put each item of food in the oven (from appetizers to dessert), all of your delicacies will be prepared on time and nothing will be forgotten~and your meal will be hot when you want it! This is especially important so you can mingle while preparing your meal. We suggest keeping your list posted on the refrigerator