In-home entertaining was part of daily life 50 years ago. Birthdays, barbeques, picnics, potlucks luncheons, business dinners and cocktail parties- hosting in the home was expected. Unfortunately, as dining out became a sign of prosperity, cooking knowledge became increasingly rare and keeping up with the Joneses became more important than personal connections, we began outsourcing our entertaining.
Parties meant to be a celebration have warped into something mindless and automatic. Noise and chaos, elbow to elbow in a crowded restaurant, somehow cleverly disguised as fun.
Y’all. We’ve brought back Airstream trailers. Vinyl records. Winged eyeliner. It’s time to bring in-home entertaining back into style! Read More
The good news is we can easily breathe life back into in-home entertaining when party planning is as simple as these 6 steps! Ready for another piece of good news? You are no stranger to the first 5 of these party planning steps. They are the essential fill-in-the-blank of every party invite you’ve received since childhood: Who, What, Where, Why, and When. You just never knew how to apply them to the actual party planning! The 6th step is just as easy, the wow factor. Let’s get started! Y’all, write out your list, check it twice and make sure everyone gets an invite. When inviting people within an friend group, try your hardest to invite everyone. Why? Well, it’s just good etiquette. We’re already channeling a bygone era, might as well. Plus, it’s just nice. And inviting everyone really helps to avoid any future awkwardness. Send invites 2 weeks prior to your event. Facebook events are fine for a casual event if you personally know the invitees. However, written invites are best for a more formal event or if you don’t personally know the invitees. Verbal or text invites are perfectly fine for a super casual event, such as a last-minute weekend get together or within Weenie roasts, crawfish boils, fish fries, burger burns, and clam bakes-Heaven knows the food alone can be THE reason to throw a party! Whether the party is traditional or casual, Easter dinner for or backyard shindig, the food is a big part of what makes a party so make sure you do your planning! Remember- whenever possible, keep it simple. Take into consideration your cooking ability while party planning and try to test the recipes at least once! Undoubtedly the menu is an essential part of party planning and should NOT be overlooked but please DO NOT GO OVERBOARD. Most in-home entertaining will start with drinks and finger foods. Just something for your guests to munch on as others arrive and dinner is ready. A self- A traditional dinner party usually consists of an entrée, a side dish or 2 and is rounded out with Don’t forget your menu should suit your time and occasion. If you’re hosting a kid’s birthday at 2pm I’m actually begging you, for the sake of happy plates at dinner, PLEASE don’t serve my kid pizza at 3:30 in the afternoon!! Seriously!! Serving “only” cake and ice cream is more than enough! I cannot emphasize enough: when party planning keep it simple and suitable!!! Holidays, sporting events and “just because” parties are the perfect occasion for a potluck! Plus potlucks are my favorite type of party for larger events and so easy to plan! When hosting a potluck I find it best to have a theme or menu in mind. If guests ask what they can bring, give specific, on-menu options to choose from. Of course, make sure to write down who is bringing what! You don’t want 3 salads and no sides! There are great websites specifically geared toward organizing potlucks, like signupgenuis.com. Fill out their form to let guests know the theme and assign the types of dish you would like guests to bring. Then, simply email the link to sign up to attendees. As a gracious host, remember- that WHATEVER a guest wants to bring, just roll with it. Maybe that’s the only thing they know how to make?!? Maybe their grocery budget has run dry but they know they have the stuff on hand to make that dish!?! Whatever the reason remember they are your guest and graciously accept whatever they offer! Y’all, I’ve probably gone on way too long about the food but it’s my favorite part of Where are you holding the party and what will you need to provide to have your event? Seating– Do you need to rearrange/borrow/rent additional chairs for your dinner party? Should your guests “BYOC” (Bring Your Own Chair)for the barbeque? Buy hay bales for a fall party? Picnic blankets for a spring celebration? Maybe you are hosting more of a “mix & mingle” event so you aren’t concerned with seating? Whatever your occasion is, just make sure there is adequate seating. Lighting – I prefer indirect lighting to overhead light for most evening events. I find that it creates more of a warmth and comfortable ambiance! So don’t be afraid to turn on your lamps, light some candles or throw up some string lights to provide pleasant, indirect lighting for your event. If you’re entertaining outdoors lighting can be more of a challenge. A fire pit, a couple torches, garden lights or even just triple wick candles can give your party a beautiful (and sufficient) glow. Tables– Tables for eating, tables for food, tables for gifts, tables for deserts, make sure you have table solutions for whatever your event needs. They don’t have to be high quality, just make sure they are stable! If the tables are ugly to look at invest in some reusable vinyl table covers or even inexpensive sheets if you prefer a fabric finish. Decor– This doesn’t have to be over the top. A Honestly, the biggest “decor” I recommend is putting out extra hand towels, an additional roll of toilet paper and lighting a candle in the bathroom. Little things that show that attention was paid to details for the comfort of your guests. Music– Whether you use Pandora to automate your playlist or Spotify to hand pick your tunes, Altogether one of the most awkward moments of my life was dancing with my husband’s grandfather at our wedding. He joined me on the dance floor during the dollar dance in the last few seconds of a song and the next song to play was “Shots” by LMAFO. He was a good sport about it. Of Seriously. In that moment, as “shots, shots, shoots, everybody” was thundering across the dance floor….Death. For real. Death. Ugh. That’s enough reminiscing on that particular memory. Just make sure your playlist is on point for your party. Moving on! Birthday, holiday, promotion, new baby on the way or even “Just because” there is ALWAYS a great reason to have a party!!! Your “why” might be pretty obvious… To you. However, if there is a special occasion make sure you find a way to honor the occasion and make any special persons feel honored. On that same hand, in order to avoid a potentially uncomfortable situation, When party planning be sure to check for major local events. You don’t want guests to decline a birthday dinner because the local team made the playoffs. It would be downright heartbreaking for no one to show up for your kid’s birthday because the circus is in town. As far as length, plan for 2-3 hours for most events. However, be prepared for “early birds” as well as the end of the night “stragglers”. There isn’t really anything to be done in these situations… aside from pouring a glass of wine and playing the gracious hostess. Honestly, you just have to ride it out. RSVPing can be a point of stress in party planning because headcounts can matter!! If you are requesting an RSVP make sure the date and contact method are clearly marked. If you haven’t heard from guests by the RSVP date don’t stress! It’s likely not intentional so just go ahead and reach out, see if they plan to attend. I attended a Christmas party last year. They served eggnog (bourbon optional) in tiny, shot-sized red solo cups with little green and white striped straws. Freaking adorable. Kids and adults alike were in love with how charming they were! That, my friends, is the unique little “something extra” that really makes the party memorable. Any kind of choose-your-own “bar” is always a hit! Baked potato bar, nacho bar, burger bar, or an antipasti bar. Not to mention the sweets! Ice cream sundae bar, hot cocoa bar, waffle bar, doughnut bar, cookie bar….ah-maz-ing. But please remember, creating wow to make your event memorable doesn’t have to be expensive; you just have to think creatively– or use Pinterest!! That’s it, y’all. All the essentials of party planning in 6 simple steps: Who, What, Where, Why, When and, of course, the wow! When using these simple steps, you will save money, cut out chaos and reconnect you to the people in your life- just remember to keep it simple! Of course I would love to hear your ideas! Comment below with your favorite party planning tip, simple dinner menu or kitschy touch that has just made a party for you!Party Planning: Where to Begin
WHO: The Guest List
WHAT: The Food
Menu Planning 101
Potlucks: Crowdfunding Dinner
Final Thoughts on Food
party planning life.WHERE: Venue
WHY: Celebrate Good Times
make sure your guests are in the know if there is a celebration. Nothing is quite as awkward for a guest as showing up empty-handed to a birthday party when everyone else brought gifts!WHEN: Date, Time & RSVPs
WOW: Make Your Party Memorable
PARTY ON!
Our effortless party planning guide you will show you how easy it is to throw a party that would make Martha Stewart and Lauren Conrad proud.