Anatomy of a Dinner Party: a day in the life of a hospitalityaholic
 

December 30th, 2010

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Still Plenty of Time to Plan A Party!

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

Good Morning Darlings!

Sweet Stephanie from Deutsch Inc. clued me into some great tips from her friends over at Pat Glenn Productions on giving your best New Year’s Eve party ever. Trust me, even after years of giving my own parties, I can always learn something new and these handsome fellows from NYC have a few new tricks up their sleeves! Look at this gorgeous event they created – wouldn’t you just love to be a guest at this party?

Here’s some great tips from Event Gurus Pat James & Glenn Jacinto:

1. Know Your Space. Don’t over invite. There is nothing worse than having a space where your guests are crowded and can’t get a drink. (note: oops – I always overcrowd….)

2. Don’t Sweat It. You don’t want your house to feel stuffy and overheated. Turn down your heat well in advance of your guests’ arrival to ensure the temperature will be comfortable. It will also cut down on cost for your heating bill!

3. BYOB – Build Your Own Bar: You can create a bar by simply covering a six-foot table with a crisp, white floor length table cloth. Make sure to situate your bar in an accessible location so you don’t create a “traffic jam” in the corner of your living room.

4. Get Festive with Ice Cubes! Give your guests’ drinks a festive touch by freezing cherries or cranberries in your ice cubes! Any leaf from the mint family also freezes nicely.

5. Custom Cocktails: Don’t waste money on high-end champagnes. Instead create a signature cocktail for your event. It’s not only festive but will help monitor how much alcohol you’re serving.

6. Create a Coat Check: Clear out a hall closet or consider renting a coat rack, which are easy to assemble and can be placed in a spare room or hallway. It’s much nicer than having guests throw their coats on a bed with a sea of other jackets.

7. Kitschy Cocktail Napkins. Buy cocktail napkins with fun/seasonal sayings – they will becoming conversation pieces at your party.

8. Candle Couture. Instead of a large centerpiece at your dining table, decorate with pillar and votive candles. Votives come in virtually every color, so you can buy colors to match your other décor and line them down the center of the table to create a simple, clean warm ambiance.

9. Hello Espresso! Coffee, Espresso and Cappuccino Bar with whipped cream and shaved chocolate toppings are a special sweet treat for your guests. It’s also a great way to keep your guests awake until the New Years Eve countdown!

10. Forget Flowers: Save money by incorporating a common theme throughout your party and sprinkle the room with different objects that connect to the theme to tie it all together. Some great holiday touches are using pine cones, holly, mistle toe and wreaths to create an inexpensive yet elegant decor. Small personal touches really help make your guests feel the warmth of the season.

Or, you could just hire these two and they could turn your party into a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Party on, Dudes!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Shop Boyz – Party Like A Rock Star