I love to entertain and my favorite seasons in which to entertain are Fall and Winter – starting in late October to early March. It’s funny how I like to entertain in the Winter but hate cold weather, eh? Maybe it’s because I tend to stay in during the Winter, so I have time to brainstorm and plan.
Below is some insight into how I prepare to entertain:
Decide on a theme. I like to pick a theme for my events and then brainstorm ideas based on that theme. Some of my themes have included Mardi Gras Magic, Wine & Foolery, Strawberries & Lemonade (that was actually a Summer event) and Bring Back the Basement Party – a ode to the old school method of partying for my 50th birthday.
Create a menu. Now listen, I am from a generation that it is considered disrespectful to run out of food, so I ALWAYS prepare too much food. Sometimes the quantity is much greater than I estimated but that’s okay because I just send everyone home with a “doggy bag”. The menus alternate between a sit-down dinner menu to a meeting & mingling set of hors d'oeuvres. Note: I learned the hard way that potlucks (where guests bring a dish) do not work for my events as someone always either arrives late with food or does not come at all. So, I either outsource some of the menu to a personal chef friend of mine or do it all myself.
Send invitations. I like to send invitations to my guests. The invitations may be in the form of a Facebook event, an evite, or a snail mail card invite. My preferred method of invitation is an electronic invitation via EVITE. Evite allows me to see when the invitation was opened and viewed as well as sent reminders to those that are slow to RSVP. It also allows you to designate if a plus one (or 5!) is allowed. My biggest pet peeve is last minute cancelations or no shows! This is a quick way to get yourself banned from future events.
Design custom cocktails/mocktails. My friends and family are a mixture of those that indulge in libations and teetotalers. As a result, I have a drink station set up at my events that contain specialty cocktails (like the one in the picture), soft drinks, water, and sparkling grape juice.
Decorate. For my 50th birthday, I created a photo booth using a cheap photo stand purchased on eBay, a sheet, fringe doorway curtains from Party City, a banner, and home-made photo props! It may have cost me $50 versus a professional photo booth that would have cost around $400+. That was the best $50 spent because the photo booth makes appearances at other events. He (yes, it’s a “he”) has even been to church events and friend’s birthday parties. But I digressed …. I normally choose a color scheme and just go for it! The colors and the theme all tie together to create a memorable experience.
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