Terrific Tips for Perfect Parties


By Carol Johnson

Many of us have been invited to a party or two that we wished wed never attended for some reason or othertoo loud, too boring, bad music, bad location, not enough food, not enough activitythere is an endless list of what can turn even the most well-intentioned party into a disaster. In fact, some people are so nervous about throwing a bad party that they never even attempt it. But if you just keep these tips in mind while putting your party together, its sure to be a success.

Start planning early. The more time you allow yourself to plan the party, the more smoothly it will go. Do as much shopping and preparing as you can ahead of time instead of waiting until the day before the party, so you wont be finishing things in a mad rush. There are three essential lists you need to make ahead of time: the guest list, the food list, and the shopping list. If there are people you want to invite that are critical to the success of your gathering, contact them before inviting anyone else to be sure their calendar is free on the day or night youve selected. Once you have the date selected, be sure to invite everyone else as soon as you can, to give them plenty of advance notice.

Decide in advance what kind of food and drinks you want to serve. Obviously the first decision is whether the party will be centered around a meal and fine wine, hors doeuvres and cocktails, cake and ice cream, or just snacks and a keg. If youre having a dinner party, decide whether you want to cater it or tackle preparing the food yourself. Same thing applies to hors doeuvreseither plan in advance to buy them, or make them yourself ahead of time. If you plan to do any cooking yourself, its always best to select food items that can be made in advance, or else youll spend so much time in the kitchen that you wont have time to enjoy the party. If you plan to do the cooking yourself, be sure to use recipes that youre familiar withor if youre trying something new, be sure to test the recipe at least once before making it for a crowd.

Your next big list is a shopping list. Keep this list close by every day leading up to the party so that youll be able to jot ideas down as they come to you. Schedule your shopping trips according to how much advance time youll need to deal with the items youll be buying. Decorations and bottled drinks can be bought at any time, but fresh produce and meats should be bought no more than three days in advance of the party. Dont forget to compare your guest list to your food and drink list to be sure youre buying enough. Having too much will only result in leftovers, but not having enough can result in disappointed guests. Better to wish you hadnt bought so much than to wish you had bought more.

Dont forget to plan ahead by buying or borrowing serving platters, punch bowls, coffee makers, and folding chairsenough to accommodate the number of people youre inviting and the amount of food youll be serving. Whatever you dont have or cant borrow, you can probably buy cheaply at a dollar store or restaurant-supply store. Party planning services often rent out tables, chairs, and even table linens.

Be sure your location is appropriate. If youre having the party at your house, be sure your kitchen, dining room, and bathrooms can handle the number of people who will be coming. If not, you need to consider either paring down your guest list or finding another venue. Restaurants often have party rooms they will rent out, but usually only if you are buying their food to serve. If the weather is nice, consider having your party outside in the yard, on a deck, at a park, or at a pool. When deciding on where to have your party, you might also want to keep in mind the elements youre planning to use at the party, such as decorations, music, food that must be kept cold, etc. You cant hang a piata in your dining room, and having a seven-course meal would be impossible on picnic tables at the park. If you decide to have your party outdoors, be sure to have a backup plan for inclement weather.

Be sure your menu is appropriate. Unless you know the personal tastes and palates of everyone youre inviting, be sure you have on hand food and drinks that will appeal to a broad variety of people. Whether or not you plan to serve alcohol, you should have plenty of non-alcoholic drinks available, too. If youre serving cocktails or iced tea, be sure to have the appropriate drink garnishescherries, olives, lemon or lime wedges, or orange slices.

For dinner parties, you should have at least three different types of vegetables from different groupsnot three types of beans, or French fries, baked potatoes, and potato salad. Variety is the spice of life, and will be the spice of your party if youre able to please all of your guests by providing enough choices for everyone. Keep in mind the old adage that the presentation is just as important as the flavor. Whether or not many people eat them, a platter or two of raw vegetables and dip always make a party table inviting because of their freshness and bright colors. Make even a simple dish or platter look special by prettying it up with a colorful garnisha few sprigs of fresh herbs, slices of red peppers, radish roses, or whatever culinary artwork you can dream up to make the food look attractive and inviting.

Dont be afraid to ask for help. Delegating responsibilities shouldnt be seen as a cop-out if it allows you to provide your guests with the best possible party experience. From cleaning to cooking to decorating, its always a good idea to have a helper standing at the ready not only to make things easier on you, but also to make the party more successful for your guests. If you have a good friend or relative that is willing and available to help you in planning and preparing, take advantage of their offer. Would you rather your guests remember a pleasant party experience where someone helped you attend to their needs, or would you want them to remember the party where you scurried around like a whirling dervish trying to do everything yourself?

Know your limitations. Not everyone is capable of planning, preparing for, and executing a fancy black-tie dinner party for a hundred people. And many people have a hard time carrying off a backyard picnic for a dozen friends. You need to carefully assess what kind of party you want to have, how many people you think you can entertain successfully, how complex a menu you can handle, and how much time you have to prepare for everything. Be sure to stay within your budget not only financially, but also in terms of time and effort. If you wear yourself out planning and preparing, you wont enjoy the party and your guests will be able to tell.

Throwing a terrific party can be easy and actually enjoyable. Take the time to plan ahead, envision how you want things to go, make appropriate lists, enlist help wherever possible, and above allrelax! Most party guests are happy to be invited and included, and they wont notice or care if you forget to color-coordinate your napkins and plates, or forget to include cucumbers on your veggie platter. Youll do fine.

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