14 Dec Foolproof Holiday Party Planning Guide
With the holiday season here and parties in full swing, we asked some of our colleagues and friends how they make it through a successful event season. Here’s what they had to say!
Richard Mooney, Kensington Caterers
- Plan ahead and choose your date carefully, especially during the Holidays. Many people accept multiple invitations and end up just not showing up in the end, which is very disappointing. Better to pick an “off” night than risk this. Or have a brunch party instead.
- Pick a theme (or not) but keep it simple and know your own limits. Don’t plan a made-to-order specialty cocktail if you are both the bartender and host. Simply opt for a pre-batch drink and set up a simple self-serve bar with wines and this one specialty drink. A make your own full bar quickly becomes an unsightly mess and is stress-inducing. There’s always one guest who cannot find what he or she wants (“don’t you have any Orange Bitters or Fernet Branca” ?) so a simple bar makes for a much easier evening.
- Choose your food offerings carefully also. Plan for as much make-ahead room temperature food as possible so that you can pre-plate and set up your buffet. Maybe anchor the food with one hot dish that you can pull from the oven last minute, or set atop the stove for guests to serve themselves. (Any soup or chili dish works well for this purpose). Planning a menu carefully, and executing it in advance, will allow you to have a nice clean and orderly kitchen (and you know that’s where the guests always end up hanging out so better that it looks good!)
- Play some music, even if you think guests won’t hear it once the chatter builds up, but “dead air” is not what you want to greet you upon arrival at a party. Music will help set the tone from the very beginning. (I always tell clients that this is your big opportunity to establish the mood of the party – if your guests are greeted by Mariachis and shots of Tequila versus Classical music and trays of Champagne, the type of party is clearly telegraphed from the start. Most Holiday parties are probably somewhere in between.
- Plan little touches in your house – lower the lighting and light lots of different sizes of candles, even lining the walkway to the house with festive votive.
- Hire some help for the evening if you have more guests than you can comfortable handle. The most important take away from any party is really how much fun the guests had so having a host who is harried and unable to visit and relax with his/her guests is really not a successful party.
The very best advice I can offer is to hire a great caterer and then be a guest at your own party!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers and Happy Holidays!
Dave Merrell AOO Events, Inc.
Scentscaping:
- One of the most ingrained memories for the holiday season is the smell of pine and cinnamon. If you don’t have a real tree, simply grab some wonderful scented candles, scented oils, or a holiday potpourri and fill the room with these welcoming holiday scents. The memories of the holidays come from what you can smell too, don’t forget that. It’s also easy to boil cinnamon sticks as the smell will fill the room….what a great first impression when walking into a home!
- The holidays are magic so when designing your tree make sure that’s what it says. I think the most special and interesting trees are those with a plethora of textures and levels. Start out with a theme. The theme could just be a color or a color combination. When going this direction you don’t have to limit yourself to different styles such as a contemporary, classic, art deco… style of tree. Pulling ornaments and decorations within a color pallet allows you to combine a multitude of different items and is much easier to find what you need. Remember tree decorations don’t need to be a Christmas ball or standard ornament. Look around your house. You may be surprised what you have could be made or used into this year’s tree décor.
ADD A TOUCH OF FORMALITY like a red carpet event:
- Another “designer idea” that you can easily do yourself. Print up a menu from you computer or run done to Kinkos and grab a fun paper stock. There is nothing more frustrating than not knowing what you are eating…that is especially true if you change the menu, have guests that haven’t attended, or have guests that could have potential food allergies. AND, it looks great at each place setting!
At Zynger Event Designs we believe there are a few basic necessities at every event, and for a holiday party they are no different! Make sure that you have all of your basics covered before you dive into theming elements and get carried away. This list of “must have’s” will ensure that your event is a success!
Beverages – I hate to say it, but, drinks will certainly make or break your event. Of course I mean having alcohol, but, beverages of all kinds should be available and readily available to your guests. If you are worried about costs of liquor at your event, offer self serve beverage or soda stations at your even, or, even tray passed themed drinks – it helps cut back on lines and will ensure that your guests are easily libated! And don’t forget the ice!
Food – have food, and enough of it. People will come to your event, and they will probably come hungry. Don’t skimp out on making sure that everyone gets fed. Even snacks on tables, or snacks at the bar, people love to eat and will remember if they don’t! Especially at an event where guests are expecting to eat, you might think you are saving money by cutting back on the guest count that’s given to the caterer – but really you are putting yourself in an awkward situation where guests are going to notice.
Lighting – If you’re going to theme out an event, or, want to soak some money into making it look like a party – spend it on lighting! You can easily turn a boring space into a fabulous and beautiful party atmosphere by adding some lighting. There are different ways that you can use lighting, to add color, to add movement, and even creating custom gobos to add branding to your event that doesn’t cost that much and can make a big impact on your guests.
Music – Music will really help you set the tone of the event and takes your guests on an event journey. If you want everyone to have a good time, make sure that you are playing music that goes with that feel. Don’t get too creative and try to incorporate the latest trend of entertainment (like a musician playing a crazy instrument that no-ne has ever heard before). After an hour of listening to it, no one will ever want to hear it again! Keep it simple, keep it fun and play to your audience.
Be sure that all of your basics are covered before concentrating on the bonus elements. I’ve been to parties that had beautiful decor, and fabulous lighting, and over-the-top flowers – but, I had to wait in an hour-long line to get a glass or water, and there was no food to be seen. This is all I and the other guests remembered about this party. Don’t forget the basics!
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