Holiday Party Planning- Part 3

Ok, you've figured out the decor, the food, the drinks, but now what are you going to do with those kids to keep them occupied so that you can actually enjoy the party?  Read on for Part 3 of my holiday party planning guide.

How to entertain children at an adult party

If you are anticipating having children at your party, there are a few things that you should keep in mind to ensure that guests of all ages have an enjoyable time.

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The Kids Table- You may have dreaded memories of being a teen and still being banished to the kids table, but honestly, setting up a separate area for those that WISH to use it, is never a bad idea.  My biggest tip here, allow the guest to make the choice of whether to sit with the grown-ups, or with the kids.  Some precocious tots prefer adult conversation and some toddlers are not ready to be separated from their moms.  It is all about where they are the most comfortable.  If they do choose the kids table, they can sit in a height-appropriate chair, (be sure to rent a handful of booster seats and/or highchairs when you order your other party rentals.)  Cover the table with white butcher paper or chalkboard paper and give them something to draw with.  If dinner is not to be served right away, place a bag of crackers or pretzels at each place setting for the kids to munch while they are waiting.  Paper or plastic plates and cups at this table are a must.  Even better, if you know that you will be entertaining toddlers, invest in some cups with lids, your carpet will thank you for it later.

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  Food and Drink- When planning your menu, consider appetizer selections that are popular with all ages- fruit and cheese platters, vegetable crudité with ranch dressing, tomato soup shooters.  Under-season your dishes to make them appropriate for all taste buds and offer salt and pepper or other seasonings to be added at the table.  Alternately, prepare two similar dishes, one spicy, with onions, etc and one plain.  For larger parties, it might make more sense to work in a separate kids buffet or kids plates to be served with kid-friendly items such as macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers.  Hey, I have seen picky adults indulge in this buffet on many occasions as well!  Will you be having a champagne toast?  Kids don’t like to be left out.  Remember to purchase some sparkling cider for them and serve in plastic champagne glasses.  (Your non-alcohol drinking adult guests will appreciate the option as well.)

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  Entertainment- Ok, you have gotten them through dinner, now what is going to keep them busy?  Set up a seasonal craft table.  Think foam Christmas ornaments or gingerbread-scented playdough with cookie cutters.  Hire a professional, well a professional babysitter, yes, that would be highly recommended, but additionally, how about a face-painter or a caricature artist?  Photobooths are also popular, with any age.  DIY a photobooth area by making a backdrop out of crepe paper streamers and supply guests with boas, glasses, mustaches and silly hats.  Have your teenage guests in charge of taking pictures and upload the photos of all of your guests to Instagram hashtagegd with a custom tag line for easy finding.  Other quiet time essentials could include books, puzzles, coloring books and board games.  Supply each little guest with a favor bag including items such as bubbles, stickers and a small ball to keep them busy.  *Be careful not to give any of the younger children items that would be a choking hazard though.

Holiday Party Planning- Part 2

Part 2 in my holiday party planning series will help you figure out what food and drink to serve at your party and how much you will need.

Party-friendly foods and beverages and Calculating how much food and drink to prepare based on attendance:

When deciding what and how much food to prepare, you must take several things into consideration.

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Time-The time of your party will be influenced by the theme of your party (ie formal business dinner party, a baby shower with a light brunch, or late night cocktails and desserts with girlfriends.)  Keep in mind that if you are looking into renting a venue to host your event, that the daytime rates may be much lower than nighttime rates. If you are hosting a party during mealtime hours such as between 11am and 1pm or between 5pm and 8pm your guests are going to expect to be fed.  If you don’t plan on feeding them, you need to be clear about that on the invitation, writing something like “please join us for cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres.”

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Hors d’oeuvres- If your event is more than a few hours, it is nice to serve your guests food in courses.  The same goes for if your party takes place at more than one locations, such as a progressive party, or a ceremony and reception.  For a typical 1 hour cocktail hour that would take place prior to a full meal, the suggested serving of hors d’oeuvres is 3-5 pieces per person.  A popular alternative is a heavy hors d’oeuvres menu in place of a meal.  These can be served buffet style on one table, at stations around the room, or can be passed by servers.  If you choose to serve only hors d’oeuvres as your meal, plan on feeding your guests 10-15 pieces per person.  One of the benefits of passing the hors d’oeuvres, besides it allowing your guests more time for mingling and getting rid of a line at the buffet, is that it slows down the consumption of the food, which in tune, can save you money.  If you search the pages of Pinterest right now you will find many ideas for unique finger food hors d’oeuvres options.  Some of my current favorites include shot glasses filled with a creamy soup and paired with a slice of toasted baguette or a mini grilled cheese sandwich triangle, Caprese bites or BLT bites, (really anything on a toothpick or skewer) and mini sandwiches like Kobe Beef sliders.

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Season- Eat local and eat seasonal.  Not only is it more cost effective, but more fresh!  But don’t go overboard.  Just because you are throwing a Fall gala, doesn’t mean everything on your menu has to be made with pumpkin.  Also, think outside of the box.  If you are hosting a post-Thanksgiving dinner, your guests may have already had their fill of turkey and mashed potatoes.  Try something different such as Pan Seared Duck Breast with savory blackberry sauce accompanied by ginger-glazed turnips, carrots and walnuts.  In lieu of pie, treat your guests to Harvest Tapioca with stewed apples, apricots, cinnamon and slivered almonds.

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Drinks- There is nothing wrong with having a dry event.  No, this doesn’t mean that you don’t give your guests a sip of water, just no alcohol.  It may be a daytime event that may not require cocktails, or you may be hosting your event at a church or the home of someone who does not wish to serve or consume alcohol.  Do host sodas, iced tea, coffee and water.  Or forgo the soda and put out a carafe of lemonade.  If you do decide to have an open bar, its ok to limit your hosted tab to wine and beer.  This will save you money, and may limit consumption.  Go a step further and choose one or two signature cocktails to host.  Have fun with these.  Base them on the season- a Candy Cane Martini or Egg Nog with Spiced Rum.  Its nice to have a non-alcoholic version of these available as well.  If you’re going all out, you’ll want to stock your “full bar” with bottles of vodka, rum, whiskey, scotch, tequila, gin and optionally bourbon and brandy.  You will want popular mixers such as juices (orange, pineapple and cranberry,) sodas (club, cola and sprite or 7up,) and tonic water.  For garnishes, base on any signature cocktails or types of beer served but you are usually safe with lemons, limes and maybe oranges. In general, 40% of drinkers will drink beer, 30% will choose hard alcohol, if available, and 30% will sip wine. In the example of a party for 25, the following are suggestions for quantities of drinks:

For a dry bar- the equivalent to 4 gallons of lemonade or punch or iced tea, etc.

If serving alcohol- 2 gallons of non-alcoholic drinks plus 1.5 alcoholic drinks per guest, per hour (read as a total of 37-38 alcoholic drinks per hour or 15 bottles of beer, 11-12 glasses of wine and 11-12 mixed drinks, per hour.) Please note that you will want to take into account who your friends and family are.  If you know that all of your guests are beer drinkers, order more beer, less wine.  It might make sense to order a keg rather than bottled beer, if you think that your guests prefer one certain brand of beer.  Also, check with your liquor supplier, some stores will let you return unopened alcohol to get your money back.  Do not overlook the fact that you will need ice, ice to put in glasses and ice to keep beer and wine cold.  Plan on purchasing 1.5-2lbs of ice per person.

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 Number of guests- Obviously the number of guests that you have will influence your quantity of food needed.  Again, based on a party for 25 guests, here is the rundown on what you will need for general food calculations:

37-38 sandwiches or main dish servings

37-38 cups of your side dishes

2 large fruit and veggie platters

Appetizers/Hors d’oeuvres as discussed above

Holiday Party Planning - Part 1

I can't believe its already November!  The holidays are coming up quick and what better time of year to entertain?  But holiday party planning can be stressful.  Follow my week-long series on holiday party planning for some great tips and tricks.

When to DIY a party and when to hire professionals (planner, caterer, etc.)

Some people like getting crafty, have a good eye for coordinating colors and patterns and have the time to incorporate some DIY into their holiday party.  If you enjoy doing it yourself, then there are a few DIY party projects that I suggest considering investing your time on, others, are better left to professionals.

·      Tablescapes and Decor- For a small dinner party, a little goes a long way when decorating the dining table. Easily make your own, no-sew, table linen in a wide variety of fabrics, by buying fabric by the yard at your local hobby store and using a stich-witch type product as a double-sided tape, to hem the edges.  If you do plan on investing in a luxurious tablecloth, choose a neutral colored linen that you may be able to re-use in other seasons. When choosing your table centerpiece, keep in mind the size of your table, number of guests per table and how many plates, glasses, silverware and food dishes you will need to fit on the table.  Round tables look best with one large centerpiece, or a clump of a few small centerpieces in the center of the table.  If you are seating people at long banquet tables, place small décor items such as votive candles and small bouquets all the way down the center of the table atop a long table runner.  Wooden farm tables are trendy right now either left uncovered or with just a table runner.  Your guests will want to see and talk with other people across the table, so remember to keep centerpieces, at all tables, low enough to see over, or tall enough to see through/below.  Pick a color scheme and stick with it.  Obviously red and green are universal Christmas colors, for example, but explore more unique color combos, such as red and teal for a modern winter twist or forest green, white and silver for a woodsy, elegant theme.  DIY simple arrangements such as a hurricane glass filled with pinecones or colorful, round ornaments.

For larger events- If you will have several round tables, vary two or three different centerpieces with the same all-around theme or color scheme.  It is usually more economical to rent linens from a local party rental company, if you have several tables, and they will have a large variety of colors, fabrics and patterns to choose from.  While you are in their showroom, check out what they have to offer in the way of table décor options.  Often, they can rent to you lanterns, vases, chargers and other small items to add to what you already have or plan to purchase.  If you plan on making your own arrangements for all of the tables, make sure that you do a mock-up centerpiece ahead of time, obviously to make sure that it looks alright, but also to be sure that you have all of the right materials and to gauge how long it will take you to put all of them together.  I would suggest leaving fresh floral arrangements to a professional.  Not only will a florist have a great eye but they can also offer their expertise in what flowers are going to be in season and they may receive wholesale purchasing benefits to offer you savings on materials, versus just buying whatever your grocer has to offer that particular day.

·      Food- If you enjoy cooking, and consider yourself to be fairly good at it, you may choose to make the meal yourself.  Prepare as much as you can ahead of time so that when your guests arrive, you can be a proper hostess.  Consider time savers such as purchasing store-made appetizers that all you will have to do is plate and garnish.  Keep in mind that it is not necessarily improper etiquette to ask each guest to bring a dish to share, such as a side or a dessert.  Many people like contributing and having an excuse to share a favorite recipe with their friends and family.  Whenever possible though, organize who will bring what type of dish ahead of time, so that you don’t end up with 10 dishes of green-bean casserole.  Like the idea of hosting a dinner party at home but don’t have the time or skills to cook the meal?  The trend of hiring a personal chef for your event may appeal to you.  They will meet with you in advance to discuss a customized menu that may include specific dietary options, such as gluten restrictions or food allergies. They will show up early to your party, cook in your kitchen and may even do the dishes!

I discourage trying to cook yourself,for parties over 20 guests. iI is just too time-intensive and stressful.  If you are not having a potluck, you will need to decide on whether to contract drop-off catering or full-service catering.  For shorter, more informal events, you may wish to partner with a favorite, local barbecue restaurant,etc who will bring the menu items in disposable pans to put out on a table that you will provide and your guests will be responsible for serving themselves.  You must budget for disposable plates, napkins, utensils and servingware.  You will also need to figure out how you will provide drinks (being careful to keep any self-serve, alcoholic drinks away from anyone underage.)  Food will only stay warm in a disposable pan for up to 1 hour, so if any of your guests come later on in the party, they may be eating cold food.  Although an added expense, hiring waitstaff and bartenders for your event could ensure that service for your guests is top-notch. A good caterer will help you coordinate all of your needed rental items, such as plates, glasses, linens, tables, chafing dishes and chairs.  Waitstaff can help answer questions from guests as they serve them, regarding what ingredients are in the dish, etc.  Hiring licensed bartenders may be imperative to making sure that under-age guests are not served alcohol and that overall consumption stays at an appropriate level.  Finally, your caterer may be happy to lend a helping hand to set up and decorate for your event, placing linens on tables, setting out all place settings, lighting candles and folding your napkins into cute little swans.  If you are renting out a ballroom or other venue, you may be required to hire an approved caterer who has proven to run successful events and will be trusted to clean up the room and kitchen according to the venue’s standards.  Do it yourself and you may run the risk of losing big bucks in a cleaning or damage deposit if you don’t return the venue in the condition that it was rented to you.

·      Professional Party Planner- I highly recommend hiring a party planner for any size party.  Many think of this service as an additional expense but when you calculate the number of hours saved in researching vendors, planning menus, meeting for contract signings and walkthroughs, making checklists, and finalizing payments, this service can prove invaluable.  A professional planner has worked with many venues, caterers, photographers, musicians, bakeries, and they know who is dependable, reputable and good.  No hostess needs the headache of finding out that their vendor has gone out of business the week before their event or has double booked.  A bonus- sometimes vendors offer special discounts or incentives for those events booked with a professional planner, because they look forward to working a well-organized event and of course, appreciate additional referrals.  After all of your hard work, you should be able to enjoy your party with your guests, not worry about getting food out on time, cueing music, cutting and serving desserts and all of the dreaded cleanup at the end of the night!