Entertaining Ideas
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Favorite entertaining 101 book? & details...

Hello! This is my first post here, I've been on TheKnot for a bit.

 

Can anyone recommend their favorite how-to-throw-a-party book?

I'm in charge of the family Thanksgiving (9-11 people) and now it looks like I'm organizing and executing a Holiday Open House at my parents' house that we'll invite their friends and the friends of my fiance's parents to (maybe 40-80ish people over 4hrs?). Thanksgiving I'm not *too* concerned about, but I've never really thrown a large party at a private home before so I think I need some serious 101-style schooling before I dig into it. 

So: recommended reading, aside from this website of course?

 

(bonus question: if I had a 'stars and snowflakes' motif for the invitations and house decor, any ideas on coordinating non-dessert food to serve that wouldn't be too kitch?) 

Re: Favorite entertaining 101 book? & details...

  • I have a love for entertaining books, particularly vintage ones, but I don't know that you could get ahold of my favorite one in time.  Go to the library and check some out (they'll be with the cookbooks).  I've checked out a bunch and have never found anything particularly helpful, though :/

    These links should be very helpful, though.  And do ask us specific questions - we love posts :).  We have a wealth of experience!

    Setting up a self-serve bar

    Holiday open house checklist

    Seven steps to a highly successful dinner party

    How to throw a cocktail party

    Anyone on here will tell you I'm strongly anti-theme, so I can't really help you much with snowflakes and stars.  I really prefer to just use the season to guide my decor and invitations.  The only decor I normally do is fresh flowers.  Food needn't fall in line unless you're doing an Italian night or something intentional like that.

  • Most of my entertaining experience has been compiled through magazines, online and trial and error.  I have a few books but they are mostly for tablescape and theme ideas, not 101, so I'm not much help there.

    I really like the theme of stars and snowflakes--I'm a fan of themes that are subtle and can be worked easily.  I wouldn't worry about coordinating the food.  One dessert or appetizer with a hint of theme (star shaped cookies, gingerbread squares with powdered sugar snowflakes stenciled one top or shrimp ceviche with starfruit) would be enough.  Signature drinks are another good way to pull in a theme (mulled cider with star anise or a minty white chocolate cocktail with a snowflake name).

    For one winter dinner party I went to, the hostess strung just a few cheap glittery snowflake ornaments at different heights from the ceiling over the dinner table.  It sounds kitschy when I describe it but she had just enough to look pretty and thoughtful without trying to make the whole dining room into a winter wonderland.  Those kinds of touches keep your theme while still being elegant and edited.

  • Thanks ladies! I'll definitely look for those books, my local library is very small (and not that local)- they don't have anything about entertaining and only have about 10 cookbooks to boot. So Amazon it is.


    I love the hanging ornament idea- I have some old starched crochet snowflakes I usually hang on my venetian blinds but I think would work well for that! & star anise would be nice in the apple cranberry punch recipe I'm making.

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