This got me thinking about throwing parties in general- how can a young and fabulous reader throw a fabulous party (and on a budget? :-)* ) There are so many great party ideas, and tips out there- for instance check out evite.com. This is a great starting point, their evites are adorable and they have blogs and message boards about party tips and ideas. I love the reminder feature too- you can send messages to your guests and thank you ecards after the party too! *Definitely a fabulous feature! Another great source for ideas is the foodnetwork.com site- I am obsessed with this site! All of the chefs have great food and theme ideas!
My tips- pick a theme first! This weekend was easy for me because it was an anniversary party, but think about what you might want- a fiesta, All American BBQ, summer fun, you name it! (Sandra Lee on the Food Network has great theme ideas too!) From there make a list of what you want to serve and decorations you want to keep with the theme. My theme color was yellow- original wedding party colors- and we did simple-chic food- nothing fancy but definitely yummy! I would also try to have finger foods as a staple of your party. Often times guests don't want to be stuffing their faces with a big plate of food, so finger foods make it easy to keep every one's tummy full and happy! If you are ordering pizza for a party, ask the pizza place to cut small slices so you get more out of the pizza and we satisfy the finger food rule. (Regis and Kelly just recently had a guest on who took a cookie cutter to her pizza to make finger food sizes and fun shapes- never be afraid of being creative!)
Another tip- especially about saving $$- go to club stores to buy your staples, like cutlery, plates, napkins, chips, soda, etc. You get bulk sizes at great prices! Also- buy simple colors like white or black so you can save the unused pieces for your next big party! To save a buck too, ask your guest to bring a dessert or side dish. I also made this weekend's anniversary cake- if you have the time it definitely saves to cook part of the menu yourself! (This also gave me the chance to live out my dream of being a bakery chef! :-) *) If you love to cook and want to do it all yourself, just make sure you blocked off enough time so you aren't rushing at the last minute. (Never rush- you want to be relaxed the day of the party, so do as much prep work the day before so you can just touch up and be fabulous in time for the party)
Other fun party ideas that are cheap- dessert only parties! (possibly my favorite theme!) Grab a couple bottles of wine or make a pitcher of your favorite cocktail and make your favorite desserts. Go mini style here too- this way you stretch out the amount of food, and you can make an assortment of desserts so your guests have lots of choices (mini brownies, cupcakes, cheesecake, whatever your sweet tooth desires!)
Do you have any fun party ideas that would fit the young and fabulous profile? If so- please do share!
More young and fabulous to come!
Cheers
M.Strange
No comments:
Post a Comment