Seven Days of Style: Tips for a Haute Holiday Party

| Posted Dec 10th 2006 12:20PM by Sarah J. Gim
Filed under: Holidays, Haute Home, Seven Days of Styledash

Honey, you are the hostess with the mostest, so you certainly don't need anyone telling you how to throw a great party. However, with so many things happening at warp speed all at once right now, you're in a bit of a Holidaze. Did you put the vodka in the freezer? Did you hide all the old photos of you and your family from 12 years ago in the closet? Did you preheat the oven? Good gracious, girl, did you put on a bra?!?

See what I mean? Never fear. Styledash is here to help, with a few tips (reminders, right?) on how to throw a party that will go down in the history books (or will not, depending on your perspective).

Sunday - Pick a theme and stick to it. The easiest thing to do is just pick a color, Red and green are natural choices, but don't be afraid to go with something like purple, a la Betsey Johnson! Use the color theme everywhere, from the table settings to your outfit. Okay, actually, don't match your outfit to your party decor.

Monday - Be mindul of the lighting. Guests, especially if they don't all know each other, will be more comfortable if they don't feel like they are on display or under a spotlight. Dim or turn off overhead lighting, and set the mood with strings of lights, which are festive (especially if they're shaped like snowflakes!), or lots of candles, which are flattering and warm. If you're afraid of creating a fire hazard, use LED "candles" that give off a glow and save energy.

Tuesday - Music is important. It should be loud enough to "drown out" any awkward silences (not that there would be any at your party), but still soft enough that it doesn't turn your house into a nightclub. Unless, of course, you hung that disco ball from the ceiling for a reason. My favorite music is always in the downtempo electronic genre.


Wednesday - Obviously, you have to have food. You don't have to break the bank with an elaborate dinner or luxurious hors d'ouevre like caviar, but something more than martini olives and cocktail onions will keep guests busy, and keep their sobriety in check. Cheese and crackers are never a bad thing, unless of course, the cheese sprays out of a can.

Thursday - The easiest thing to do here is to provide all the trimmings for a bar with a few basic liquors like vodka and gin, some standard mixers like tonic, club soda, and cranberry juice, and ask your guests to fill in the holes. One thing you may want to do is have one "signature" party cocktail already prepared to hand your guests as they walk in the door.

Friday - Think of things that will have your particular guests talking to each other. Sometimes it's as simple as having interesting books on a cocktail table for them to flip through. In other situations, you may actually want to bust out your board games. Then again, if it's a group of friends who have known each other for a bazillion years, you don't have to do anything at all.

Saturday - The most important thing for an awesome Holiday party is to enjoy yourself. If that means dressing up, make sure you give yourself enough time to shower, get ready, do you makeup and try on four different outfits before your guests arrive. If that means you forget about it all and hire a party planner, well, link them to this list!

Tags: holiday, holiday parties, holiday party, holidays, parties, party