Dana's Party Tips
My advice for kid birthday parties? Do have beer handy for the parents. Don't make the kids wait longer than an hour before serving the food. Never, never, NEVER allow the birthday child to open his presents in front of the other kids. It is time consuming and leads to bad feelings. Also, you never know if your kid is going to announce that he already has that Bey Blade or that he hates that babyish sweater. You can't risk it. It's totally normal for at least one guest and the birthday child to cry at the birthday party. Kid parties should last 2 hours maximum. Give yourself ample time to rest and soothe frazzled nerves after the party is over.
Giving a baby shower? In my opinion, men should not be invited. I know couples showers are popular these days but a baby shower is one of the only times women sit around and try to outdo each other with gross stories of labor and delivery and painful past pregnancies. There's something constraining about having a man in that environment. Plus, why would a guy want to hear all that? Also, guys don't like to ooh and aah over each present and it puts a damper on the festivities.
I serve petit fours at all wedding and baby showers. In my opinion, the ones from Rhodes Bakery are the best.
For all parties besides kid birthday parties, I recommend making a punch. Punch is festive and looks pretty when served. People are amused by punch bowls and it gives guests something to gather around. It can be the novelty item of your party and you can make ice rings or ice blocks to go in the punch bowl to coordinate with the theme of the party. This recipe for pineapple-gin punch is one of my favorites and was a hit at Thanksgiving a few years ago.
What Makes a Bad Party?
Bad conversation -- more important than food or drink, a good host will find ways of connecting people in conversation. If you don't pay attention to who you're putting on the guest list, you could end up with awkward pauses or bored sighs.
Limited space -- there's nothing worse than feeling like a sardine while you're waiting to get a drink or there's no where to sit down and you're carrying a plate of food, your drink, a napkin, and your purse. Also, if the layout of the party area makes it difficult to circulate or talk to people in another part of the space, you can feel cut off and conversation dies out.
Not enough alcohol -- alcohol is what makes the party world go round so to speak. It gives people something to do (find the drinks, refresh your drink, get you a drink) and something to talk about (these drinks are strong, expensive, unusual, etc.).
Bad food or no food -- I was once at a Christmas party where the only food offered was cocktail wienies in three different kinds of sauce and M&Ms. Kid you not. If you have a more unusual party food pairing than this, please leave a comment and let me know.
My Dream Parties
There are several types of parties I have never been to and would like to be invited to, including the following:
- Indian wedding -- great colors, dancing, multi-day celebrations and the groom rides in on a horse. I have Indian friends. Why haven't I been to one of these yet?
- Any function involving the British royal family. I don't see this one occurring any time soon but a girl can dream.
- A state dinner at the White House. This one could happen, right?
- Any type of Oscars party. This could be attending the actual Academy Awards or an Academy Awards party in L.A., or just an Oscar-themed party thrown by a friend. Maybe I'll even throw this party myself sometime.
Excellent post. And could not agree more on the "Bad Conversation" item. Considering how all your guests will interact and who will find who interesting is one of the most important things a hostess can do ahead of her event. Unless awkwardly polite smiles and "oohh's" are what you are hoping for!
ReplyDeleteI have actually hosted an Oscar party before, too bad I didn't know you then, it was super fun! :) But... the Royal Wedding is this Friday at 5 a.m. or something like that. Come over for tea and scones, we'll make it a Royal party!
ReplyDeleteWatched the Royal Wedding today (though not at 5 a.m.). The English put on a good ceremony and you can tell that all elements were rehearsed -- the timing was perfect. I was a bit underwhelmed by the Dress, but I'm sure Grace Kelly would be flattered.
ReplyDelete