Dinner parties this dreamy deserve more than one post as the outtakes, and prep are just as pretty! The more get-togethers that I plan, style and host–the easier they become… and the more I want to throw! I think it’s similar to traveling, and packing for your trip. The more I travel, the better packer I’ve become (and the more places I add to my jet-setting-wish list). I’ve always been someone who loves to be around people but an intimate dinner party setting filled with all of my besties is really where I get my high. Expanding on this list–here are a few additional tips for a night of effortless entertaining!
What I’ve learned to make hosting easier | If you have a budget, hire help! If you don’t, ask a girlfriend to help. My friend Marcy helped me this time around, as it’s always fun to bounce creative ideas off someone else. Marcy works in event planning–currently for Off the Grid in San Francisco and previously for UC Berkley. She just launched her own event planning buisness, Jack Avenue, and I was excited to give her one of her first projects.
I filled her in on my idea to throw the ultimate Moroccan feast and she helped me execute–with a moody romantic (Valentine’s Day) tie-in. I love an effortless seeming party vibe and decor however even the simplest of dinner parties require attention to detail and I’m one to easily forget those little details–like napkins. Who needs napkins? Or soup bowls as in the case of this evening. We ended up eating our soup out of tea cups because I hadn’t planned for 18 bowls of soup. This is why I need the help of a girlfriend.
Ways to cut costs | Make the florals yourself. Also, if you can, purchase them at a wholesale flower mart (I bought all of the flowers from San Francisco’s flower mart–and, in Sacramento we have Flora Fresh). Host a family style dinner and ask friends to bring various sides and/or alcohol.
Also, think about borrowing dishes from friends–renting, or scouring antique stores and flea markets. I’m all about mixing and matching what you have for an eclectic dining setting and am constantly on the lookout for unique decor elements. If I find something I love, I snag it then so I won’t have to worry about running out the weekend of a party to round up cool table elements. I had been collecting for months for this party and found a mix of the vintage finds at various flea markets, the glasses at Anthropologie and a few vases at these boutiques in Oakland.
Save Time | By setting the table and making the florals hours ahead of time. No need to wait until the very last minute you can do all this the morning of, or even the day before the party–which makes the decor process all that much more enjoyable!
What to Wear | Plan your look ahead of time since you know you will be running around decorating or prepping the bar before your guests arrive (you won’t want to stress about this!). And this way you have time to relax with a glass of wine in hand before the first guests arrive.
Side Note | I’ve received a few questions about where to buy black candles–all of the various sized black candles I’ve bought on Amazon. The brass candlesticks I’ve found at local antique stores. (Always on the hunt for more to add to my collection!)
Photography | Michelle Drewes