Holla-day Party Prep!

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'Tis the season for holla-day parties...I mean holiday parties ;) and I just threw my first adult dinner party with my roommate! So in preparation for it I scoured the internet and found some really helpful tips for how to put it all together. At first I stressed about every detail (the music playlist, the photo booth, the invitations - paper or evite?) Well needless to say after reading all of these guides I found what really worked for me and here's the advice that I'd love to pass along for the planning of your own fab soiree! 

3-4 Weeks before:

1. Finalize your guest list and send out evites. Honestly just choosing these snazzy Kate Spade (yes she has evites now!) from Paperless Post made everything so much easier, plus it's eco-friendly. Also keep in mind the size of number of guests in relation to your home, I'd say more than 15  isn't intimate, so consider how much attention you'd like to give all of your guests and what your space can afford.

2.  Think about what you'd wear, I bought my dress at a boutique about 3 weeks before the dinner to make sure I had enough time to plan my outfit for the night. Here are some great ideas.

1 Week Before:

1. Plan what kind of food and drinks you'll be serving so you can decide where and when you'll buy said items (keep in mind prep time, does it need to be marinated overnight?)

2. Decide on what you want your table top to look like and what things you need to purchase such as: paper napkins, silverware, glassware, floral arrangements, napkin rings, runners, etc. 

3. Consider sending your guests home with a little memento or party favor, so decide if and what you'll get. Purchase all the necessary items, wrapping paper or party bags, twine, gift tags, washi tape, etc. 

4. Check-up on the RSVP list! The great thing about Paperless Post is that it tracks: who's opened your evite, who has rsvp'ed, who's declined, who has yet to open the evite. If guests have not responded, sending a polite text or making a phone call should be the next step to finalize the guest list. 

1 Day before:

1. Go out and buy all of the food and drink items and prepare anything that needs to rest or marinate for extended periods of time.

2. Create a music playlist, since we had a holiday party, it was X-mas music central but if you have a different theme/occasion then I suggest some softer music such as Bon Iver, Coldplay, or Michael Buble.

3. A great tip I read on Goop is to eat out/order in the night before so you don't have to worry about cooking 2 meals in a row and so you can just relax after all of your planning and prep. 

2 Hours Before:

1. Put the ipod on the music deck, make sure your wine and drinks are in the fridge chilling, and set out the table and hor d’oeuvres.

2. Finish getting ready and DON'T put shoes on. I read that whenever Nora Ephron had dinner parties she'd go barefoot to make her guests feel comfortable in her home. Well I took that advice and many of my friends took off their heels in their sparkly dresses and just enjoyed the party, great advice indeed!

3. Dim the lights, get the candles going, pour yourself a drink, and enjoy the night ahead; it's going to be fab! 

*Here are the links to all of the holla-day entertaining/prep guides I read to help me come up with this post, I took a little advice from each of them, so find what works best for you!

- Goop
-Glitter Guide 1, 2
- A Cup of Jo
-And a great NY Times article on dinner parties

*P.S. I just kind of want this "Happy Holladays" doormat like now! Hehe. 

 **P.P.S. Here's a preview of tomorrow's post of the actual dinner party. We had a photo booth and it was just awesome! Can't wait to share.