Using your imagination is an important part of planning a party, but so is the “reality check”. Look around your abode. Take an honest stock of your resources. How big is your kitchen? Do you have enough room, experience and equipment to prepare a detailed menu or should you pare down to a more simple repast? Be realistic. A menu does not have to be full of complicated recipes to be enjoyed. How many people can comfortably sit at your dining room table, kitchen table, living room, patio, or whatever entertaining setting you choose? Overcrowding can make all uncomfortable. If you have a large list of those to invite, consider breaking the guest list into smaller groups and have more than one party. You can use the same menu, same decorations, etc. Think about the personalities of your guests and how they would interact with each other in order to let them have an enjoyable experience.
Obviously, the more you can prepare in advance, the more you will be able to relax and enjoy your party. Make the following preparations several days before the party: Review guest list (who is coming and who isn’t) and plan menu (do a trial run of new recipes); major cleaning; inventory linens, dinnerware, flatware, accessories, equipment and utensils that will be needed for the menu and party theme selected (wash, polish, augment as needed); shop for all food except perishables; and freeze a good supply of ice cubes (or add a bag of ice to the perishables to be purchased list). Then the night before the party you can do any last minute cleaning, put out guest towels, check space and hangers for the guest closet, set the table and arrange centerpiece or other decorations. Of course, if you are using live flowers you may want to save this detail until the morning of the party. Last minute shopping for perishables also fits in here.
Even spur-of-the-moment parties take some advance planning – the kind of planning that has the freezer and larder stocked with staples for a party. By keeping your inventory (staples, equipment, tableware, decorations) updated you can more easily prepare for a party.
A final suggestion – keep a journal or notebook of your parties. Include not only your inventory list, but recap each gathering. Things to include are the guest list, the menu (maybe even the recipes), the decorations, any borrowed item (who lent them to you and when you returned them), the equipment used, and what you liked and disliked about the party. Perhaps that lovely teapot does not keep the tea warm or you found that the special tea from your favorite shop really works well with the new spice cookies. Perhaps you would want to include a copy of the invitations and photos (not just the guests, but of the table setting and the food.) With a bit of practice and some planning and organization you can be a polished hostess. Enjoy your own party.
Tea at the Unicorn Wine Guild 