Hosting Thanksgiving this year and looking for those last minute essentials to bring your tablescape to the next level?! We’ve got you covered with some of our favorite table accessories this year!
From a casual tailgate party to a swanky New Year’s Eve soiree, we love putting our personal touch on any event! At the same time, no party discriminates – they can all lead to some serious stress!
And since we probably shouldn’t legally recommend always having a spare bottle of wine at the ready (but like, you should), we’re here with five entertaining and party planning tips and hacks that will make your hosting life easier! The key in my book: Prepare, prepare, prepare…
Let’s get to it!
1. A Few Weeks Out
You can never give yourself too much time to prepare for a party! I prefer to front load all of my preparation in the weeks leading up to the event so that I can enjoy the day of! No matter what, something will pop up day-of that you weren’t expecting (you ran out of ice or one of your ingredients went stale and you need to go back to the store) and the last thing you want to do is have to deal with that plus something else (like trying to select the best floral for your centerpiece) that could have been handled earlier in the preparation process.
The best types of parties are when the hosts are relaxing and enjoying time with their guests, so prepare in advance to help reduce any last-minute stresses!
2. Set up the Night Before
This is my number one party trick and key to success! I always set up as much as I can the night before as if it’s the actual party. So what does this exactly mean?
- Set the table – If you’re hosting a sit down dinner, fully set the table as if someone will be arriving any minute (less the food and drinks, of course). I always have a vision in mind for the tablescape and then find ways to tweak it once I’m actually putting it together. Setting up the night before allows me some extra time to make these small little improvements as I see it coming together.
- Set up Platters – Pull out your platters and serving pieces in advance and label them with Sticky Notes with what will be served on them. Then if you realize you need one more, this gives you more time to find one to borrow or buy. Also, this helps me to ensure that I don’t forget to serve anything on the day of the party! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had numerous appetizers to serve and then just forget one of them on the day-of. Having platters ready with labels helps to remedy this!
- Prep the Meal – Most menu items can’t be made the night before, but they sure can be prepared in advance! For example, if I’m making a chili, I will cut all of the veggies in advance and store them in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. The same goes for any dry ingredients. Then all I need to do the next day is mix them together and cook! Gone are the times of hours of chopping on the day of a party!
On the day of the party, make sure you give yourself enough time to complete any final tasks, like doing a final house cleaning or last-minute food and drink preparation. In my opinion, I’d rather start earlier in the day and have an extra hour of free time to finish getting ready or enjoy a glass of wine in the quiet rather than working up until the minute your first guest arrives.
3. It’s all About the Details!
The devil is in the details… and by “the devil,” of course I mean wowing your guests when they walk through your front door or sit down for dinner!
Look, I love channeling my inner Gatsby at a lavish party as much as the next girl, but for one reason or another that kind of grandeur isn’t always realistic. I’ve found that you can make just as much of an impression on partygoers with a shrewd attention to detail as you can by writing a huge check for your event.
From colorful straws to personalized napkins, or coordinated centerpieces and place settings, there are myriad ways to show your attendees that you’ve poured love and care into your party. Some of my favorite detail hacks that go a long way:
- Place cards – I love to incorporate personalization anywhere I possibly can and this usually starts with cute place cards for each guest.
- Printables – Printables are an adorable and very budget-friendly way to add some customization to your party. Whether it’s a cute print for your cocktail bar or labels for each buffet item that corresponds with your party theme, these are the perfect way to add an extra tailored touch to your party.
- Straws and Napkins – These may seem like a small detail, but when your paper straw or napkins perfectly correspond with your party theme, people notice.
4. The Menu
Since he’s probably reading this, I’ll go ahead and say my husband is a GREAT bartender and budding mixologist 😉 But I don’t want him to miss the mixing and mingling at our parties and then blame it on the a, a-a-a, a-al-cohol – even if Jamie Foxx says it’s OK.
So, I like to simplify the drink menu. I always recommend serving beer, wine, and then a signature cocktail that correlates with the party theme. Be sure to choose some crowd-pleasers, especially if you’re getting adventurous with your cocktail – but a signature drink is a great way to make a statement and also allow you (and your husband) to interact with your party guests!
Unless you’re having the party catered, I like to have as many menu items as fresh and homemade as possible; however, a multi-course meal can be difficult to plan and coordinate. Therefore, I like to have a signature and gourmet dish, a couple sides that are delicious but not too time-consuming, and then I’ll add a few pre-made options that I have tweaked to look homemade. For example, I’ll serve a cedar plank salmon with goat cheese mashed potatoes and a caesar salad. All will look homemade, but in reality, I’ll use a bagged caesar salad and then make homemade parmesan crisps to add to the top to make it look like I worked on this salad all day long!
5. Clean Up
Make sure your dishwasher is empty before people arrive. That will make the clean up and end-of-night tear down way easier on you and much fewer dishes will be staring at you from the sink in the morning. Also, try to avoid cleaning while guests are there! Sit back and enjoy and take in every minute with your friends and family. There will be no guest guilt associated with not helping and they will be able to fully enjoy as well!
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Happy Easter! My goodness Easter sure has snuck up on me this year! Between all of the wedding planning for both me and my best friend, my holiday preparation has, unfortunately, taken the back seat. Whether you’re like me and short on time or have a big sweet tooth (also like me!), join us in setting the perfect Easter dessert table this year!
I partnered with my friends over at Swoozies to put together this adorable, bright, and festive Easter sweets display that’s the perfect addition to any Easter brunch or is also bold and beautiful enough to stand on it’s own! Check out all our fun details below!
Cupid’s making his debut in just a couple weeks, but it’s not too late to plan the perfect Galentine’s Day party or Valentine’s Day dinner with your honey!
This year, I put together a super girly Galentine’s Day dessert party with everything red and pink and sparkly! We used our favorite balloon garland as a centerpiece to give it a festive feminine flare and a pop of fun! I can never have enough chargers, so we doubled them up for a little added interest and used our gold glitter chargers as a base and layered them with glass gold beaded chargers.
Christmas may be over, but winter is still in full force! So before Spring-ing up the home or bringing in splashes of pink and red for Valentine’s Day, I’m enjoying every minute of our winter-y rustic-glam tablescape for the next few weeks! I’m thinking pinecone everything, sleds, and cozy white fur! Still wintery but doesn’t scream Christmas!
I always have an internal battle of whether I want a rustic or glam look during the winter, but this year I thought – why choose?! We can marry these two looks by adding some traditional deeper hues of browns in our pinecone decor, chargers, and adorable little sleds to my favorite gold patterned place settings. The combination creates a perfect blend that ties the whole look together perfectly.
My vision was inspired by these pinecone planters from Ballard Designs. They are supposed to go in little pots on your front door, but who says they can’t double as a table centerpiece? And when paired with this gorgeous faux-fur white table runner…😍Now we’re talkin!
I’ve been eyeing these gold patterned plates, white velvet napkins and agate napkin rings for months now and finally decided to splurge! They bring in the glam touch I wanted for this tablescape, but can be used for all formalities and themes for years to come! I mean come on….I could literally wrap myself in these napkins, they are so lush and gorg!
To tie the whole winter vibe together, I found these adorable little sled ornaments (currently on sale for $3 at Ballard), cut off the ornament string and decided to use them as placecard holders in front of each placesetting!
I could not be more thrilled with how this whole look came together and perfectly brought my rustic glam visions to life! How do you all decorate between Christmas and Valentine’s Day?!
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I love a good costume party as much as the next person and can’t wait to hand out candy to the kiddos (especially now that we are in our new home!), but I have to admit, Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday. Sometimes, I find that it’s hard to class up the ghouls, dragons, and witches look, but this I’ve been on a mission to find cute and trendy ways to bring Halloween into our home and I think this tablescape inspo does just the trick!
Check out all of our favorite Halloween tablescape decor above, or shop below, to bring a little extra somethin’ to your spooky and scary look this year!
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We’d love to thank Laurie Louis Design for sponsoring this post. While products were supplied for this post, all opinions are my own.
Searching for the perfect baby shower idea to celebrate the mother-to-be in your life? Drop anchor and settle in for our nautical baby shower brunch co-captained by our friends at Laurie Louis Design!
I’m thrilled that this brunch was our maiden voyage at our new house (that finally has a real dining table!) and am absolutely swooning over the nautical theme with a southern, beachy and classic flair.
Jump on in, the water’s great!
This baby shower screamed summer prep with our red, white and blue party decor from Laurie Louis Design, which we paired with some of our favorite nautical lanterns, ship wheels, fishing net, and, of course, life ring buoys! Laurie specializes in custom and southern-inspired stationery and gifts, so I knew that there was no better way to bring our vision to life for this nautical brunch than with some of her custom decor – especially her crab themed line, which helped pull this entire party together!
The invitation sets the style and mood for every party, so it had to be a stand out! We loved creating this adorable “Ahoy It’s a Boy” invitation using Laurie’s designs.
If you’re anything like my husband and me, you LOVE to escape a mild winter climate for some spring skiing! And, whether you’re looking for some après ski or taking a day off from the slopes, there’s no better way to enjoy quality time with your Mr. or Mrs. on the mountain than with this wintry picnic and a glass of Le Grand Courtage bubbly!
A little rustic flare beautifully complements our snowy backdrop. Who doesn’t like hammered copper? (It’s not just for Moscow mule mugs, folks!) The copper pitcher and vase blend with the earthy color palette of the tablecloth, napkins and chargers. And, oh my gosh, the geode napkin ring is the perfect pop of color to make your setting stand out!
Cupid’s making his debut in just a few days, but it’s not too late to plan the perfect romantic dinner for your Valentine!
If you’re like me and you missed the reservation window for all your favorite restaurants in town, or if you just prefer to skip the crowds and enjoy a quiet night at home with your sweetheart, we’ve got everything you need to put together a trendy, stylish, and romantic night at home! Cheers and Happy Valentine’s Day!
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As seen in IBB at Home Summer 2017
Summer is winding down, so it’s time to throw your final end-of-summer shin dig with the perfect themed dinner party! The rooftop or patio is calling for a stylish celebration, but no matter where you choose to host your party, you’ll be able to create the perfect summer setting with this year’s hottest trends! I’m in love with the flamingos, palm leaves and pineapples that are popular this season, and coupling them with a bold and chic color palette of hot pink, bright green and gold just screams summer. We’ve put together some tips and tricks to pull off this summer’s hottest party theme that will make a lasting impression on your guests!
