When it comes to brunch parties, I love having a Bloody Mary bar! Bloody Mary’s are difficult to perfect for each guest since everyone loves a little different variation in their Bloody Mary, so a DIY bar is a perfect way for guests to customize their drinks and interact a little more!
Thank you to Harry and David for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
Y’all know I love a luxurious and gourmet dinner party. Nothing makes me more excited than dreaming up a beautiful tablescape, spending hours planning and cultivating the perfect menu and inviting our friends over for an incredible evening.
Sometimes, though, there just isn’t enough time in this busy life to do the shopping and planning needed for a WOW-worthy party – Especially true for Landon and me as we get acquainted with a new city AND with a baby on the way. BUT! This doesn’t need to stop us from hosting the jaw-dropping dinner parties we all love… We may just need to outsource a bit 🙂 ! And that’s where Harry and David comes in.
I recently discovered Harry and David Gourmet when I wanted to host a dinner party for some of our new friends in Denver; however, I honestly didn’t have the energy to put everything together (hello 1st trimester sleepiness). I’ve always been familiar with their annual pear and fruit deliveries but had no idea that Harry and David Gourmet had an inspired collection of thought-fully chosen appetizers, entrees, desserts and wines that are perfectly curated for the well-defined palette and for those who love to host dinner parties… Ummm, hello! I needed this in my life! I wanted to show our guests the full Everyday Hostess experience with a unique theme and ambience. With Harry and David’s ready-to-serve premium gourmet meals and paired sparkling wine, I was set!
Ever since we visited friends in Boston, I’ve been dying to bring that east coast, nautical charm to one of my dinner parties – and this was the perfect excuse! I set my table accordingly with a color palette of red, navy and white and incorporated the cutest lobster plates, starfish, boating rope, and of course this adorable lighthouse candle set as the centerpiece. I ordered two of Harry and David’s ready-to-serve gourmet meals and sparkling wine, and that’s literally all I did for this event. Harry and David did all the rest!
A gourmet charcuterie board is a classy way to open any dinner party, and Harry and David did a masterful job with theirs – pairing Artisan cheeses with salamis and crackers. After some mingling we enjoyed our main event, which was Harry and David’s Gourmet Lobster Truffle Mac and Cheese meal. Y’all, I could rave about this meal for hours. The quality, the presentation, the ease was absolutely superb. And it meshed wonderfully with my theme to boot!
You wouldn’t believe what was included in the Gourmet Lobster Truffle Mac and Cheese! This beautifully crafted meal included Citrus Herb Scallops with a mouthwatering Truffle Lobster Mac and Cheese and the sweetest fresh peach crisp made of ripe peaches and topped with a toffee crumble. Un.be.lieavable.
Harry and David could not have made this dinner party any easier on me. Not only was everything perfectly presented with the scallops displayed in individual sea shells and the Truffle Lobster Mac and Cheese in individual ramekins, everything was already prepared and just needed to be heated for a maximum of 25 minutes. So quick and easy, yet with the seafood coming from Maine, it tasted so fresh as if it had been caught and flown in on the same day. All I had to do was un-package the boxes and set the table, and voilà! A spread made to impress! And did I mention the paired sparkling wine they included with the meal?! No detail was spared.
The party looked like I had been preparing for days and all I had to do was review all of H&D’s gourmet options, click to order, and it showed up on my doorstep fresh and ready to wow in just a matter of days!
It’s the perfect way to host a luxury event with friends and family without getting bogged down in all the details leading up to the evening. I also love the idea of sending these meals to friends and families as gifts or as part of a meal train for someone with an illness or to new parents (no casserole from you!).
Check out their full list of gourmet selections for your next dinner party. It’s sure to impress and you’ll have all your guests asking for your recipes and tricks!
Enjoy!
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If you’ve read our Top 5 Entertaining Tips and Tricks, you know how much I absolutely love to display our chinoiserie ginger jars as part of our summer tablescape! I love how bright and classy they look, plus they gives our dining room a little pop of color.
Because I’m absolutely OBSESSED with these ginger jars right now, I knew I had to incorporate them into my 4th of July table. With just a few small changes we completely transformed our summer tablescape look and created this patriotic design ideal for the 4th of July!
We used the perfect mix of red, white and blue through the jars, florals, American flags, napkins and tablerunner and paired it with our woven charger plates and favorite china to create a sophisticated yet approachable 4th of July look! This is perfect for an indoor seated dinner or an al fresco BBQ. You can find all the details in the Shop the Post link below!
Happy 4th!
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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One of my favorite parts of Easter (besides preparing the brunch, of course 🙂 ) is the Easter egg hunt! There is always so much excitement and laughter as the kids run around the backyard collecting all of their eggs, so let’s make it the best Easter egg hunt possible this year! Check out our tips below for creating the perfect Easter egg hunt!
Determine the Type of Eggs – Depending on your preference, you may want to use reusable eggs filled with candy or other prizes, or home-dyed hard boiled eggs. The plastic eggs are super cheap and can easily be used over many years. The main downside to using decorated hard boiled eggs is that they may rot if they are not found right away.
Prepare the Eggs -If you are using the reusable eggs, be sure to stuff them a couple of days in advance. You will have enough to do the day before in preparation for your Easter meal or the Easter bunny, so get this out of the way early. Stuff the eggs with a variety of candy types including Jelly Beans, SweetTarts, and Robin Eggs! If you want to mix up your Easter egg hunt a little bit, have a couple special eggs with stars or a special note in them that gives the finder a bigger prize!
Make sure you have enough eggs for each kid. Nobody likes a hunt that ends too quickly! Allow about 20 eggs per child.
Hide the Eggs – Always allow a bit more time than you think to hide the eggs. If your hunt is early in the morning when the kiddos wake up, hide the eggs the night before assuming weather allows 🙂 Otherwise wake up a little bit earlier, or have someone entertain the kids while you hide them!
Hide the Eggs According to Age – Make the hunt age appropriate by hiding the eggs based on the child’s height and abilities. If you have younger kids (usually under 3), place the eggs in plain sight and just spread them out on the ground. Kids ages 4-7 may be ready for spots that are a bit more out of the way such as in bushes, near trees, in pots, etc. Have fun finding creative and tricky spots for the older kids such as in trees, behind bushes, in drains, etc.
Easter Baskets – Make sure every kid has an Easter basket or bag to collect their eggs.
Make the Rules – Point out the boundaries of the search to the kids, so they don’t go on a wild goose chase! If you want to differentiate eggs between kids, color code them so different age groups pick up certain colors.
Enjoy! – Sit back and watch the kid’s enjoy the hunt! Take lots of pictures so the memories last a lifetime!
Do you have any other fun tips for hosting an Easter egg hunt? I would love to hear about your family’s traditions!
Happy Easter!
If y’all checked out our recent ice cream social inspiration board, you know how much we love incorporating this theme into our end of summer soirees, birthday parties, and school gatherings! I mean what’s not to love? A fun party theme with a beautiful pastel color palette and a bar filled with all your favorite toppings to dress up your ice cream sundae! No guest can complain about that!
Now this is one inspiration board we just HAD to bring to life! And that we did! With a bright color palette of pink, yellow, mint and lavender, we threw the cutest ice cream social complete with a DIY topping and sundae bar! Check out the original inspo board here and see how we brought it all to life below!
Kate Spade and lots and lots of pink — who needs Cupid? Because that’s a match made in heaven! Saying that I was on Cloud 9 while creating this Valentine’s Day tablescape is a bit of an understatement. This Kate Spade inspired Valentine’s Day brunch setting is more than enough to make a girl swoon!
I mean, what else could we ask for in a tablescape besides lots of pinks, golds, Kate Spade products and a table full of tasty treats?! My eyes are still seeing hearts!
I’m absolutely obsessed with Kate Spade these days (for more than just her first name), so of course, I had to find a way to include her iconic style into this Valentine’s Day brunch party!
To create this lovely set-up, I started off with a simple white table cloth and dressed it up with a black and white striped table runner (really basic fabric from Hobby Lobby), which we are seeing in so many of her designs right now. Then I just layered the table with as much pink and gold as possible! Fresh flowers are always a wonderful centerpiece, but if you want to reuse them in the future, many silk arrangements look very real!
Bed Bath and Beyond carries these adorable pink, gold and white plates and chargers, which I paired with some gold flatware to bring in a touch of “glam.” To add a little bit more of a pink feminine flare, I got some super cheap ribbon from Hobby Lobby and just tied bows around each chair to give the table a more finished and buttoned-up look.
Finally, to top off the entire tablescape, I found these large 40-inch gold mylar XOXO balloons to tie in the Valentine’s Day theme a bit more. Who doesn’t want some extra X’s and O’s around Valentine’s Day?! (Brb — going to listen to that Elle King song on repeat!) These balloons are so popular and trendy right now, and it is not hard to see why! They could not be any cuter! I got mine from Ella Celebration who worked with me to get exactly what I needed. You can order any letters or numbers that you want, and they are perfect for any gathering or birthday party!
Of course, no party is complete without a delicious menu! I played matchmaker with some festive recipes… and they make for a wonderful marriage of flavors and colors, if I do say so myself! The deep color of Red Velvet waffles just scream Valentine’s Day, plus who doesn’t want to wake up to a plate of red velvet waffles?! I also just love these adorable Apple Rose tarts. They are little bouquets of deliciousness, and we could all use a few more roses this holiday!
Menu:
Red Velvet Waffles with a Cream Cheese Glaze | Apple Rose Tarts |
Breakfast Potatoes | Cheesy Quiche |
Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake | Cranberry Pomegranate Mimosa
This menu is perfect for a relaxed family morning brunch at home or for a more formal brunch with friends and family! Plus each recipe is decently simple and quick, so you can prepare the night before and throw it all together in the morning and enjoy your Valentine’s Day with your loved ones!
How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? I would love to hear about your favorite traditions in the comments below!
Design:
Event Styling: The Everyday Hostess
Food & Recipes: The Everyday Hostess
Photography: Stephanie Drenka
Products:
XOXO Gold Balloons: Ella Celebration
Cupcake Holders: Bella Cupcake Couture
Kate Spade Pink Napkins: Bed Bath and Beyond
Kate Spade Gold Flatware: Kate Spade
Gold Beaded Napkin Rings: Bed Bath and Beyond
Champagne Flutes: Nordstrom
B by Brandie Black Salad Plate: Bed Bath and Beyond
B by Brandie Gold Dinner Plate: Bed Bath and Beyond
Metallic Candle Holders: Bed Bath and Beyond
Gold Chargers: Bed Bath and Beyond
Pink Peony Flower Arrangement: Wayfair
Black and White Striped Table Runner: Hobby Lobby
Huge thank you to For Your Party for sponsoring this post and including us in your For Your Party tablescape challenge. While products were provided, all opinions are my own.
It’s such an honor to be part of a dear friend’s wedding process and to be asked to help craft memories that will be cherished forever. When Landon and I were both asked to be part of some of our best friend’s wedding party, of course, my mind went straight to planning engagement parties and showers – after I’d finished wiping the tears off my face, of course.
We wanted to find the ideal setting to celebrate Tim and Ashley’s upcoming nuptials with an elegant garden party, and naturally it needed to be customized to our future bride and her fiancé. The blue, white, and gold color palette highlighted in the tablescape and personalized For Your Party decor was the perfect complement to a backyard oasis that would make any hostess green with envy.
I have been so inspired by Chinoiserie jars lately and knew I had to incorporate them into the gathering. Something about the colors and chicness of them is so refreshing, natural and just screams summer elegance to me, so I styled the entire party off of these home decor favorites.
So we have the perfect couple, the perfect backdrop and a theme we are still swooning over, but what really makes an engagement party special for the couple is tailoring the details to them. Incorporating their future monogram, wedding logos, names, and pictures really gives this party that personal touch.
As we all know – it’s all in the details, and thanks to For Your Party, this soirée was nothing short of detailed!
For Your Party was the perfect partner to supply the delightful decor that gave our guests of honor the love and attention that their engagement deserves. For your Party is a party decor company that makes it so simple for all of us hosts and hostesses to create custom party accessories for any gathering of any formality. With their focus on the customer experience and industry-leading technology, it’s fun and hassle-free to utilize their tailored designs, or even customize your own accessory designs in real time via their graphic design systems!
From the gold foil monogrammed napkins and matching frosted cups, to the coasters, to intricacies like drink stirrers and coordinating match boxes and napkin rings, every detail helped emphasize the classic style of the bride-and-groom-to-be. And it was so easy to make it our own with FYP’s interactive website.
I knew I wanted a classic, semi-preppy look, so I started off looking for a traditional monogrammed design in their Engagement Party recommended decor. I found this vine styled monogram on a napkin and filtered through their dozens of color options until I found a gold metallic foil I loved. I’m all about consistency, so through their design portal, I had this same image replicated on coordinating drink stirrers, cups, napkins and coasters. Could this be any classier?!
I wanted to mix it up a bit more, so I designed these gold metallic match boxes for each guest’s place setting because, of course, they are the perfect match 🙂 and coordinated them with a matching napkin ring for each place setting!
Put it all together and we have a classic and sophisticated garden party tailored to our favorite couple – and a beautiful memory for the future Mr. and Mrs. and their closest friends!
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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.
We sure love ourselves a good Cinco de Mayo party down here in Texas! It’s the perfect way to kick off summer entertaining and get your crew together before graduations, end of year parties, and summer vacays pick up. Plus any party centered around a good marg and some queso is one I want to be at.
So top off that drink and check out our favorite entertaining essentials that will help take your fiesta to the next level!
Salud!
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