Well, the holiday season is finally upon us. I don't know about you, but I've been ready for this for a long time. Especially after the events of the election. This mama was in need of some cheer! And it's here. I have vowed for the past 15 years that I would never put my tree up before Thanksgiving! And guess what? I put up my tree a week early. I guess you could say I needed a little Christmas....
And with the holiday season comes party planning! By show of hands, how many of you are planning a gathering of some sort? Whether it be big or small, a gathering needs planning. I love to plan. And I love to party plan even more! Aside from birthday parties, we haven't thrown an adult party around here in quite some time. We had a holiday party the year McKinley was born, five years ago, and we haven't had one since. It's hard to plan a party with a child. Especially when you have a smaller home, and your child goes to bed early, and your parties tend to go long. And trust me, I love a party that never ends. It means my guests are having fun, feel at home, and never want to leave. Just the thing all hostess want to achieve.
I started thinking about party planning and wondered if anyone needed advice. And if you do, then maybe this little series is for you. Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to talk about all that's involved in planning a party. Again, it doesn't matter if your gathering is big or small, you still need to plan. You need a plan of attack. And the first thing you need is a theme!
I love picking a theme for all of my parties. Whether it's McKinley's birthday, an outdoor BBQ, a Halloween party, or a school classroom party, a theme is always in order. Right now, or should I say forever, I've been obsessed with Mid Century Modern. The house designs, the furniture, the minimalist esthetic, the clothing, and the dinnerware. All of it speaks to me. And I own so much of it. I've always said that if I had the room in my home, I would design one space specifically to Mid Century Mod!
So in thinking about a holiday party, I am immediatly drawn to the theme of a retro inspired cocktail party. No, not because of Mad Men (I never watched the show), but because who doesn't love a cocktail party! I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and scoured the internet for possible Mid Century invitation designs. I found several sites, but found everything I possibly needed at Zazzle! I discovered their Retro Urban Christmas designs and fell in love! And the amount of products available is amazing! I settled on an invitation, after narrowing it down to about five, and went to town! Here are some of my favorites.
Upon picking my theme, Retro Cocktail Party, and the invitation, it was time to start gathering all the other necessary party supplies. And Zazzle helped with that as well. Because everything can be customized, I was able to "design" my own paper goods. And yes, I use paper goods, First off, I don't have enough dinnerware to use for larger parties and I don't want to be up all night doing dishes! I use ceramic platters for the hors d'oeuvres and serve cocktails out of glass stemware, so I have my hands full of suds at the end of the night! Okay, back to the paper goods. I found the most adorable plates and napkins that I could make my own and can't wait for my guests to use them!
So what's ahead? We've picked our theme, our party invites, and the paper goods (although we stumbled on those). Now it's time to start thinking decor. You know, the tablescape, serving pieces, stemware, and other accessories. And it just so happens, I've been thinking about those all weekend! I can't wait to share.
If you weren't planning a gathering before now, are you thinking of hosting? What would be your theme? Would it be a big soiree or just an intimate group? I would love to hear your thoughts! And, if you have questions, please don't hestitate to ask! I'm no expert party planner, but like I mentioned earlier, I do love to host them!
Happy Monday, party goers!
XO,
Andrea
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