Hosting an Intimate Garden Party
Everyone loves a good party, with our changing times we are seeing lots of our clients, couples and friends opting for a more casual gathering closer to home. Creating an intimate and very intentional moment with friends and family.
Here are my quick tips to hosting an intimate event that is enjoyable and stress free!
Stay organized
Choosing your date, is a simple place to start. Think about what works for you first, is it an afternoon, early evening, dinner or brunch type of gathering. Then think about your guests and what their possible scheduled would be like – will a Friday night work, or would it best suit something on the weekend?
Pick a location for your event. This will most likely tie into what type of gathering you are planning; is it casual enough to host outdoors? Will you be planning a sit-down meal and need furniture, or is simple casual seating the way to go for this event?
Plan your guest list by starting with those important people you are planning this event around! You will likely already have most of them in mind event before you start making a list – think of what space you have and how many people you can comfortably accommodate while you are creating the guestlist.
Do you need to select a budget? This might come into play depending on the type of party you are hosting. For example; will you need to rent extra furniture, how many guests are you accommodating, are you providing a full meal or just finger food, a full bar? Something to think about if you know there might be a need to stick within some guidelines for yourself!
Communicate to your guests
This is sometimes what takes the most work hen planning a suree yourself. How will you be communicating with guests? I think e-mail is often the simplest and easiest way to keep track of your rsvps as well! For this reason I would highly recommend using a tool like paperless post or GUEST LIST APP to create, send and track your invites!
You can also communicate with your guests along the way, if there are changes, timing, if you need to organize parking or any other details that might be important.
A Steller Menu
This really is an opportunity to share your new favourite recipe, support a local restaurant with take out food, or a stunning display of nibbles and desserts from your favourite neighbourhood shop.
The dinner menu can be chosen around the theme & season, however doesn’t have to be. Consider guests’ dietary restrictions and other needs when choosing the menu.
Maybe its something simple; a family style grazing menu.
Or more of a dinner of the senses, with 3-4 four courses that are specifically chosen to highlight local fare or what is growing in season in your area. Maybe a trip to the local farmers market is in order!
Drinks are important to have on hand throughout the night; we personally recommend a simple cocktail that can be made ahead of time and kept in a pitcher – think less time in the kitchen is more time with your guests!
Another fun way to keep drinks flowing is to setup a drinks station with everything you will need to make your signature drink for the evening, some cold beers, chilled wine and clean glassware so your guests can simply help themselves!
Focus on your friendships / family and have fun!
Plan to do things ahead of time, so you can still mingle and visit with your guests, you invited them to this party to see them, chat with them and enjoy their company!
Or have a friend or two arrive early to help you finish up your meal prep and help serve to your guests when they arrive, this can leave lots of opportunity to still feel part of the party and have an extra hand to get things out smoothly and quickly.
However, if you enjoy playing host, take your time and enjoy the breaks between courses to let people sit and relax, drink and talk during each ‘kitchen intermission’.
This is your party, have fun with it & make some pretty special memories!
oxoxo
Your Flower Loving Friends,
Emily & Liana
