1. Only invite as many guests as you can handle/afford. You want to have the loveliest party possible and will feel self-conscious for skimping (even if your guests can’t tell). Brunches are typically less expensive to host than cocktail parties and cocktail parties are less expensive than dinner parties (for the same number of guests).
2. Do not take on more from-scratch recipes than you can handle. If you do not have sufficient time/skill, do not make homemade bread and dessert. Although they may appreciate your efforts, your guests would rather have a beautiful bakery dessert than something that looks messy.
3. Regardless of your timeline for the week leading up to your party, avoid grocery shopping on the day of your party at all costs. Shop the day before or two days before.
4. The main course does not need to be ready just when your guests arrive, but you do. Stop preparing the food one hour before your guests arrive and tidy up the kitchen. Then, leave the kitchen at least forty-five minutes before guests are due to freshen up and dress. And then wear a cute apron over your party dress when finishing up.
5. You do not need a full bar to entertain – one signature cocktail and wine will do. That being said, it’s better to overestimate on the quantity of drinks.
6. When you’re planning out how long it will take to prepare a dish/each dish in your menu, add fifteen minutes to how ever long you think it will take; you are always better off with a bit of extra time than rushing.
7. Your presentation is just as important, if not more important, than how everything tastes.
8. If you do not have a significant other at your party, always have a very, very good friend present (and arrive early, if possible) to lend a helping hand and serve as deputy hostess. Thank her lavishly at the end!
9. Set up cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in an area slightly removed from the kitchen in advance of the estimated arrival time of your guests. When guests arrive, they will be simultaneously entertained and removed from the last minute assembling and tidying taking place in the kitchen.
10. (Ideally in addition to owning a beautiful, full dinner service), I suggest buying serving vessels ad hoc; I have purchased many fancy trays, platters, vases, pitchers and even sets of porcelain plates at flea markets, second hand shops and large antiques emporiums, particularly over the summer months. They look very impressive and area also great conversation pieces!
