Home Sweet Home

There are few things that make you more grownup than buying your own home: it costs a lot of money (which one usually has to be a grownup to have), takes a lot of patience and dedication (VERY grownup traits), and you can't call your dad anymore to come fix the plumbing (unless you're very lucky like me and your dad lives a mile and a half away). When one really has their grownup life together like Anne, one of my best friends, one buys a condo in Brooklyn and asks lots of cool people to come over and break it in. If that awesome person also happens to have a best friend who is an event planner, one flies that person (that's ME, if you're getting confused by my lack of pronouns) out to visit for a fun-filled weekend and help make sure the party is a success. Since I'm an event planner and Anne gets paid to organize things for a living, you will not be surprised to hear that the party WAS, in fact, a success. So rather than tell you about how to throw a good cocktail party in general, I'm going to list a few specific tips that made this party great and can be applied to any type of party you have.

TIP: If you are making (or opening bags of) the food for the party yourself, you'll save yourself a big headache if you organize your shopping list by grocery store departments (dairy, grocery, produce, bakery, etc.) rather than by the recipes (ie., spinach dip, quiche, chocolate cake). This way you can make a controlled circuit in the store rather than running back and forth, and you should be able to pick up everything you need each time you stop. Additional TIP: If you're in a big or unfamiliar store, make friends with someone who works there, because s/he will be able to take you right to what you need. If you're lucky enough to be shopping in the Brooklyn Fairway, make sure that person is the incomparable Yvonne. Amazing.

TIP: When you're planning your party menu, add the total time each recipe takes to figure out how far in advance you need to start preparing the food, and then add a little more. There is no such thing as having too much time, but there is such a thing as not having anything ready for your first guests to eat.

TIP: If there is a red wine spill, and there almost certainly will be, pour white wine on it. You heard me. I can't even pretend to understand what the chemistry is behind this genius trick, but it works. I have had it take red wine out of wedding gowns (and therefore save a panicked bride from committing an act that might require her new husband to post her bail), although it did not work 100% on Anne's new beautiful blue wool carpet. Anne swears by salt for the same purpose, but I haven't tried it so I can't vouch for the efficacy of this one. Additional TIP: If you are the person who spilled the wine, apologize immediately, help with the cleanup, and offer to pay for cleaning or replacement of the item you spilled on (all of which this classy spiller did).

Okay, I lied: here come two generic tips. TIP: Be flexible. A party (and the prep) is never going to go 100% the way you want it to, so be willing to change your plan a little bit if necessary. For example, Anne planned her menu weeks in advance, but on the day of the party we ended up having to handle a bunch of other stuff that cut our prep time short and meant we couldn't make all the food she wanted. Although she was sad to do it, Anne took her sharpie to the menu and cut a few items, and just like that ... Poof! Enough time to prep everything else!

TIP: Remember to enjoy your party (the prep time tip helps with this too, since you'll be done well in advance). You're asking people to come celebrate with YOU, and if you're too busy running around and freaking out about making the party perfect, no one is going to get to do that. By all means be an attentive host: offer to refill drinks if you see that someone's is low, make a circuit by the food every so often to make sure there's enough, and toss plates and cups that you're sure aren't being used any more, but don't let these tasks keep you from having a good time.

Follow these tips and your party will be just as fabulous as Anne's. Party on, dudes!