Party Planning

Being that it’s Leap Day, my head is kind of in the clouds. Does anyone else think this extra 24 hours should be a holiday? Sadly, it’s not, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t daydream about the Galentine’s Day party I recently held. It’s a tradition to have all of my girlfriends over for brunch and just catch up with gals from all parts of my life. Now, many of them have met year after year or at other gatherings so it’s even more fun for us to get together and catch up!

Continue reading for details about the Galentine’s Day party and some tips on how to entertain no matter how small your space or budget.

This year’s Galentine’s Day brunch saw about 10 of my girlfriends stop by to chat and sip. These parties, as much as I enjoy them, used to be a sense of anxiety beforehand. Thankfully after five of them I’ve learned a bit about how to cut down on the amount of time I spend preparing for the day. Now, I’m able to just enjoy the morning with my friends! Below are some tips so that you can do the same at your next party.

• When people offer to help, let them help! It took a long time for me to accept people’s help, but now when people ask “what can I bring?” I take them up on their question. I’m not saying to tell an acquaintance she should bring the bacon for brunch, but suggesting a friend bring an extra bottle of champagne for the mimosas is acceptable.
• Plan simple activities to get the party started. In the past I’ve had cookie decorating or card making at parties. This year, I wanted less prep and clean up time so I instead held a little giveaway. After we all had our plates, two people found out that theirs were marked to signify they’d win a prize. It was a short and sweet activity but helped get excitement going and start conversations. (Thank you Gilt and Odyssey Cruises for being a part of the giveaway!)

• Pick a focal part of the room and decorate that to the 9s. This year I decorated my bar cart with homemade tissue paper flowers pom-poms, colorful wall hangings and straws. I did decorate the rest of the living room, but not to the extent I have in years’ past. It didn’t matter. People’s eyes were drawn to the bar cart, and I saved time on clean up.
• Choose recipes that you can make ahead of time or don’t require a lot of check-ins. I found a great egg casserole recipe that could be made the night before. The morning of the brunch I just stuck it in the oven and enjoyed the party while it baked.

• In the end, don’t stress! I had pinned so much in preparation for the party, but once I got to the stores to buy everything I realized I might have gone overboard. At the point, I became realistic about how much money and preparation time I wanted to spend on the day. For example, I didn’t need the donut tree, donut holes on a cute platter would be enough. I didn’t drive myself mad and was actually ready before the first guest arrived at this year’s party. That, to me, is a success!

What have you done to make sure your parties are a breeze?