A Guide To: Party Planning

As I may have once (ahem) previously mentioned, my birthday falls on the 19th May. Just three days away, planning and preparation is now well under way for the evening soiree. Party planning can be exhausting and frustrating yet done properly, you're sure to have a night to remember on your hands.

There would be no party with no guests. With no invitation there would be no guests. The type of invitation to send depends on the event completely. If its a casual affair, or last minute I always find a phone call, email or even text message is absoloutley fine. If its a more special event, send the announcement by mail. Nothing beats the arrival of beautiful stationary in the post.

If you're on the receiving end of the invite, don't forget to RSVP. It isn't optional. As the host - don't turn into stalker mode, one quick call, email or text nearer the time is enough. If they don't respond they're either ignoring you or dead.

Setting a time is crucial to providing clues for your guests. For a cocktail party, give a start and finish time from say 8 til 11pm - even if the party runs much later. Otherwise, dinner will be expected. If there is dinner involved, followed by cocktails the best time to head for is around 7pm. Provide an end time of around half an hour before you'd like the party to end - leave it as "late", I often do but be prepared to go the distance!

While I like to cook, I don't like cooking for at a dinner party. I have the luxury of being able to use my boy who is conveniently a bloody good chef to prepare meals beforehand that require very little effort on the evening. If he isn't around to help, or the occasion is for him, I always get the caterers to arrange a menu planned by me with any themes or specific dietary requirements. Always remember, a good host never regrets having too much food, but frets if it runs out too soon. If I invite ten guests, I'll cater for fifteen.

Even at a cocktail party I always tend to have a few canapés or small buffet available - ensure there's both something sweet and savoury. Breaded mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese, Thai spiced king prawn & chicken skewers, mini toasts with coarse pate & chocolate dipped strawberries always prove popular and are a good place to start!

As for the bar, I try to get as large selection of spirits as room or budget allows, some guests may hate the taste or effects of gin, where others may be sensitive to the sulphites in whisky. Its essential to have plenty of each red, white and rose on hand and of course champagne! Its a great idea where time allows to have a signature cocktail of the evening that's unique to your party & of course easy to prepare. You will need some non-alcoholic choices (and not just for mixers)!

Whether your thrilled with your home decor or not, a few bunches of flowers, candles and dim lighting can put everyone in the right mood. Go with any flowers that are in season, my favourites are anything white; calla lillies, orchids, peonies or white tulips in huge bunches. I prefer white candles too, although depending on the season black or garnet shades can have a beautiful effect too. If the place & weather permits, stretch the scene outdoors. The candles & flowers can thread through the two spaces. Ideal too, for smoking guests.

• If in doubt, ask the experts for advice. Your local butcher will know how many cocktail sausages you'll need than the seventeen year old at Sainsburys... A good cheese monger will plan a good smorgasbord for you.
• Fill a bath half with water and half with ice and drop two cases of champagne in. If you have two bathrooms, do the same with the second but fill with bottles of beer. Boys love this. Remember the bottle opener & a little container marked "Bottle Caps" - yeah right, good try!
• Books, letters, coats - all clutter really - put it all in a bag and place in a lockable cupboard where you know exactly where to find it the next day.
• Leave the hoovering of the hallway & living room to just a couple of hours before your guests are due, being in such close proximity to the kitchen there's a strong chance that bits of canapé will find their way there on your heels.
• Make sure you've got plenty of cosy little corners with chairs for guests to chat and flirt in. Little tables and surfaces dotted around the place are useful for guests to put their drinks and nibbles on without ruining the floor.
• To remove wax from tables - remove as much as you can with a blunt knife then place brown paper over the wax and iron over it in short bursts.

Rachel x