Party like it's 1999

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I hope you are having a fantastic holiday season so far. With the end of the year fastly approaching I thought it appropriate to do a post on New Year's Eve parties! Personally, my family has a New Year's Eve tradition of getting together with some family friends of ours and having a rather low key affair. We all make some food and bring it to share. Football is on the TV. (mainly for the guys) A game of old fashion charades is always a possibility. And LOTS and LOTS of fireworks in the driveway and/or street. (We are talking at least an hour's worth.) But mainly, it's just about being together with good friends to start a new year.

But having an all out bash is a great way to start the new year off with a bang! The most obvious place to start is deciding how big you want your party to be and whom to invite. If you want to invite everyone you know (PLUS their guests) make sure you will have the space, food, and champagne to accommodate all of them. You might want to add an extra 15-20 people to your your guest count (for large parties) for last minute additions. You want to make sure your invitations are sent out far before the big night. The simple reason being that most of the partiers make their New Year's Eve plans well in advance. The invitations can stand apart on their own, but it would be well to relate them with your dominant party theme. (If you have one) Like, for a party with a clock-theme you can send out invitations shaped like clocks in round boxes bearing the name of the invitee and an image of a clock on top.

Next, I have the three D's. Decorations, Dancing, and Dinner.

Decorations

Fantastic decorations go a long way to create the right ambiance and make your party a memorable one. Good decor is a prime requirement for any party, and a New Year's Eve party is no different. For New Year's Eve parties, I like to encourage theming them. It's always great fun and gives your guests a chance to be creative.When decorating for your party, think of your theme and stick to it. While it is nice and completely appropriate to simply string up a few random balloons and throw out some confetti on the table, it is a little more festive to maintain a constant fun theme around the area you will be hosting the party in. It can also be adorned with New Year's greetings, banners, and streamers. Light up the outdoors and indoors of your house to add that extra sparkle to the celebrations.

                                      Dancing

Parties without music tend to be somewhat dull. Great music can set the tone of the evening and and keep the energy up! Never forget to arrange for a good sound system. Playing music will make no difference if no one can hear it. Make sure to choose an amazing playlist prior to the party. Remember that the musical selections should depend not only on your taste but the general taste and age of your guests. It is a good idea to try and get a friend to DJ for you, or you can always hire a professional if you are ready to spend the extra bucks to truly make it a "Rockin' New Year's Eve." If you are having you party at your house make sure you create a space as a designated dance floor. Having great dance music with nowhere for people to dance can really hinder the party atmosphere.

Dinner

While a sit-down dinner would be truly elegant, for a party like this when guests will be mingling all night long, whip up an array of finger foods and appetizers or get it catered.  Instead of putting all the food on one table, station them at different spots around the room and be sure they stay filled. For the midnight toast, do not forget to have chilled champagne and cider (for guests who do not drink alcohol) available. In addition, have different beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic available for your guests.
*A great host who is serving alcohol at a party will be sure that all guests have a way to get home that evening. Be sure to have room available at your home for any guests who may need to spend the night. Make sure that there are designated drivers for all guests, so that everybody can get home safely. Also, many taxi services offer free transportation in New Year's Eve, so be sure to call around.

This should give you a little guidance on how to make your New Year's Eve party a total success. In the mean time, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, and safe new year!

Having your wedding on holiday 101

Tis the season for holidays! Coincidental, it may be the day you want for your wedding. Having a wedding on a holiday, national or religious, is a bit tricky but not impossible or unheard of. But there is LOTS to consider. Here are some pluses and minuses to having your wedding be on a holiday. The first (and most obvious) plus is that you will never forget your anniversary! You could.... but you'd have to try REALLY hard. Next, the majority of your guests may already have the day off. So no time off requests needed. Lastly, you are essentially killing two birds with one stone. By having a reception there is no need for the 4th of July barbecue, New Years Eve bash, or whatever celebration you would typically have for what holiday you chose.

There can be, of course, some logistical complications. Going over details and planning ahead is crucial.  Although your guests may already have the day off they may already have plans as well. It may be hard for them to choose your wedding over Easter dinner with their entire family at their grandmother's house. There may also be increased costs in many areas. Florist prices are at some of their highest on Valentines Day. So those red roses you want are going to cost you. Vendors may have to pay their employees overtime or "holiday pay" to work on a holiday. Which translates into YOU paying them more than you normally would for their services. Hotel prices and airfare are always higher on or around holidays. So you will have to pay extra attention to your budget when planning a holiday wedding.

Now here are some tips that will help you have successful holiday wedding: First, give your guests as much notice as you can. Send out Save The Date cards ASAP. Family vacations and out of town trips are typically planned far in advance so you should too! Be prepared for for a higher 
Decline than RSVP count. For any given wedding one should expect a 10%-15% Decline rate. For holidays expect this to be higher. One thing you can do is keep the guest list small. Invite the people who are closest to you and that you know will come. Forget your half cousin in Minnesota. Next, You should acknowledge the holiday you are having your wedding on with out going overboard. A few examples: You can use great spring colors and flowers in your fashion and decor without having to bring in the Easter Bunny. Or have a desert bar with candied apples and candy corn instead of having a carved Jack-o-lantern on every table. Use holiday colors strategically. You don't want it to look like the American flag threw up all over your reception space. Use white table cloths with blue napkins and accents of red in your centerpieces. 
Next, be sure to check with the venue you are using to see if they are having a holiday party of their own during the time of the wedding or reception. Some venues, such as country clubs, open there doors to their members for holidays like New Year's Eve. You don't want anyone crashing your party. 

And remember, just because you don't typically celebrate it doesn't mean it's not a holiday. A few good examples are: Cinco de Mayo, Chinese New Year, Columbus Day, President's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Earth Day. And even though things don't necessarily close on those days. If you are planning to have your wedding in New Orleans on or around Mardi Gras you are going to have transportation and accommodation issues. But you will probably have a great time too! 
So, I hope this was helpful and gave you a good idea of what to expect if you are planning a holiday wedding. But if you are on the fence about the idea consider this: Shouldn't your wedding be a holiday all to itself? It is the celebration of love and commitment you have with your partner. After all, everyone keeps telling you it's your day. So why not make it your own?