Welcome to Part 1 of my Holiday Party Planning Series! I am so excited to be hosting my first annual holiday soiree in our home this year! I absolutely love to party plan; if there’s one thing my Mama taught me it’s how to be the “hostess with the mostess!” This month I will be sharing details & tips with you on each step in the process! Week One will cover Invitations & Etiquette, then Bar Cart décor & drinks, followed by hors d’oeuvres and main courses, and then we will round up the month with ALL the party décor you could dream of! Let’s get party-planning!
Week One: Invitations & Etiquette
Whether you’re hosting a huge holiday bash or a quaint dinner party, the invitations will set the tone for your gathering from the very beginning! I opted for making my own personalized invitations with zazzle.com using one of their custom templates! With a site like Zazzle, you can adjust font colors, spacing, and dialogue on your invitation to make it exactly what you want! They offer countless templates to choose from for all occasions, and the turnaround time is notably convenient! I ordered about 20 invitations & had them in my mailbox 4 days later! You can sneak a peek at mine below!
Click here to shop my invitations!
Now, let’s talk about etiquette! When party planning, especially around the holidays, its always proper to give your guests plenty of notice! I sent out my invitations on November 1st, giving my guests over a months’ notice! I wanted to be sure my party was the first one on their December calendar in hopes that majority of invitees will be able to attend! I also opted for a Friday evening, as I know how terribly busy Saturday’s before Christmas can be with shopping & other commitments! Consider your guests schedules when selecting a date & time for your event!
A Season for Giving
In the spirit of the season, I wanted to find a way to incorporate a cause that is important to me! Being a dog mama, my local SPCA was the clear choice! I drew up my own little insert to stuff my invitations with, informing my guests that I would be collecting donations for the Maryland SPCA! If they would like to participate, they could bring their items to the party & I would be taking them over the next day to donate! Our family is full of animal lovers, so I knew they would love the opportunity to help the ones in need! I included a few example items, and was sure to include a web address to the organizations’ approved donation list! Check out my example below! *Please note that I did not use the organizations’ logo, as you should only do so with permission.*
Find a cause to support that’s important you! Its such a fun way to give back with your friends & family!
Now that your invitations have been sent, it’s on to planning out the day of your party! Next week, post #2 in the series will cover ways to deck out your bar cart for the occasion! (or set up a drink station, if you don’t have a cart in your home!) I’ll also be including links to a few of my favorite recipes for holiday beverages! See ya next week!
Cheers! XO, Kara
