By: Denile Doyle
Spring is finally here, and whether you’re planning a dinner party, birthday soiree, baby or bridal shower, or backyard barbecue of sorts, here are five tips to make your event a winner:
Tip 1: Choose an Appropriate Color Scheme
Spring and pastel colors go together like Christmas and the green, red and gold trio. Stick with light shades of lavender, pink, yellow, sage green, or salmon. Incorporate these colors in your centerpieces, place settings, decorations, floral arrangements, and even your food — think lavender or yellow frosted cupcakes. #pinterestworthy Instead of plain white serveware, jazz it up with colored food dishes and trays that complement your color scheme. For pretty dishes that won’t break the bank, check out Target or Bed, Bath & Beyond. Alternatively, you can jazz up your white dinnerware by placing pastel-colored doilies under each setting. You can buy white doilies and dye them yourself! #DIY
Tip 2: Create Cute Party Favors
Who doesn’t love party favors? Make sure you give your guests something special to take home when your shindig ends. Here, you can get really creative without blowing your budget. Make your own mini floral favors, spray paint berry baskets and fill with DIY potpourri, or decorate mini paper bags and fill them with cookies or trail mix. Whatever it is, your guests will appreciate the parting gift!
Tip 3: Get Creative with Your Food
Find ways to make your food creative. Go with appetizers, small plates and accompaniments for your menu that saves on prep time. Swap traditional salsa for a fruit-based mixture. We think mangos and pineapples are the rock stars of fruit salsas, but any fresh and colorful salsa will be a delicious hit with your guests. You can serve a variety of small plates, including bruschetta, Asian summer rolls, gazpacho, a lively salad (we like watermelon and feta), goat cheese tarts, sweet potato hummus, steak tartare crostini, garlic shrimp ... you get the idea. For dessert, try cupcakes with colorful frosting, mini fruit tarts, individual panna cottas or shortcakes topped with fresh fruit to round out your menu.
Tip 4: Pick a signature cocktail
Spring cocktails are colorful and refreshing with a hint of fruit. You can’t go wrong with pitcher of white-wine sangria or spiked lemonade, or even classic mojitos. For our list of snazzy suggestions, check out Spring Cocktails to Make at Your Next Dinner Party.
Tip 5: Prepare as any things as you can as you can ahead of time
Save time by prepping ahead as much as you can, starting days before your event. The easiest way to track what needs to be done is with a list. The week of your event you should already have your dinnerware and decorations checked off. Then, two days before you should be shopping for foods that can hang out in the refrigerator for a few days without beginning a slow death. The day before, you’ll want to pick up all your other food including fresh fruit, cheese, meats, and breads. Don’t forget to stock up on ice for drinks. If family or friends are coming, see if they can come early to help you prep decorations and food on event day.
Follow these tips for your next spring event — and kill it.
More Readings:
The Benefits of Hiring an Event Planner