By LIN ELLIS
DavidsonNews.net

As I write this post on this first day of August, we are clearly in the height of summer. The 10 day forecast predicts continuing 90 degree plus temperatures, with no exception. However, parents are beginning to make back-to-school purchases & before you know it the kids will be back in the classroom & we will find ourselves in that in-between time from summer & fall.

Running in Stilettos planned, catered & served at an open house this past Saturday & one of the guests broached holiday parties with me. In the moment, with a party in progress that had to be virtually moved indoors due to the sweltering heat, it seemed a bit of a disconnect. But as I thought about it the next day, to get it right & save yourself from enormous stress as you approach crunch-time, it is not too early to begin pondering your fall & holiday events.

So, what goes into the perfect party? Planning, execution & lots of heart! Here is a little road map to help ~

1. Take a step back & ask yourself what are you really celebrating or attempting to achieve with your event. So many hosts & hostesses leap right into the menu & guest list & do not take a moment to think about the day & visualize what you want it to look ~ & much more importantly ~ feel like. This is the point where you determine your theme or how you want to support the mood you wish to create for yourself & your guests.

2. Set your limits. Arrive at a budget for the day, think about how you plan to stay on budget & figure out who you want to invite. Depending on the event, you may not have to shoulder all the expense & effort yourself. For example, Thanksgiving dinner is a perfect time to assign each guest a side dish or dessert & don’t be shy about asking everyone to bring their favorite wine or champagne ~ everyone wants to make a contribution to a celebration. Let your best friend make the pumpkin mojitos & man the bar to take one little thing off your to-do list.

3. It’s now time to embrace the nitty gritty portion of event planning process &, to me, the most fun part ~ the invitations, decorations, flowers, menu, beverages, music/entertainment, etc.

On Friday’s post, I will break each of these planning elements down ~ the goal being leading you into a no-stress, carefree day!

Lin Ellis is one of the principals of Running in Stilettos, a full-service property care, personal concierge & lifestyle management firm covering the southern Lake Norman area. Lin is passionate about art & design & started a design blog, Style is in the Details, two years ago & also writes all of the blog posts for Running in Stilettos.

photo credit: hostess with the mostess