By LIN ELLIS
DavidsonNews.net

Here is where we left off from Tuesday’s post on planning the perfect party:

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.

First up the invitations ~

For a small dinner party a personal call is all that is needed, but for a bigger soiree’, there are 2 choices: via an internet “e-vite” or via snail mail. Most everyone has sent or gotten an invitation from evite, but there are several other web-based invitation services ~ pingg, paperlesspost, crush3r, punchbowl, zoji & of course, facebook.

For a traditional printed invitation, there are endless options all over the web, but I suggest going to a local resource. I use Papaya Papers, in Cornelius, for my clients. They have a great selection, are friendly & extremely helpful & they turn around their printing in a day.

Your decorations & flowers should support your theme or the mood as determined in step #1. Everything should tie together & things to think about include centerpieces, place settings, favors or props, candles, banners, etc.

Magazines & blogs can be amazing sources of inspiration & don’t shy away from some diy projects.

If you are catering your event yourself, my greatest piece of advise is not to get too overly ambitious ~ & do a dry run of all your dishes. A nice mix of warm & cold food & dishes you can make in advance work the best.

Don’t leave all your preparation to the day of your party. Consider getting some trays or additional food items from the Fresh Market or other grocer to supplement the dishes you want to make just to make things a little easier.

And, my biggest tip, add 30% to amount of time you think anything will take to make.

A lot of parties will work very well with some great wine & beer selections as well as bottled waters & sodas. If you are offering mixed drinks, consider enlisting a bartender.

A party should thrill all your guests senses ~ touch, taste, sight, smell & hearing ~ music is critical to that last one. Your music should support your event, not compete with it. Whether you hire a band or singer or put together your own playlist, make sure your tunes complement your event & don’t overpower it.

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.