Pull off the swankest of parties with this short but stylish list of hosting dos and don'ts.
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4. Hire help. Dinner parties larger than 12, and cocktail parties in excess of 30 should be catered. Even if you insist on preparing all of the food yourself, hire one or two servers and a bartender to man the ovens, clear the mess and mix the drinks. It's your party and you should be mingling with your guest not stuck in the kitchen.
3. Create a playlist. Music should never be overlooked yet often is put off until the end of the party planning stage. Having five hours (8pm to 1am) of music preprogrammed means you'll have time to focus on your guests and not frantically tossing CDs into the stereo. Start with mellow lounge music and progress into more upbeat and danceable tunes later on.
2. Lighting, lighting, lighting. Invest in dimmer switches and accent that with candlelight. Everyone looks (and feels) wonderful in subdued lighting. If you can't switch all your lighting to dimmers (say in the kitchen or bathroom) change the bulbs to 25 or 40 watts for the night and add candles to brighten the space if necessary.
1. Brew some coffee when you want your guests to leave. It's a sure-fire way to hammer the point home that the party's over and your guests will get the hint. If they don't start washing dishes, that'll do it.
Ryan Jennings is the author of the bestselling book Cooking with Booze. For more entertaining advice, recipes and cocktail ideas visit cookingwithbooze.com</b>.
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