EASY ENTERTAINING // A SILVER ANNIVERSARY DINNER

Over the weekend, my siblings and I teamed up to create an intimate celebration dinner for our parent's 25th wedding anniversary. We held the event at their home and sent them away for part of the afternoon while we staged the set up. While a lot of thought and planning went into how we would set this apart from other family dinners held more regularly, we worked together to make this affair come together surprisingly easy. 

One way we did this was to divide and conquer. Each of us managed an aspect of party. My husband and I took charge of creating our dinner setting for the evening on my parent's patio. Early on, I decided that we should leverage the built in greenery in the surrounding yard and adjacent golf course. I riffed on this naturally beautiful setting by pulling together a table using natural materials - woods, linens, branches and lots of greenery on the table.

A long dinner table kept the vibe casual and communal, as did the table effects. Rustic dishtowels served as napkins. We pulled together the flatware from extra sets my sisters and I have collected. I had the idea to fashion some inexpensive chargers out of birch plywood sourced from my local Home Depot. The staff were kind enough to cut a 4x8' sheet down into 13x13" squares which helped pull each place setting together. Yard clippings, boston fern, lilacs, wax flower and cream colored roses were intermixed to compose mini arrangements set into my collection of bottles and silver goblets that were placed down the center of the table. Once the day's heat settled into evening, we backfilled in between with candles to establish a festive glow. The regular shaded overhead lighting was also swapped for filament bulbs to create a clean and modern lighting scheme. 

We loaded up our respective cars bright and early on Saturday morning and met over at my parent's home to dispense with set up and meal prep. I had to laugh driving down the freeway in our own car.  The dog and I barely squeezed into the front seat we are so loaded up with lanterns, flowers, linens, plates and pillows!  The day felt burgeoning and full with activity as well. Meal prep took on the hustle and bustle of an industrial kitchen line at one point, each dish out timed with precision out of the oven so the next could be put in. Our fellas all helped out as well. As he always does, my husband worked his magic with our soundtrack for the evening while tending bar. One of my brother in laws manned the grill, while another dished up one of my favorite appetizers - stuffed dates. 

I also created a colorful board of goodies to nosh on while we sipped cocktails and took turns with the photographer my sister hired to take some formal family portraits.

To keep our table intact prior to the meal, I carved out a section of the yard and created a little side lounge at which to sit and visit during cocktail hour. 

I think one of the best aspects of the evening was the collective effort that went into this celebration. We honored our mom and dad who sat in the middle of the long dinner table by working together to make this happen for them. My sisters and brother and I went around with each dish, serving guests at the table and then filed into the kitchen to wash up once the cake had been served. We have a very large family, full of volume and chaos, but I'll always look back fondly at that evening and how we all worked as a team and made some more memories to mark the day our parents married and we all became a family.

*photos by erin neally for holtwood hipster

EASY ENTERTAINING // BAGELS + BLOODY MARYS

To kick off 2015, we skipped the big midnight fete and opted instead to host an informal New Year's brunch for friends and family. While there was some pre-party prep involved, for the most part this was one of our easiest gatherings yet - made simple by two build-your own stations we set up in the dining/bar area of our home. Our best parties are always those where guests participate in some form or another and to be honest, my favorite celebratory activities have always been - food and drink.

You guys, set up and clean up was so seamless and the cost was so minimal,  I had to share our strategy with you so that you too can host an impromptu party you will have the budget and energy to enjoy.

No rules really apply here. Just keep in mind that the more options you lay out, the more fun it will be for your guests. Remember, we eat with our eyes first! Much of what we displayed we already had in our pantry or fridge. We did some chopping and prepping of garnishes, but the most difficult part of this set up was organizing the condiments and toppings to allow easy access for all. 

A Bloody Mary bar allows non-drinkers to build their own cocktail as well, though we had other non-alcoholic options on hand also. 

Be sure to keep a trash can close at hand for discarded drink garnishes (everyone likes a fresh glass!) and periodically check ice both in the bucket and on any seafood you have at the bar. We like to use highball glasses when making Bloody Marys, so that is what we offered. We also used our stack of ceramic dinner party plates still unpacked from Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a suggestion:  empty the dishwasher before guests arrive and encourage them to toss their plate in the dishwasher when done. I ran a load mid-party and had very little clean up as a result.

One of the things that added to the fun was seeing all the clever creations our friends would make from what we had laid out for them. There were competitions and dares (and of course, Instagram photos to prove it) to see who could come up with the most loaded glass (and then drink it all down). The bagel buffet was replenished when needed and was well preserved on a cool California morning, while we all sat fireside, visiting and talking about vacations and plans for the upcoming year.