Making that dinner party
When it comes to giving a dinner party, everything's on the table. Everything, that is, having to do with originality. This is the time of year to shake things up a little and add vitality to gatherings that help tide us over until spring.
"The best time to throw a party is in February, when there's nowhere to go," says Lawrence Scott, owner of Lawrence Scott Events. "It's very important to throw winter soirees and be a little creative."
Scott, whose Hicksville-based business caters to the upscale, stresses that you don't have to be wealthy to add spice to a dinner party. You just have to be willing to experiment.
Creativity can come in the way you design the invitations, seat invitees, lay out a table's centerpiece, decorate a room, serve the food and get your guests to participate.
"A dinner party at home has to have the essence of welcoming," says Arlene Travis, owner of Glen Cove-based Mansions & Millionaires, which produces designer showcases for nonprofits. Warmth and fresh ideas can combine in the simplest of ways. "It's not necessarily about the food. It's how the food is presented so that a guest walks away with a memorable evening. That's the whole key to a wonderful party," she adds.
These and several other designers and event planners share suggestions on thinking outside the box. They all say a host or hostess should be ready to jettison some traditional, perhaps tired, ideas in the quest for dinner party inspiration.
