How to Throw a Holiday Bash without Breaking the Bank

As the holiday season approaches, songs, food, and good cheer are our primary source of enjoyment during this time. Some people, who have annual Holiday gatherings with friends, family, and co-workers, are feeling the crunch in today’s economic times. They are tasked with how to continue the tradition of throwing a Holiday Bash, without breaking the bank. In just a few short steps, we’re going to outline how to create the greatest shindig, without emptying your pockets to do so.

1. Decrease your Guest List
We have been known to throw the best party in the city for the last 10 years. However, this year, our finances just aren’t allowing us to have 100 guests at our home to entertain and feed them all. The first way to cut back is to decrease the number of invitees. It may be hard, but sometimes you have to just include those who are closest to you to share in this special occasion. It will be a more intimate setting and allow everyone to mix and mingle with each other.

2. Simplify your Menu

Instead of having a full course dinner to serve to your guests, try picking a few passed hors’devoures and a dessert selection. I am a fan of signature drinks, so try working with your fave bartender and create one just for your holiday party. This will save on the amount of alcohol you have to buy as well as the other additives that make mixed drinks so very appetizing! Make sure you have some juice and sodas for your non-alcoholic guests.

3. Illuminate!
I absolutely love decorating! It’s something that is a bit therapeutic for me. However, it can become costly to decorate your home or event space to create the ambiance you are looking for. One of my favorite cheating tips is to illuminate! Dim the overhead lights and increase the number of candles you have. Votives in the window seals, votives as your centerpieces on a mirrored glass, it creates a space that looks expensive to make, but really costs little to nothing.

4. Utilize Electronic Invitations!
The last point is to save a few dollars on your invitations by utilizing an electronic invitation system. Whether you decide to create a document in Microsoft Word, PDF it and email it to your list and wait for the email responses, or use an automated invitation system like Evite, which can real-time your guest list as well as let you know who has received, opened, and/or responded to your request. Either way it saves money on printing and postage.

Use these four handy tips to create the holiday bash that you and your guests will enjoy, without breaking the bank to do so.

How to Host the Perfect Cocktail Party

Springtime calls for tons of celebration! Fun times with friends calls for fun parties!

Envi Consulting & Associates specializes in luxury affairs, therefore we want to share with you some great tips on how to host the perfect cocktail party, where you can mix and mingle with some good friends and take the stress out of the planning process!

After you've chosen the date to hold your cocktail party, these are some fun and easy tips to

1. Pick your budget!

For any celebration, the rest of the details will fall in place after you have decided how much you want to spend. How much food to serve, people to invite, and beverages to have will all depend on your budget.

2. Pick your Guest List!

Whether you want an intimate gather of 8-10 close friends at your home, or a larger affair of about 20-25, you have decide how many people and who you wish to invite.

3. Pick your Drinks!

Cocktail parties are fun and lively! You don't have to have a reason, per se, to throw a cocktail party. Maybe you got a promotion and you want to celebrate with your friends or maybe you want to clear out your bar, whatever the case you have to decide what you're going to sip on! You could serve a signature cocktail or two where you can have them pre-mixed in a nice pitcher labeled so that you can enjoy your party also, or you can put all the ingredients out, grab some drink recipe cards and let your guests make their own cocktails! Just remember that the average cocktail party last anywhere from 3-4 hours and each party goer will have 2-3 drinks on average. So plan accordingly!

4. Pick your menu!

What's a party with a bunch of drinks and no food??? Well, you don't have to be a whiz in the kitchen to create a simple cocktail party spread. Wings, chips, fruit trays, cheese and crackers, and some type of dessert is the SIMPLEST way to go. However, if you want to be a bit upper eschelon, pick up your address book, call your favorite caterer or call Envi Consulting & Associates for a catering referral, and let the best cocktail party menu suggestions flow!

5. Pick your decor!

Glitz, glam, chic, sophisticated. Cocktail parties are not like Super Bowl parties where you are huddled around a television screaming at your favorite team. Cocktail parties call for delicate decor, sophisticated styles, and luxurious illuminations, that add to the mood that you wish to portray for your guests. Whatever your color scheme is, make your table centerpieces, napkins, are whatever decor you wish to use (if any) bring out the BEST in you!

6. Pick your music!

Music and entertainment sets the mood and tone for your party. Depending on who makes up your guest list, make sure that you have an even mix of party tunes that everyone can enjoy!

7. Pick your invites!

Now that all the planning is done, grab those invitations and put them in the mail. The hard part is over.

Some of Envi Consulting & Associates fave sites for cocktails:

• http://www.drinknation.com/
• http://www.recipegoldmine.com/
• http://www.webtender.com/
• http://www.idrink.com/

Remember, that for your guests who are not fans of alcoholic beverages, they can have the same mixed drinks, just without the alcohol.....now its a Mocktail!

Now.....its time to party, Have Fun!