Last week, I spontaneously hosted a girls holiday dinner.
Looooordy!
Are you feeling the holiday craziness too? I’ve barely shopped for gifts and Penelope still needs to sit on Santa’s lap!
Shop The Look: Jumpsuit – old Alice & Olivia {shop more jumpsuits here!} // glasses {vintage} // pearl hoops – H&M {shop more modern pearl earrings here!}
To be honest, I don’t know what I was thinking. Too much to do and so little time! But I knew it would be 1000000% worth it. And truthfully, I NEEDED SOME GIRL TIME.
In case you’re in the same boat, here’s EXACTLY how I pulled it all off in seven days. I hope this inspires you to be spontaneous too!
How To Pull Off A Holiday Dinner Party In A Week
- 1 Week In Advance: Invite your friends over via text! Ok, ok. I know paper invites are BEST – but there are exceptions to every rule. As they say, done is better than perfect.
- 4 Days In Advance: Clean the house and pick up. This way you’ll only have to spruce up the day of the party!
- 3 Days In Advance: Pull and set aside all your table decor, glasses, linens, etc. People always underestimate how long this takes. This step allows you to take a mental check list of what you need to do and still need to get.
- 2 Days In Advance: Set the table and stock the bar. Since you’ve already gathered your table decor, you can hit the ground running. Set the entire table – I’m talking EVERYTHING. Silverware, glasses, plates, serving dishes, runners and napkins. When everything has a place the party well run on autopilot. This goes for any extra stations you set up as well! I served welcome drinks and apps in the family room. Then put the dessert in the mudroom. This keeps people flowing from room to room versus staying stagnant in one spot.
- The Day Before: Order the meal and apps from a restaurant. I initially had this grand plan of cooking, but when you are desperate – you are desperate! I ordered a charcuterie board, bruschetta, salad and lasagna from a local Italian restaurant. It was so easy! No cooking and less clean up.
- Day Of: Spruce up your home and pick up the food! I threw the lasagna in the oven 30 minutes before to heat it up. When your first guest arrives, ask them to light the candles, pour wine, plate the appetizers, turn on the music, etc. AKA ask for help! This way you can finish the last second details and great the other guests with ease.
- 1 Ingredient Cocktails For Dessert: This is where you double down. Jackson Morgan is basically a LIFE SAVER in my household. It’s so delicious and everyone loves it. This one ingredient libation is the best little sipper over ice. Since it doubles as dessert no baking, slicing or mixing. Peppermint Mocha is the BEST this time of year but you can’t go wrong with any of their other flavors! We just had the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar this weekend.
I hope this inspires you to spontaneously invite your girlfriends over too! Or if you’re in over your skiis with party planning, these steps will save you hours of time.
As always, please sip responsibly!
Photos by Chicago Andrea Creative
A huge thanks to Jackson Morgan for sponsoring this post!
