Holiday Cocktail Party

To ease the pressure of an elaborate soiree, an intimate cocktail party is a fabulous way to welcome the start of the holiday season.

Amy DiTomasso and her Sugar Chic Designs opt to delight guests with an ambience that is both warm and inviting. By repurposing eclectic, everyday items as a focal point to display seasonal food, floral, and fixtures, you can achieve a design aesthetic that is nostalgic yet romantic.

And while drinks are a given at a cocktail party, offering a tantalizing selection of hors d’oeuvres and desserts will make the party uniquely yours. When arranging a menu, do your best to balance dishes so guests can try an assortment of foods featuring seasonal flavors that will leave them satisfied. For this menu, there are a variety of offerings including a rich saffron risotto cup paired against a lighter lobster taco.

With an impressive spread and the ambience to match, guests will be delighted to ring in the holiday season with a new take on a classic cocktail party. —Meryl Fulinara

EVENT STYLING and CUSTOM FAVORS:
Amy DiTomasso of Sugar Chic Designs, 773-569-6506, sugarchicdesigns.com

CONFECTIONS:
(Cacao) Sweets & Treats in Ingleside, 847-791-9460, cacaosweetsandtreats.com

CATERING MENU:
Elaina Vazquez of Boutique Bites in Chicago, 773-313-3211, boutiquebites.com

PAPER GOODS and PRINTING:
Sara De St. Jean of The Homespun Hostess, partypapers.etsy.com

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Holiday Dinner Party

Christmas is over, New Year’s Eve is on the horizon, and your family is in town for that quiet last week of 2011, the perfect time for a party!

A post-holiday dinner is a wonderful way to spend quality time together with family and close friends in an intimate setting. After all, everyone else is off to Aspen…

For this party, Bruce Southworth envisioned a buffet dinner for 30 in his cozy English Medieval-inspired home. He’s created an old English and nautical ambience, with some red roses and green berries to preserve a hint of holiday spirit.

Guests can mingle with a cup of Navy grog or English ale in a playful antique Toby Jug and take their plates of Beef Wellington and its trimmings to sit at one of the small tables he set up or perch on sofas and chairs in front of the fire. After dinner, they can sneak into his fabulous wine tasting room for cheese, port, and cigars, indulge in decadent desserts and champagne, or settle in for a game of chess or backgammon.

EVENT STYLING:
Bruce Southworth Events, 847-247-1800, bgsevents.com

CATERING MENU:
CALIHAN CATERING, 312-587-3553, calihancatering.com

FLORAL DESIGN:
Jozef of Chicago, [email protected]