In Style Parties (The Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining) this question feed

asked by crafty1 on November 5, 2006 12:40 AM
Want to throw an A-list party without spending heaps of time and money? In Style Parties: The Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining is the one-stop guide to making every event stylish and personal, and it proves once and for all that entertaining at home can be easy, fabulous, and fun. Organized in three sections, the book includes: The basics of party preparation, including what to serve and how to create the perfect atmosphere. Complete party guides for every occasion, from dinner parties for 8 to cocktail parties for 30. A listing of the countrys top resources for food, drink, and dcor, from artisanal cheeses and exotic chocolates to flowers and flatwear. The book begins with the Basics section, which arms readers with the essentials of party planning. In thorough yet accessible detail, this section provides tips on how to plan a menu, stock a bar, set a table, serve cocktails, and feed a crowd, efficiently and with finesse. Also covered are tips on invitations, decorations, and music, which set the tone for a special occasion. The heart of the book is twenty of the most popular party guides published in In Style magazine over the last five years. Playful themes, fresh and simple recipes, sexy drinks, elegant dcor, handy timetables, and a non-stuffy approach make it easy to stay on top of all the little details. Readers can follow the guides closely, mix up elements from different guides to suit their unique vision, or simply use them as inspiration. The festivities, dreamed up by top celebrity party planners on both coasts, include: Dinner Parties: Everything from a simple Saturday night supper to a Tuscan feast and a Mexican fiesta. Holiday Parties: Thanksgiving, holiday cocktails, and a New Years Eve celebration. Theme Parties: Halloween cocktails; viewing parties to enjoy at-home entertainment, from the Oscars and the Super Bowl to favorite television programs; game night; and girls night in. Showers: Bridal and baby showers. Summer Parties: Outdoor cocktails, backyard barbeque, and luau. Birthday Parties: Dinner at home, cocktails, surprise parties, theme parties, restaurant dinners, and milestone birthdays. With its elegant illustrations and vibrant images of celebrity-studded events, colorful drinks, luscious foods, and sophisticated dcor, In Style Parties puts the fun of parties first. This beautifully designed, all-purpose, indispensable guide shows readers how to think like a movie star while organizing like a caterer. The reward is in enjoying your own party as much as your guests. And In Style Parties makes that a reality.


Reviews

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
I found this book to be very informative and inspiring. I found the 16 parties to be the best part; I could've done without the 'basics' in the beginning. Also, since I like decorating the most, I thought that they could've focused more on the room or table decor rather than a closeup of a vegetable or drink, for example. But overall a really helpful book!
reviewed by radar on November 24, 2006 10:58 PM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
This book is loaded with help and ideas, and will save even the most clueless host/hostess. You get tips for setting up your bar, decorations, and invitations. You get information about wines and beers. But the best part are the individual party ideas. There are cocktail parties and dinner parties. Holiday parties and unique theme parties. Each party comes with a schedule for planning ahead, so you don't have to do any mad scrambling around the day of the party. Each party comes with a unique "signature drink", so you can cut costs by just offering a signature drink, wine, and beer. There are recipies for each party and shortcut ideas if you don't have time or don't want to cook. There are also music ideas and decor ideas, in good detail, to really help you. No other entertaining book I've ever seen includes help with so many aspects of your party so well. And unlike most entertaining books, there's a resource section so you know where you can actually find the items featured in the parties (food, decor, etc.), so you don't see something you love but can't copy. (There is one problem, however, I've found some of their resources only sell wholesale and won't sell to you unless you have a reseller ID, which is really disappointing. They should have only included retail resources anyone can use.) Everyone who either entertains or likes to daydream about it should have this book - the ideas are unique and fabulous. I bought this book because I needed an idea for our wedding rehearsal dinner. Within 20 minutes of looking through the book I had a brilliant idea (there is no "rehearsal dinner", but I found a perfect theme party to use). I have many party and entertaining books, and this one is definitely my favorite. I love it.
reviewed by maxmill on November 28, 2006 4:10 PM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
Perfect. Everything I was looking for and plenty moore. Very helpful and easy to follow. Thanks InStyle
reviewed by formula on November 29, 2006 5:04 PM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
Leave it to an entertaining powerhouse like In Style to deliver time and time again. This book gives great hints that come from celebrity party planners. Tips on invitations, menu, decor, music and much more. The book even goes on and tells you what to do two months before the party, one month, two weeks, one week, day before, etc. Definately a great gift book. Many delicious beautiful quick recipes.
reviewed by runaway on November 29, 2006 6:11 PM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
I couldn't wait to receive this book, today it finally came and I went thru it in about five minutes....yes it has some entertaining ideas and pictures(some) it just did not go into detail. You will be better off getting ideas from surfing the net. Save your money!!!
reviewed by john316 on November 29, 2006 7:24 PM

search

 
 

browse

book tags