Looking to host a winter dinner party? Look no further – I’m sharing my best tips and tricks below!
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A couple weeks ago I threw my first Christmas party of the holiday season. It definitely got us all into the holiday spirit! I had been planning it since this summer, and it came together so well. Matt and I love Old Dominick, so I knew that we just had to make some tasty and festive holiday drinks with their gin, whiskey and Toddy. And I knew that this year I also wanted to have the event at Millstone Nursery. I knew it would make for the prettiest backdrop for our event and for pictures, and it did just that!
Millstone had their gorgeous Christmas trees come in the day before, and the entire nursery brimmed with holiday decor and cheer. It was just perfect! I also knew that I wanted to incorporate some of my favorite tableware, Southern Living from Dillard’s Wolfchase. Mary Kate and I headed over to pick out all the finishing touches for the tablescape. I picked out these gorgeous silver and gold chargers that I thought would give the event a really glam and elevated feel. Then Mary Kate picked out these pretty red chargers to mix in too. I immediately fell in love with these nutcracker accent plates, and we knew they would be just perfect! To pull in more pops of red, we picked out these pretty Southern Living red glasses. They were perfect to serve the Cranberry Christmas Cocktails in.
I picked out the gorgeous red bows to go on the back of the chairs and bench, and I love the statement it added. The pops of red looked so good, and it really dressed it up more! For the centerpiece, we decided to start with some beautiful garland on the table, and then Tricia from Millstone added the candles, the moss reindeer and the beautiful glass trees. We love how it all came together!
For food, I kept it simple (even though it tasted anything but simple!) and went with Feast & Graze. They are always a favorite of mine when it comes to meat and cheese boards. They had prosciutto wrapped dates and some meatballs that were incredible. Also, they had my favorite cheese, brie, and nuts and other meats. They had some peppermint bark chocolate, olives and some fruits. They 100% went above and beyond! Not to mention, they even had gluten free crackers and several other gluten free desserts too. Not only did it all taste amazing, it looked just as amazing!
For the drinks, I picked out a cranberry Christmas cocktail to make featuring Old Dominick gin. It was topped with cranberries and rosemary. It looked and tasted so good! We also had Old Dominick whiskey and Old Dominick Toddy. And Bubbles & Brews served them all. Their little piaggio was perfectly decorated for Christmas and was just the perfect little addition to our event! All the drinks they made were so good, and the piaggio is always the perfect conversation starter and backdrop for pictures.
It ended up being such a fun night surrounded by close friends, good food and drinks and the prettiest venue with festive surroundings! It was nice to kick off the holiday season with the first Christmas party of the year. And it was nice to just relax and catch up with friends before the busy holiday season arrived. = ) If you’re hosting any holiday events this season, let me know what your favorite tips are and must have items at the party. I would love to hear about it!
