<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Spring is in full swing, which means just one thing: It&amp;#039;s party season! Between graduations, wedding engagements, bridal and baby showers, you&amp;#039;re bound to play hostess at some point. To take the stress out of planning, we&amp;#039;ve drummed up a go-to guide for all occasions with the help of party professionals Karen Bussen (of the Simple Stunning series), Erika Lenkert (The Last-Minute Party Girl) and Sharon Naylor (Your Wedding, Your Way).      INVITATIONS  The most important question when hosting any party is how many guests to invite. Plan according to your space limitations and budget. If you&amp;#039;re having a family-oriented get-together, be aware of kids&amp;#039; vacation schedules; check the websites of your local grammar schools to plan accordingly. \u2022 For birthday parties, get your invitations out three weeks in advance; two weeks for informal backyard gatherings or picnics. As a rough rule of thumb for other gatherings\u2014graduations, bridal showers, engagement parties\u2014send an invitation six weeks in advance. \u2022 For the actual invitations, many party purists still believe print is best, but Evite is a popular option that&amp;#039;s great for keeping tabs on your guest list. For print invitations, Naylor recommends Mountaincow.com, which lets you create high-quality cards at home. \u2022 Specify if children are invited. If so, address the invitation to the whole family. \u2022 If you&amp;#039;re fretting about whom to invite, let your friends and family guide you. Think about the people they&amp;#039;ve invited to gatherings and follow their lead. Naylor says to expect 3 percent of invitees not to show. \u2022 The plus-one can be a tricky situation. If you have a small space, don&amp;#039;t feel guilty for skipping the plus-one and follow this rule: Only give guests a plus-one if you&amp;#039;ve interacted with their partner or close friend.   DECOR  The decor of your party sets the tone and says a lot about you. It can also be a big stressor. Keep it lively and simple for maximum impact.    Theme \u2022 Color is essential for parties and the easiest theme possible. Light pastel colors always work for spring\u2014think lavender, yellow, pink, sage green\u2014and soft orange and turquoise are particularly popular this year. Always stick to two colors: one light\u2014a neutral or barely-there metallic\u2014and one bright shade that pops. &amp;quot;When you have too many colors going on, it looks amateurish; it&amp;#039;s too much for the eye,&amp;quot; advises Naylor. \u2022 Use your selected colors to create your theme, incorporating it into centerpieces, table decorations, napkin holders (for formal parties) and chairs (ribbon is a favorite of Lenkert&amp;#039;s). Even your food can continue the theme: Have your cake match your colors and/or theme, and serve coordinating drinks. For example, if you&amp;#039;re using yellows, Naylor suggests serving a champagne punch with apricot nectar. It&amp;#039;s best to limit matching to these two items\u2014a buffet of blue foods isn&amp;#039;t appealing to the eye or stomach! \u2022 Bussen recommends picking a region of the world and letting that dictate your choice. For example, use Spain as your guide and play Spanish music and serve paella, ceviche, tapas and sangria. \u2022 Naylor recommends movie and Hollywood-themed parties this season. Roll out the red carpet and have everyone dress as their favorite actor, or choose a movie to work a theme around, such as Twilight for teens or something from the Golden Era for adults.   Lighting \u2022 The cheapest option\u2014and one that is perfect for evening\u2014is white holiday lights. String them along fences, wrap them around small bushes, or place them in medium-to-tall vases to create hurricane lanterns. \u2022 Bussen loves to use LED lights in frosted glass cylinders and place them in clusters on walkways, lawns or terraces. &amp;quot;It gives that South Beach-y, hotel feeling,&amp;quot; she says.   Centerpieces \u2022 Fresh fruit is beautiful, simple\u2026and ultimately tasty for the guests! Choose fruit people can eat easily: mounds of cherries, strawberries, apricots and grapes. \u2022 For a Southeast Asian vibe, Lenkert recommends long wooden bowls filled with fresh flowers or floating candles. \u2022 White unscented candles are classic and affordable. Buy them in different shapes and sizes\u2014tea lights, floating votives, pillars\u2014and crowd them together in groups on tables. Just be sure to avoid scented varieties, as guests may be allergic and the smell will conflict with the food.      FOOD  Forgo catering and focus on full-flavor items you can buy, in addition to three or four recipes that you&amp;#039;ve made before and that can be prepared in advance. This isn&amp;#039;t the time to experiment with new recipes or create elaborate, last-minute dishes. If you do want to attempt something new, test out the recipe several times in advance. You have plenty of other things to worry about before the party begins besides something going wrong in the kitchen! \u2022 Do make sure you offer foods that are easy to carry and munch on throughout the party, such as Chipotle-Orange BBQ Meatballs or Asian Turkey Wraps. \u2022 Don&amp;#039;t do a cheese platter or anything that can spoil, such as mayo-based foods\u2014save it for indoor soir\u00E9es. Temperature is an issue, and the health of your guests is top priority. \u2022 Do offer a kids&amp;#039; section or separate table with cubed and cut items that adults like too, such as Grape Pizza. \u2022 Don&amp;#039;t serve foods that need to be kept sizzling hot. Rather, offer foods that can sit for a period of time and be delicious (and safe) when warm or at room temperature. \u2022 Do keep food away from where the guests sit, especially if you live in an area with yellow jackets. If you&amp;#039;re serving protein and sweet sodas, &amp;quot;expect them to join your party,&amp;quot; Lenkert says. \u2022 Don&amp;#039;t serve a large main dish. Unless you&amp;#039;re planning a formal sit-down dinner, explore side dish and appetizer options and create a menu based on smaller items that combine well. \u2022 Do be aware of food allergies. More and more people are becoming allergic to nuts, eggs, shellfish and other ingredients. Place &amp;quot;risky&amp;quot; foods in one corner; if possible, label each, specifying the allergen. At the very least, wash your hands after handling these items during preparation and make sure to use separate platters and utensils for each item.   Dish suggestions: \u2022 Salads: &amp;quot;Now is the best time for salads and mixing in as many colorful ingredients and micro-greens as you can get from your local market,&amp;quot; Bussen says. Serve mixed lettuce salads, as well as vegetarian lentil salads, noodle dishes and non-creamy creations, such as Cold Peanut-Noodle Salad, Thai Beef Salad or Edamame Salad. \u2022 Find a way to make what you serve unique\u2014for example, if serving salsa, do a mango salsa. &amp;quot;It looks like you spent more,&amp;quot; Naylor adds. Dips and spreads are relatively inexpensive and can perk up a range of foods. Try Dips for Dunking and Red Pepper Relish. \u2022 Include fruit kabobs\u2014such as Watermelon Kabobs\u2014or platters of fruit. Spend less money on desserts and big proteins, and use some of your budget to throw in seasonal tropical fruits. \u2022 Keep desserts at a minimum, and make them smaller than you think you should. Those big sheet cakes are pricey and are always left half-eaten. Bussen likes to marinate fruit in rum and serve with ice cream, or layer store-bought angel food cake with Greek yogurt and homemade strawberry syrup. Anything fruity is perfect for the season, like Chocolate-Orange Blossom Cake, Mixed Berry Parfaits or Raspberry-Blueberry Cake.      DRINKS Forgo a full bar\u2014it&amp;#039;s too pricey and will leave guests prone to overindulgence. However, a self-serve bar with one signature drink as well as beer and wine is great. &amp;quot;Some people are uncomfortable at parties, especially when they don&amp;#039;t know people. Having a self-serve bar gives them something to do and is a way to meet people,&amp;quot; Lenkert says. Also serve two nonalcoholic options, such organic sodas in unique flavors, Sparkling Fruit Punch or Berry Lemonade Iced Tea. And always have chilled ice water on hand; add some flair by filling pitchers with any combination of lemon, lime, orange and cucumber slices and mint. \u2022 Make sure your signature cocktail is colorful, which is easy to do since bright punches and sangria are a big trend now. Try our Blush Sangria or Tickled Pink; serve in pitchers that you can fill before the party and store in the fridge. \u2022 Sparkling wine\u2014prosecco or cava\u2014feels festive, is versatile and is cheaper than Champagne. &amp;quot;They&amp;#039;re really refreshing, easier-drinking than Champagne, and you can mix them to stretch your party dollar,&amp;quot; says Bussen. Mix in fresh juice or ginger ale, like in this Citrus Champagne recipe.      SETUP Figuring out seating can be frustrating\u2014but it doesn&amp;#039;t have to be. Forget ordering chairs: Borrow from neighbors, pull indoor furniture outside (call it boho-chic!) and create inviting lounge areas with blankets and big pillows on the lawn. You actually don&amp;#039;t want most of your guests sitting\u2014it&amp;#039;ll kill the energy. Aim to have seating for 40 percent of your crowd, Naylor says. \u2022 Create what Bussen calls &amp;quot;pacing stations.&amp;quot; Arrange tables and seating in various areas, and place different foods and drinks at each station to encourage people to move around. \u2022 Music is essential. Use an iPod or MP3 player to create a playlist, and arrange wireless speakers around your space. Dinner parties call for soft background music; casual garden parties can be more high-energy. \u2022 In addition to ground seating, place several high tables without chairs around your lawn. Guests can rest their food and drink on them and they&amp;#039;ll have a place to lean on during conversation. \u2022 Bundle utensils in napkins for easy placement (at each plate for formal occasions; at the end of a buffet table). \u2022 Use table decoration sparingly. Don&amp;#039;t overcrowd food stations with flowers or other centerpieces\u2014they&amp;#039;ll just get in the way. \u2022 Use the rule of two for the entire buffet table: two lines of people, one on each side; two serving spoons in each dish; two sets of plates and utensils at each end.      OTHER PARTY POINTERS With a little preparation, you can save yourself a lot of headache at the party. Start a few days in advance to ensure you have everything\u2014including time to yourself to relax. \u2022 Naylor suggests you plan for 2.5 plates per person and at least 2 glasses for the first hour and 1 glass for every hour after. For napkins, once you&amp;#039;ve purchased what you need, throw in one more package. \u2022 Get your lawn cut a day before the party\u2014but avoid watering it! If you have to water, and are planning on offering picnic-style seating, Lenkert suggests using thin waterproof mattress covers instead of tarps. They&amp;#039;re softer, more effective and don&amp;#039;t make any crunchy noises when you sit. \u2022 Make sure there are no flagstone pavers sticking up that people can trip and fall on. And keep this in mind: If you&amp;#039;re hosting a large party, such as an at-home wedding or graduation party, Naylor recommends contacting an insurance company to get a special event rider for that day. Accidents\u2014and lawsuits\u2014happen, even among friends. \u2022 Spray the perimeter of your lawn with nontoxic bug spray two hours before the event. It&amp;#039;s also a good idea to create a pest station (away from the food), with a mix of nontoxic bug sprays and lotions that guests can use. Placing nontoxic insect repellent candles in various areas of your yard will help as well. \u2022 Given the fluctuating weather in spring, keep throw blankets, portable heaters and canopies on hand. \u2022 Forgo party favors. Unless you have the time (and craftiness) to make gifts yourself, you&amp;#039;re wasting money on trinkets that won&amp;#039;t be used, and certainly not as appreciated as the time, money and energy you&amp;#039;ve spent hosting!    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/a4867/plan-the-ultimate-spring-party-105881/>