Planning a Holiday Party.
(and an invitation!)
Are you ready? If you are like me, this mere question strikes a bit of fear in my heart! This time of year is marked by more family gatherings, more social events, more gifts, more food, and, in general, more of most things, which seem fairly evenly distributed throughout the rest of the year. Do you feel this way too? If so, I thought I would create a list for both of us to distill the essence of the holiday gathering, and hopefully, make our journey together easier.
Each year, we host a client appreciation party, our biggest event. This year, we are also celebrating Allie’s graduation from college-what a milestone! So, combine these two significant events with the usual Thanksgiving and Holiday dinners, and we have a hectic, yet fun season ahead of us.
Here goes:
1. Take a deep breath and consider inviting a supportive, organized friend or family member to help you plan. For the Balance Design celebration, this included our BD team, especially Andrea, Allie, and Jean-Luc. It usually just helps to have one person that you can count on. We started discussing the vibe of the party this year. We also selected two artists to feature their work in our studio and showcase it to our special guests. We believe in showcasing new and emerging artists and sharing them with our clients. This is also a great way to create a unique look and color palette. I admit that this may not be a practical approach for our personal events, but the point is to consider your home/space in a new light and add a bit of surprise and curiosity to your party. So, on paper or on your computer, determine your theme, purpose, date, and location, and then start creating your guest list.
A recent photo shoot of our BD team having fun by photographer @wilderstoryhouse.
2. Secure your Helpers! Whether it’s caterers, cleaners, or, in our case, painters for the new studio look, an electrician, and, of course, asking the artists to participate. This process usually takes more time than I have, so take it one step at a time. Again with the deep breathing and calling a friend for reassurance. And then proceed with a smile and a wink.
We decided to name our Open House “Hikari”. A Japanese word that reflects both of these artists beautifully!
3. Create and send invitations-these may be paper, email, texts, or even blog posts! (wink!) Our rule of thumb is to send them out 2-3 weeks ahead of the event, because there are so many things happening at this time of year. Then we need to follow up a few times personally until the party.
A sneak peek into our newly transformed space-new blush paint stripe, new art, and new pillows.
4. Transform your space! Cleaning the studio, reworking the windows, and building momentum is easy when I am in love with the artists! (And this year, I am so in love!). If this is a get-together at your home, consider a few surprises to share. Perhaps move the dining table and enlist a DJ friend to cull a playlist for a dance floor! Or maybe have everyone bring a dish from another country, and it is a world peace party! Consider creating a game where one guest is the murderer, and the other guests must secretly ask questions to figure out the mystery.
5. Shop for Food and additional paper goods (if you need them!). I love having fun with the napkins and paper plates, so that they match the color palette. Again, I like to find items that I have not seen before. For food at my house parties, I encourage guests to bring food, because the variety and level of food quality is better than if Ed and I cook by ourselves. For Allie’s party, we are having tacos and margaritas-yes! Beach party/grad party!
6. Remind your guests (a lot) Phone calls, texts, emails, blog posts (wink), social media are all easy ways to remind your guests that they are essential and that you cannot wait to see them again! This is a crazy time of year; we often forget things when they are not right in front of us, so gently remind folks as often as possible.
7. Set up a few hours before. Again, enlist some help, turn on the music, and have some fun setting up. Fresh flowers, a beautifully arranged food spread, drinks easily accessible – all of it ready to go! Our team does this on our party date, and it is actually a blast. Everyone is bringing their “special sauce” to the preparation.
8. Relax and Have Fun! There is nothing worse than a stressed-out hostess. I have to remind myself of this. Greet each person, find out a little about what is going on in their lives, and thank them for coming. Oftentimes, people have multiple party options and they choose yours! Congratulations! Enjoy them and try to take in everything that you have created.
If you are reading this, that means that you are special to me. If you are in or near Atlanta, consider this your first (or second) invitation to our annual Open House. Our artists, Daisy Ann Dickson and Marcelle Roy, are incredible! Their work inspires me. Over the next couple of weeks, I will share more information about these two talented artists. I hope that you will share some of your precious time with us, and let us appreciate you! We have all worked hard to accomplish many things in 2025, and we deserve to celebrate together!
See you on December 4th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm! Please let me know if you have any party secrets to share. I am open and receptive to perfecting my party game!
Thank you for reading,
Stephanie