Party Charlie Party Planning Tip #15 : Party Food: When to Serve It
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Hi I’m Party Charlie, the author of Party Planning Secrets, the ultimate guide to a successful party. Today’s party planning tip is when to serve party food or, in other words, how to make a food timetable for your party. <p< < p=””> </p< <>
It’s a good idea to have a basic schedule of how you want your party to flow. If you don’t have a schedule, the cocktail “hour” may turn into three hours, and your guests will get tanked before it’s time to eat. Here are some guidelines you can use: <p< < p=””> </p< <>
1. When considering the amount of hors d’oeuvres per person during the cocktail hour, keep in mind that you want your guests to enjoy the dinner. <p< < p=””> </p< <>
2. If you’re not going to serve dinner, make sure the hors d’oeuvres are hearty. <p< < p=””> </p< <>
3. You can combine having a cocktail party and serving dessert, but I only recommend that if the cocktail party is going to be less than 1 ½ hours. <p< < p=””> </p< <>
4. Dinner parties can be a fun way of entertaining, with a hour cocktail and mingling before the dinner, leaving 1 ½ hours for dinner and a toast, and then another hour for cake cutting or dessert, and the last 30 minutes to wind down. <p< < p=””> </p< <>
5. If you’re serving for a business lunch, my suggestion to make it 2 hours makes. Trust me, when the natives get restless, their attention drops! <p< < p=””> </p< <>
6. If you’re going for an event luncheon, know that most luncheons include a three-course meal or a buffet with several choices. Allow sufficient, at least 15 minutes before the lunch for guest to mingle and leave an additional period of time after coffee and dessert to wind down the event and announcements. <p< < p=””> </p< <>
7. For weddings, you should leave at least 5 hours not including the ceremony. Dancing will probably be going on throughout the entire celebration. I would suggest one hour for cocktail party followed by a second hour for the grand entrance, first dance, and for guests to join in, before the dinner and the toast to begin. <p< < p=””> </p< <>
8. For a child’s birthday party, leave at least 2 ½ – 3 hours. And remember, keep those children entertained! Have food and beverages available from start to finish. Children seem to have their own time schedule for eating. How do I know? I used to be one! A child that is. Also, when deciding your timetable for eating, set aside a sufficient period of time for the opening of presents. <p< < p=””> <p< < p=””> </p< <></p< <>
Well that’s my tip for today. I’m Party Charlie for Actors Entertainment. Have fun and enjoy yourself! Charlie Scola, affectionately known as Party Charlie and author of “Party Planning Secrets”, is a leading innovator in the party planning industry for over 30 years providing party planning advice, entertainment, design, staffing, rentals and more. Party Charlie’s goal is to continuously deliver the newest and most unique party entertainment and supplies available making your party a huge success.<p< < p=””> </p< <>
The content of Party Charlie is courtesy of Charlie Scola, the author of “party planning secrets – the ultimate guide to a successful party.”<p< < p=””> <p< < p=””> </p< <></p< <>
For more information, please visit www.PartyCharlie.com or call Charlie directly at 310-542-1234.<p< < p=””> </p< <>
Party Charlie is a monthly show on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.