Smashing Party Ideas
Love-5
SMASHING PARTY IDEAS
We love a lawn party! This one is particularly tennis focused because we’re obsessed but croquet, badminton and bocce are all lawn games you can play if a tennis court isn’t handy.
1. Attire: People love a reason to get dressed up. We went with a white theme because it reminds us of the of The Great Gatsby era which inspires our collection; plus it was Wimbledon finals.
2. Catering: It’s easy to get carried away with gimmicks but we tried to limit it to just a few. Keep the appetizers classic then play with the serving platters and presentation. Golf tees as toothpicks, vintage tennis racket servers and sweat band koozies are fun and had a purpose.
3. Specialty cocktails: A satellite bar is always appreciated, especially when lines get long at the main bar. For our launch party we partnered with our favorite wine shop in Wainscott and served their signature Rose. We featured our Hedgerose collection nearby to echo the color scheme at the table. It was primely placed at the entrance to the party, pre-poured and self serve which is comforting to folks when they get jammed up saying hello to people upon entering and can’t get to the main bar soon enough! At least this way it’s in view and the drool is manageable.
4. Flowers: It’s always nice to work with local specimen. We echoed what was growing in the garden not only because it was abundant, cost efficient and set the white theme off nicely. We used white tennis balls made for grass courts to block the stems and offer a nice base to keep them in place.
5. Swag: Everyone loves free stuff. Keeping with the white theme and echoing the margarita koozie the wristbands were dual purpose. We made monogrammed wrist bands for all the guests. Other gifts could be signature golf tees, baseball hats with the date of the party and a fun iconic logo so people who were there can remember it and say they were “there”.
A special thank you to Hamptons Cottages & Gardens who published this in their Labor Day issue 2016. All photographs taken by Doug Young. To see the story online
http://www.cottages-gardens.com/Hamptons-Cottages-Gardens/September-2016/Antonia-DiPaolo-Meagan-Ouderkirk-Hedge-Tennis-Golf-Sportswear-Cocktail-Party/