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Holiday-Party Planning Simplified

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  • EasyDoesIt

    Your December schedule is booked solid. You’ve said yes to a dozen parties — and have your fingers crossed everyone can come to your soiree. And, while it was easy to pick out just the right outfit, it's not so simple planning the actual event.

    Should there be cocktails? Where will everyone sit? Is it appropriate to cover everything in glitter? Don’t panic. We’ve called in the experts and they have all the answers. Ahead, the top 16 tips for throwing a party without a hitch, courtesy of London’s top interiors stylists, writers, and style bloggers.

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  • Angel-Adoree-Dressing-the-table-by-Lauren-Mitchell
    Photo: Courtesy of Laura Mitchell. Angel Adoree is author of The Vintage Tea Party, The Vintage Tea Party Year, and The Vintage Sweets Book and founder of Vintage Patisserie where she plans tea parties, gives hairstyle advice, and teaches hospitality courses. Follow her party tips for a standout soiree.

    Get personal
    "Think outside convention when dressing the table. I like to use chessboards, goldfish bowls filled with rose heads or pearls. For the more experimental, think outdoors! I always dress my table with Barnibus — my fake crow and some vintage monocles!"
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  • Angel-Adoree-teacups
    Photo: Courtesy of Mitchell Beazley. Mix up your dinner service
    "Gone are the days when everything needs to match! Do make sure that your teacup and saucer match, as these are made for one and other. But, that is your only rule!"
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  • Angel-Adoree-vintage-fair-by-Keith-Bloomfield
    Photo: Courtesy of Keith Bloomfield. Go retro
    "Thrifting is my favorite pastime and I love local boot fairs, antique shops, auction houses, garage sales, charity shops, and of course, online. Don’t necessarily look under vintage headings though, as others will be looking for the same things. Great vintage discoveries are often best found outside of vintage environments, so get yourself up early and go exploring to search them out!"
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Richard Bowen. Do you refer to your flat as a bijoux palace? Anna Tobin is an interiors stylist and editor of Don’t Cramp Our Style, a blog full of big ideas for little places.

    Hit the lights
    "Bright overhead lighting will make people feel that they are still at work and will do nothing for anyone's looks either. If you have dimmer switches set them down low or, better still, rely on table and floor lamps. You can use a few carefully positioned, subtly scented candles, too, if they can burn safely. Think Jo Malone or Diptyque."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Simon Pearce. Keep it classy
    "Whilst plastic and paper glasses, plates, and cutlery makes the clear up process a whole load easier, it will cheapen the effect you are trying to achieve. Many supermarkets and off-licenses have a free glass-loan service. And, if you want to keep the washing up down, stick to finger food."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Sana Keefer Wathington. Transform your space
    "Your friends probably come around all the time, so this time they come you want to make your home look a bit different. With clever use of lighting, careful placement of furniture, and enticingly displayed food and drink, your place will quickly take on the feel of a sophisticated club. Unless you're having a sit-down dinner party, move the chairs away from your dining table and keep this for food and drink. Group the chairs in little clusters so people can sit down and chat. Push the coffee table into the corner, too, so that people can rest their drinks there. [They can] sit down on the rug...and dance [there] when things get a bit livelier later on."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Andrew Boyd. Arianna Trapani and Carole King are founders and joint editors-in-chief of Heart Home magazine, a digital lifestyle magazine and quarterly publication celebrating interior décor. If you don't mind a little DIY in your party planning, these tips are for you.

    Always add flowers
    "Casual arrangements, like flowers or branches in tin cans or empty jars, always look pretty and they really lift a space up!"
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Alexis Gordon. Repurpose what you already have
    "Old jam jars can also be used instead of glasses. Just add a drinking straw and a sticky label for adding names. This makes sure that everyone can find their own drink and it can even be an incentive to make new friends."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Andrew Boyd. Make it personal
    "It’s all in the details, so think of incorporating some personal touches. A great example is pretty handmade place settings. These can make any table arrangement that extra bit special."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Renée S. Suen. Felicity Cloake is a writer, food journalist, and author of Perfect Host: 162 Recipes for Feeding People and Having Fun.

    Keep it simple
    "Festive favourites like sticky sausages, devils on horseback (soak the prunes in booze first), sausage rolls, spiced nuts, and blue-cheese thins can all be prepared well in advance. Just stick the sausage rolls in the oven to warm through before serving. Bulk them out with big bowls of good-quality salted crisps and (of course) some mince pies. (Go for the miniature ones: People always lose interest in big ones after a few bites, and abandon them for you to find the next day.)"
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Iris. It's not a booze cruise
    "Few will be disappointed by an ice bucket full of fizz (well-chosen Prosecco, cava or new world wines tend to be better value than cheaper Champagnes), but you could also go for a festive punch like a mulled cider, a cranberry, apple, and vodka number decorated with slices of orange and cinnamon sticks, or even a keg of seasonal craft beer or cider depending on taste. People will bring their own favourites, so even if you only offer one drink, they won’t be spoilt for choice."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Karina. Spread the word!
    "Make it snappy! Text, email, Facebook, whatever works for you, but do it fast, because the people make the party and at this time of year nights get booked up fast. Another thing: It may sound stupid, but we’ve all done it — remember to provide vital details like the date, the time, the address...and, very possibly, the theme."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Keira-Anne Mellis. Hannah Shuckburgh is the author of The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings and a stylist. What she doesn't know about dinner parties, isn't worth knowing.

    Make a centrepiece
    "Even those of us who are all fingers and thumbs when it comes to craft can make the prettiest Christmas-y centrepiece. Take your cue from traditional ones but, give it a modern spin. All you need it a foam brick, beeswax candles, ivy, and berries. Soak the foam in water then push candles in as far as they’ll go. Then stick leaves and berries in until the foam is covered."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Deann Barrera. Embrace little bowls and dishes
    "Everything looks better decanted. Tip salt and pepper into flat dishes and put condiments into tumblers with little spoons."
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  • Photo: Courtesy of Charlotte Bland. Mix it up
    "Real cloth napkins will elevate even the smallest gathering to something very special. Create a mismatched set by buying half-metre lengths of different fabrics and hemming the four edges with an iron on a table. Go for a clashing theme — pinks and reds or lots of different stripes."
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