The Day After

Well, our Halloween party last night was a great success. While we were disappointed that a couple of our friends couldn't make it at the last minute, there was a great mix of about sixty (mostly) costume-clad guests filling our house and yard. All the planning made things a lot easier, and the food won raves. Great costumes this year, with lots of originality and work put into the winning outfits. (We passed out ballots, counted the votes and awarded bottles of wine and gift cards to the winners.) The kids had fun too, meeting new friends, bobbing for apples and eating far more cupcakes and cookies than their parents would have liked.

So, now the clean-up begins. It may horrify some of you perfectionists out there, but we actually take a couple of days to get things completely disassembled. We use plastic plates, so they get thrown away and cans and bottles put in recycle bin. Of course, it's important after guests leave to get perishable food put (and/or thrown) away. I always put some of the dips and snacks in plastic containers in the refrigerator so we can enjoy "grazing" over the next couple of days. (Oftentimes, we're so busy playing host that we don't get to tryly enjoy the food during the party.) Things that simply won't keep get thrown away. Particularly messy serving pieces go into the sink with water to soak. And one load of dishes goes into the dishwasher.

This morning after and throughout the day, we'll continue to periodically wash dishes, both by hand and in the dishwasher. We won't worry about putting them away until all are clean. It's much easier to put everything away all at once. So, for a couple of days, the dining room table is again full--this time with empty serving pieces.

This afternoon, we'll strike our outdoor rooms and put tables and chairs in the garage. We'll leave many of the lights and decorations in the front yard up for our annual crush of trick-or-treaters to enjoy next week. So, slowly but surely, we'll return the house to "normal." No rush though...it's fun to have things around to help us remember a wonderful event.

The day after is also the time to do a "post-mortem." When I have my professional event planning hat on, my team and I always sit down after an event and talk about what went well and what didn't. What we can fix for next time and what we've learned. Most importantly, we WRITE IT DOWN. Those notes become invaluable the next time we do a similar event. prevents us from making the same mistakes all over again.

So, I do the same thing after a big party at home. Go back through and take a mental inventory of what guests seemed most pleased with. (Our various seating areas outdoors and indoors were big hits this year.) What foods people flocked to and what was left over. And even what foods were simply too much work for the final result. (That's the "return on investment" test for me. This year I tried some Sausage Stiffed Fried Olives. They were delicious, but simply took too much time and effort for a complicated party of this size. I'll keep them in the file for a smaller cocktail party sometime. And I'll share the recipe with you in the next month or so.) There are also usually a couple of planned dishes that I ran out of time on or that simply didn't work and don't ever even make it to the buffet table.

So, while I won't bore you with all the details--my day after notes go into such detail that I include suggested quantities of cheese and other things to buy next year based on what was left over and /or thrown away--here are a couple of things I learned that you might take as hints for your next big shindig.

GET SOME HELP. The last hour or so before a party is always a busy time. But, for this particular event, it's simply too busy. Getting in costume, lighting what seems like a million candles inside and out, and assembling and serving all the food is simply too much for the two of us. So, next year, I am going to recruit a friend who knows their way around the kitchen to help for the couple of hours before guests arrive. In exchange for a nice dinner and/or bottle of wine, we'll have someone who can assist us with the last-minute rush.

"LABEL" OUR PARTY FOODS. The buffet looked great and everyone enjoyed the food. But I found myself having to explain what this dip was or what was on that particular canape. Next year, I am going to make small neatly-written (or type set on the computer) labels for all the dishes on the table. It helps people know what they're enjoying and might even encourage folks to try things they can't identify upon first glance.

HAVE A COSTUME PARADE. People are getting more and more serious about the costume contest that is a part of this party. In the past, people were always able to roam around and see who was wearing what. We had so many people last night (and a few latecomers) that not everyone saw everyone else before the voting started. So, next year, I think we'll invite all the contestants out on the deck and let folks show their outfits off before the voting actually begins.

So, there are a few of our lessons learned. And that's what this whole entertaining thind is all about...learning from our successes and mistakes and making things even better next time. Practice definitely makes perfect, even in party planning. So, do your post-mortem and jot some notes down for next year. You'll be surprised at how valuable they will be...and you'll be throwing (nearly) perfect parties in no time!