MN Wedding Planner | Hosting your First Holiday Gathering

Hosting your first holiday gathering as a couple is a big deal! Be it a party of four or a party of 20, you want to be prepared to create the perfect environment for your friends and family. Our top five tips for making it successful are:

Decide on a guest list (we'll tell you this is the first step in planning your wedding too)
Decide on a theme
Plan a menu with your skill level in mind
Involve your friends and family in the process
Don't stress!

Since this was an inspiration shoot, we knew we were keeping our guest list short and sweet.

We decided on decor with a Kate Spade theme (because she's amazing and the preppy colors are so fun around the holidays)! For floral, we did a color block look with all of one color floral in each vase (using: Alstroemeria and doubled tulips in vibrant red and peonies and spray roses in hot pink accented with fresh green boxwood in etched gold vases). This is easy to do at home and still gives a luxurious look for a tablescape…not to mention it can cut costs. We accented the florals with beautiful gold accents from the plates, flatware, and glassware. It also elevated the decor to convey a "holiday ready" look.

Because we love to cook, but also have amazing friends that happen to make delicious desserts, we created the main meal and left the dessert to our friends. In our family holiday gatherings, ham & apples are a staple, so they were no-brainers for us. We also love to nosh and nibble while we wait, so we knew that appetizers were a must (be sure to scroll to the bottom for recipes)!