00:00I promised myself in January I'd throw a dinner party every month with the goal of learning how to be the best hostess I can possibly be.
00:05We're supposed to bring dinner for eight guests.
00:07I have wanted these plates for so long.
00:12This month I really wanted to pull out all the stops which required preparation.
00:16One shot down, two to go.
00:17Let's break it down.
00:17One week in advance, any Amazon ordering.
00:19Three days in advance, any props from Target or Michaels.
00:22And the two days prior, make sure you hit the grocery store.
00:24And never make the same mistake that I did of grabbing a basket.
00:26It's too heavy.
00:27Now for the decor, this is an Italian-themed party so I decided to lean on three main pillars.
00:31One being primary and secondary colors, second being natural materials, and third being natural shapes.
00:37I used used wine bottles as my candlestick holders.
00:39I used my San Marzano tomato tins as the vases for the flowers.
00:43It was really fun to play with what we already had to make it feel like a perfect Italian restaurant.
00:47When you're using so many bright colors, you can run the risk of being a little bit kitschy-feeling.
00:50You can neutralize those bright elements by adding some wine bottles, those tomato cans, even whole ingredients like the tomatoes.
00:55So beautiful outside.
00:57So we're going to do it out here.
00:58It was too sunny not to create my whimsical florals outside.
01:01So I used these flower fogs inside of the San Marzano tomato cans to create the centerpiece.
01:05And every floral was chosen with a reason.
01:07The calla lilies add that sleek length where the ranunculus provides that whimsical curvature.
01:11And who doesn't love Cresspedia to add that little bulbous yellow bit to the top?
01:15Two hours out means that you've got to start the appetizers.
01:17I made this gorgeous Mediterranean-inspired caprese checkerboard salad situation.
01:21And it wouldn't be an Italian meal without the classic prosciutto e melone.
01:24Or would it be a dinner party without a little beverage?
01:26So we had some Aperol spritzes to kick the night off.
01:28Another big lesson I learned during this party and something I'll implement more in the future is having a hands-on activity that's rewarding and fun for the guests.
01:35While it's still your responsibility to say, turn on the oven and prep the dough, everyone gets to have a fun activity.
01:39And they get to eat it afterwards.
01:41We were absolutely feeling the love this night.
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