KIMBERLY WHITMAN, STYLE AND ETIQUETTE EXPERT, holds your hand through creating a fun-filled soiree without stress. Her book organizes the process of planning and hosting a party, from the earliest inception to working with a budget, choosing a venue, hiring catering and musicians, creating a guest list and invitations, decorating, seating, stocking a bar, photography, entertainment, favors and attire-in essence, organizing every last detail for hosting a successful party for any occasion.
Kimberly Schlegel Whitman has built an entrepreneurial empire around her flair for entertaining. She has been featured on The Early Show, Fine Living and HGTV WB in the Morning, Designing America and was also a featured event planner on the Style Network's hit show Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? Kimberly is the author of Tablescapes and The Pleasure of Your Company. She lives in Dallas, Texas.
Your guide for organizing and hosting a successful soiree
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Kimberly Schlegel is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with an Honors degree in Art History. In 1999, Kimberly started a company, RSVP - Soiree Party Rentals, that advises others when planning the most important events in their young adult lives. Kimberly has traveled extensively, visiting such exotic locales as Turkey, Bali, Hong Kong, Italy, and Greece often providing her with inspiration for her events. She currently lives in Dallas, Texas.
When planning a party in a restaurant or other commercial establishment, there are a few simple things that can get the party started right:
Request a special area for your guests to gather and enjoy a pre-dinner drink.
Ask the restaurant to have some nibbles on the table as people are seated. Fresh bread or a selection of dips and vegetables are good options because these can be served at room temperature.
If you are serving more than eight people, pre-select two or three options for them to choose from to make the ordering and serving of dinner more efficient.
Pre-order a selection of desserts for your guests to enjoy. No one will want to be the first to order a dessert, but if you arrange for a tray of desserts to be on the table, most people will have a few bites.
If you are hiring help, you will need one bartender per 50 drinks for an open bar. If you are serving only wine and champagne, you can have one bar tender per 75 drinks.
MIND YOUR MANNERS
Send your waiter the message that you are ready to order by closing your menu or turning it over on the table.
PLATES SHOULD BE SERVED FROM THE LEFT AND REMOVED FROM THE RIGHT.
With a talent for making the ordinary extraordinary Kimberly Schlegel Whitman has taken her original and clever take on parties and created an entrepreneurial empire. While planning her own Idlewild Debutante Ball in Dallas, Texas, Kimberly found an undiscovered opportunity--a lack of quality goods for party rentals. In 1998, a quick thinking Kimberly launched her own event company, RSVP Soiree Luxury Event Rentals, and, after building up a wonderful business, she sold it in 2006. She also took the century old RSVP Social Calendar online in 1999 and continues to maintain this comprehensive list of Dallas' finest charitable events at www.RSVPcalendar.com. Her success in this field led to the publication of four books on entertaining, countless television appearances and a daily radio segment on Dallas' number one morning show, The Gene & Julie Show on 103.7 LITE FM. She smiles every weekday morning as co-host of Texas Living, a live lifestyle show on KTXD. Kimberly's latest project, Tablescapes: Setting the Table with Style (Gibbs-Smith, $39.95), is a book that brings focus to adding beauty to time spent with family and friends. This book brings Kimberly's passion for setting the table to life with over thirty tablescapes that are meant to inspire. The book includes tips and hints on invitations, seating of guests, and up-to-date rules of etiquette, as well as a list of resources for finding the perfect items to create your table setting, whether you want to rent or buy and whether you're designing an intimate setting with a few close friends or a table for more than a hundred guests. The project closest to Kimberly's heart is The Wedding Workbook: A Time Saving Guide for the Busy Bride (Gibbs-Smith, $24.95). The Wedding Workbook offers every bride-to-be a tool for staying organized while planning her big day. The workbook is designed to hold contracts and other official documents but it is also filled with beautiful places to fill out all of the information about the bride's gown, wedding party, reception site décor, ceremony flowers and much more. It is a great keepsake that can be pulled out on a future anniversary to reminisce. Kimberly's passion for pets is evident in her entertaining book exclusively for dog lovers, Dog Parties: Entertaining Your Party Animal (Gibbs-Smith, $19.95). Dog Parties is the essential new party planning guide that offers entertaining ideas for throwing any posh pup a fabulous soiree. From a birthday party to a "Howl-o-ween" party to an afternoon art gallery opening, Dog Parties offers great tips for planning and executing every detail of a party for your pooch. Kimberly's first book, The Pleasure of Your Company: Entertaining in High Style (Gibbs-Smith, $34.95) remains high on every hostess's list of party resources. It is filled with tips and photographs from over thirty events from across the country. Kimberly shares not only her own ideas for entertaining but also features tips from her favorite hosting mentors. From a gala evening to an intimate seated dinner, the book is a never-ending source of inspiration. Kimberly and her flourishing business have been featured in national publications such as Vanity Fair, Elle, Vogue, Town & Country, Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Businessweek, Traditional Home, Canadian House and Home, Animal Fair, Southern Lady, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Martha Stewart's Blueprint, Doggie Aficionado, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many more. She has been featured in the books, "Texas Women" and "Texans and Their Pets." Kimberly has been coroneted and "Entertaining Expert," a "Style Expert," an "Etiquette Expert," and an "Arbiter of Taste and Style" on the following television programs: The Early Show, The Tyra Banks Show, Fine Living and HGTV, WB in the Morning, Designing American, Designing Texas, Good Morning Texas, Good Day Dallas, NBC's iVillage Live and was a featured event planner on the Style Network's hit show "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" Kimberly is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with an Honors degree in Art History. Her community involvements are numerous and include: Christie's Education Program in New York City, Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Debutante, Idlewild Debutante and The National Debutante Cotillion. Kimberly donates her time to many charitable organizations including the Alzheimer's Association, The Salvation Army, The Tiffany Circle of the American Red Cross, The President's Council of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, The Advisory Board of the Brinker International Forum, Best Buddies, and was honored with the Volunteer of the Year Award by the American Heart Association. Kimberly resides in Dallas, Texas with her real estate developer husband, Justin, their son, JR, and their Chihuahua, Lola.
This is a 3-ring binder that has 13 dividers with pockets that you can use to organize party details. With each divider, there is a 1-2 page information sheet that isn't at all helpful. For example, the "Phone Book" section has a sheet of paper for you to write down the name and contact information for an event venue, a florist, a bakery, a caterer, etc. The "Menu" section has a sheet for you to write down your hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, main course, dessert, and bar items. Overall, I like the bright pink color of the binder, but as the other reviewer mentions, there just isn't any information in it. If you're looking for a book about party planning, then please understand this isn't one. The item definitely wasn't worth the price for me.
The book is pretty but I found most of the information to be fairly basic and not all that in depth or detailed. Would have liked to see recommendations for places to find certain items, more ideas for types of functions....generally not all that impressed. Sorry.
