I’ve been planning parties for awhile… Barbeques? Check. Dinner parties? Check. Weddings? You bet. But when asked to imagine the ULTIMATE PARTY my mind started firing ideas. Pow! Pow! Pow! How can I just imagine one?! So I narrowed it down to an ultimate beach party and an ultimate cocktail party. Two mood boards, two different places, two events you wouldn’t want to miss. Let me set the scene-

If I were to imagine the ULTIMATE BEACH PARTY, I wouldn’t go far from San Fran. Hello California coast! After taking a drive down the 101 with the sun roof open and the tunes blaring, swimsuit-clad guests would take off their shoes and feel the warm sand between their toes. Grab a frosty beer or watermelon agua fresca before sitting down at a table that stretches to seat two hundred of your closest friends. Chilled glass water bottles and assorted antique dishes litter the white paper covered table. A lime shrimp entree and grapefruit-avocado salad would satisfy guests before some beach games. Music by Young the Giant, John Butler Trio, and The Temper Trap can’t help but make guests throw their arms up and run into the surf. Think casual, think eclectic, think about having an afternoon to trump all other afternoons. Now travel 10,000 miles away…

The ULTIMATE COCKTAIL PARTY would start as the sun is setting over beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. My guests would be whisked up to a villa with 270 degree views of Lion’s Head, Campus Bay, and the expansive Atlantic. The infinity pool is filled with floating candles that look like they could drift right into the ocean. In between being tempted by cucumber-lime margarita jello shots and fresh cocktails masterfully mixed with local ingredients, guests would experience bright and flavorful starters. An occasional ocean breeze would cool an intimate crowd of fifty down as they jam out to the latest hits by Kid Cudi, Rihanna, and Britney. Think trendy, think luxurious, think about feeling on top of the world.

Now these descriptions are what the party guests should experience. As an event planner, I have to make sure people are having fun. Guests want to be sipping their coconut & dragon-fruit infused cocktail— not worrying about the rude valet or how they are going to eat a salad gracefully while standing up. The decor, proofreading invitations, and the cuisine are my job. Let me worry about the details, you worry about what to wear.

(Credits: Hither & Thither, SATOA, Outstanding in the Field, Cannelle et Vanille, and Pottery Barn took the photos… I turned it into a concept.)

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