As some of you know, my sister sells handbags. This Sunday she is having a handbag sale at Perfect Settings - just in time to kick off the Holiday Season! Guys, come take a sneak peek for your wife - she’ll be surprised you had such good taste… Girls, come in and start that “I bought this for myself as a treat” gift. I’ve seen the bags.. they are gorgeous!!
There will be no pushy sales people and everything will be cash and carry.
When: Sunday, November 8th
Time: 3 pm
At: Perfect Settings
Call with questions.
Hope to see you there,
Daisy

People dread Holiday entertaining mostly because they feel like they can’t host parties with flair. People with flair need not be concerned. The following is information for the rest of us that require Holiday direction.
When I started research to write this I thought “No wonder people despise hosting parties the plethora of information is overwhelming!” However, it doesn’t have to be. It’s pretty simple if you keep it simple. Consider a holiday get together as dinner for you and your family but at a larger scale. In reality that’s really what it is.
According to the Buitoni website, the only site I found that didn’t have information overload, Holiday parties are easy and simple:
Serve 4-5 bite-sized dishes. People like to eat while they drink, and some may use this as dinner. Think big flavors – people won’t be eating a whole plate of it, so aim to impress in one or two bites. Serve one or two meat dishes and a vegetarian dish. Buitoni suggests a crudité be served. I disagree. As someone that has events or entertains just about every weekend of the year, crudités are hardly ever eaten. Guests will sample the carrots and celery but that’s about it. If you plan to serve a veggie tray try spicing it up a bit. Buy nice Greek olives, asparagus, stuffed jalapeño peppers or any other veggie. Be sure to sear them on the grill. I promise it will always get eaten. Planning on this going late? Then make one plate of dessert bites (hint: little cookies always work). If you don’t have time to bake cookies don’t let that upset you… Columbia has a wonderful Market House with many different cookie vendors. I’ve tasted every vendor’s cookies that are sold there … I would serve these at the most elaborate of events.
Plan your food strategy in advance. Have the cold starters plated in the fridge – just pull off the plastic wrap and set them out. Keep warm ones in the oven on very low heat so all you have to do is plate them and set them out. Periodically check the table and remove any empty or nearly-empty plates. And make sure you have receptacles for olive pits, used toothpicks and shrimp tails. Preplanning your event is the difference between a good event and a fabulous event. The last thing you want is to have guests start arriving to find you with your hair still wet and not a stitch of makeup on.
Best of the rest. Remember to have plenty of mixers (tonic water, mineral water, dry vermouth, orange & cranberry juice should suffice), as well as lime and lemon wedges and good olives. Provide some good wine and beer for those that don’t like liquor and some classy non-alcoholic choices for people that don’t like all the above. For equipment, a cocktail shaker and strainer, enough glassware plus at least one corkscrew and bottle opener and a small knife. Consider serving one special drink for the evening. Margaritas? Mojitos? Sidecars? You decide.
A good host is a safe host. Always, encourage guests to drink responsibly. Remember, your job as host is to make sure everyone has a good time, and to make sure everyone gets home safely. Have phone numbers for taxi services handy, and don’t be afraid to take the keys of someone who’s had too many. It should go without saying but a good host is also a sober host. A host should be ready to party at least ½ hour before any of the guests are expected to arrive.
Expect the unexpected. Sometimes a great party is an impromptu party. Having nice serving trays, store-bought raw cookies, olives (that you can toss in garlic and olive oil), cheese, table water crackers, pepperoni, chicken wings, ice and plenty of drinks on hand will get you out of any party pinch. You can prepare any of the above and be ready to mingle with your guests in a matter of 15 minutes. No party needs to be complicated. Be sure to rearrange furniture so that guests can move freely without knocking over items. With a little organization you can confidently say “Bring on the Holiday Parties!”

Devastated and shocked just doesn’t sum it up.
No words… just music.
A tribute to Missy Glenn.

This week I saw my first Christmas commercial on TV. Two things happened to me… first I was surprised, then I was depressed. It’s officially 2 months until Christmas. Let’s forget the fact that Halloween and Thanksgiving are celebrated before the big holiday… in the grand scheme of the advertisers, they don’t count. This means that the count down is starting. It’s time to bring on the fliers, Christmas carols, 50% off savings, lack of parking, gift lists, “mommy can I haves” and parties.
You and I can remember the last few days before Christmas last year when we vowed that Christmas would no longer sneak up on us. We were going to get a head start next year. Vowed, remember? So instead of letting the hustle and bustle of Christmas overwhelm us all, let’s start planning now. I know that sounds simplistic but simplifying helps during the Holidays.

1. Prioritize. Prioritizing is always #1 and holds true with all of these tips. I often tell my clients; don’t sacrifice, prioritize! If you normally send out 50 Christmas cards and that task always overwhelms you, go through your list and prioritize. Does that co-worker from two jobs ago really stay in touch with you? Is he going to miss that one Christmas card from you this year? Probably not.

2. Make your gift lists and set a budget. When you make that list of people you like gifting to, set a dollar limit to each recipient. Even if you go over just a little you’ll feel better by knowing that when you’re shopping you have a set budget per person.

3. Start saving. You can do this in a multitude of ways. Force yourself to put $20 away per week in an envelope. Cut out going out for lunch for October and November and put that lunch money aside. Skip happy hour a couple of times. You’ll be surprised how quickly and how much you will accumulate over a few week’s time. However you do it just be sure to save.

4. Shop early. I know that when you shop early you always have that nagging thought in the back of your mind; “if I wait until closer to Christmas, this will go on sale!” Truth be told, it may… but it also may not. You may realize all too late that your item is the hot item of the season. Do you want to take that chance? Plus if you wait until December to buy it you’ll have to contend with the crowds. This elevates your overwhelm scale. If you see it, buy it and save your receipt. If it goes on sale you can take your receipt back to the store and most stores will honor the sale price and refund your overage.

5. Breathe! We go back to #1… being overwhelmed is not the reason for the season. Is it really necessary to be that overwhelmed? Take care of yourself and your blood pressure. Remember there are only 4 Saturdays in December. If you can’t attend every Holiday Party that you’ve been invited to, graciously decline. The host will appreciate the RSVP and will understand. If not and the host begins to badger you by saying “just stop in for a few minutes” and you know that you have volunteered to bring in a full Christmas breakfast to Church the next day, it truly is ok to just say no, you can’t do it. You’ll be happy that you did.

In the end remember, the Holidays are a time to be surrounded by friends that you love, family that you cherish and memories that you will be making. You won’t remember in ten years that you forgot to make the homemade eggnog for your Christmas gathering. Enjoy your company and be joyful for another year of celebrating.

Last month we went vineyard hopping down the east coast. I’m not an avid photographer, as a matter of fact I normally forget to take pictures. We are mostly interested in the process of making wine then we are in drinking it… well, I AM… Tony may differ on that one. At any rate, I’m not sure what the allure of vineyards is but being among wine is so romantic. The vineyards, the bistros in the vineyards, the manufacturing of it and finally the wine tastings… it’s all an awesome experience. No wonder many brides choose to honeymoon along the vineyards. It’s a beautiful place to be not to mention after drinking a few it’s also a happy place to be.

Along the way we stopped and visited friends and family. The pictures are mixed up so that’s the answer to that question. Notice, I took more pictures of the dogs then of our beloveds - that’s not to say we didn’t have a spectacular time with everyone.

I can verify… the social media bug has not bitten me. As a matter of pure fact, I can not - for the life of me - figure out how business owners keep up with all of these posts. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and blogs. Truly way too much work for this business owner. I update my blog and people ask me where I’ve been on Twitter. I update my twitter and people ask why I’ve abandoned Facebook…. and so the story goes… I digress… you win… I can’t keep up! Even with my crackberry, I just can’t keep everything fresh and try to run a profitable business. I’m not sure how everyone else is doing it but I can tell you from this little corner office, it’s not going to happen from me. If I really want to know that you’re headed to Park City, I’ll ask. If you have an announcement for an upcoming event, I’ll wait until I see you at the very many networking meetings that all business owners are expected to attend - you can tell me then.
So, if you’ve wondered where I’ve been… I’ve been here tweeting, facebooking, linkedining and trying to update my blog. But if you really do need me…for crying out loud, try the old fashioned telephone. Remember that thing?

Reminding all those music geeks; this Saturday is the Jazz Night at 8 pm right here at the Perfect, Perfect Settings.

I’m not quite sure why this struck me to be so funny. Hope you like it as much as me.

Two guys were discussing popular family trends on sex, marriage, and family values.
Stu said, ‘I didn’t sleep with my wife before we got married, did you?’
Leroy replied, ‘I might have, what was her maiden name?’

Let’s cut a rug swaying to jazz….
Perfect Settings has joined forces with the very talented Coopers, from Columbia, to bring you a fine night of jazz. Mitch and Jeannie have put together a great compilation of music to satisfy the most pickiest of guests. Be sure to reserve your tickets today… we’re expecting a full house.
Feel free to bring a bottle of your favorite wine or beverage.
See you there!

Going to the Chapel… now what?

I remember reading somewhere that the beautiful Teri Hatcher was walking out of the ceremony site for her friend and coworker, Eva Longoria. Teri, of course, was breaking all the rules of dress. She wore a powder blue prom dress – I might add she was really wearing that dress, which helps. There was a caption next to the picture that said something like: “At times, the usual rules of fashion etiquette don’t apply to the famous.” Nooooo! You don’t say. The article went on to tell the normal wedding-goer the dos and don’ts of wedding apparel. They would apply to you and me.
Rachael Donaldson the host of Bravo’s “Project Runway” had some great tips about what to wear to a wedding. The rules are simple but sometimes I’m taken aback at what people wear to corporate meetings when the memo clearly states; business attire. Being in the thick of wedding season I don’t want to assume that guests know how to dress. So, I’m going to review Donaldson’s rules here.
1. When you receive the invitation, look for clues. If it’s an evening affair (after 5 pm) you’d be safe to wear a black gown or tux but if the invite says “Family Homestead or Farm” or “County Park” or something like “on the sunny beach of…” you may want to heed the warning and forgo the gown and wear a simple dress or dressy slacks. Should the invite have lots of pages, tissue papers and response cards on beautiful paper, it signals that this is a more formal event.
2. When in doubt, overdress. Donaldson states that “you can always take off your tie and unbutton your shirt” if it’s casual. There’s a huge however coming along here…. However, I’ve seen mothers of the brides, mothers of the grooms, guests and family show up in a very beautiful gown but it’s two sizes too small or worse yet too revealing. Don’t do it guys. And for you brides; don’t loose sleep over what so-and-so is wearing, if they ask for your opinion please be frank! – you’ll be happy that you were.
3. Don’t overdo it. It’s really distracting if you wear something inappropriate. Do not consider this a night out with the hubby when you feel like taking advantage because you lined up a baby sitter. In other words, don’t look like you’re going clubbing.
4. Black is a go, white is a no. I know that some say that it’s better for a summer wedding to choose navy blue instead of black because black isn’t “universally flattering” and can look more funeral-like than festive… I disagree. If done properly anyone can look fabulous in black unless you’re wearing that power suit that you gave a presentation to the board. Don’t wear white. Period.
5. Be discreet. This is a good one. If your dress is very sexy wear a wrap to the church. There are still some things in this world that are still being held sacred. That’s a church sanctuary. Have the big reveal at the reception so to speak. Take off that beautiful wrap at the reception site. This is a good place to show off your shoulders.

In a nut shell Diane Forden, the Editor-in-Chief of Bridal Guide magazine says this:
Morning: Light fabrics, dresses knee-length, accessories discreet.
Afternoon: Be festive but refine with a sleeveless dress, open-toe shoes (but I have to interject here… why do we, in Lancaster County, wear stockings with opened-toe shoes? Please, NO STOCKINGS!!!). Along with your airy outfit add a classy clutch and bangles to your ensemble.
Evening: Wear a chic cocktail dress or gown when specified on the invite. Color is good even dark colors but avoid bold prints.
Destination: A printed sundress is acceptable, beaded flip-flop thongs or metallic flats and a silky fringed shawl are perfect for a beach wedding.
Before doing all of this be sure to RSVP on time. Which is a great segue; don’t add a guest unless the second envelope in the invitation specifically says you can. The inner envelope will say: Ms. C. Smith and guest. If it doesn’t don’t assume that you can bring someone. Don’t even dare to ask the bride if it’s ok. Trust me, she is counting on you to come alone. Lastly, don’t return your response card with a note jotted on it; “I’d like to sit with my cousin from Virginia, Claudia, but don’t sit us with Harry.” That’s tacky.

Daisy Pagan is a principal owner of Perfect Settings, 200 Locust St., Columbia. She studied Event Coordinating at Temple University and has been bringing together fabulous events for over 14 years before starting her business. Perfect Settings is a premiere reception venue that is very modern and chic. Perfect Settings specializes in extraordinary and elegant events. Daisy can be reached at 684-4455. www.perfectsettings.net or daisy@PerfectSettings.net