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Tips for planning a good cocktail party

Cocktail parties give people the chance to mingle and network in a relaxed space. Allowing a diverse group of people to socialize with one another while enjoying fun cocktails, wine, and beer, as well as finger foods. But like any social gathering cocktail parties require quite a bit of planning here are some tips on how to plan a good cocktail party.

Select a theme.
Organizing a themed cocktail party may seem like an over-complicated task but depending on the theme, themed cocktail parties may be much easier to plan than those without themes. Having a themed cocktail party can give you direction in terms of planning the how you decorate your venue, choosing the live entertainment and most importantly planning the menu.

Planning a menu.
The menu for most if not all cocktail parties is usually comprised of hors d'oeuvres, which are small, savory finger foods that can be eaten in one or two bites. To understand why hors d'oeuvres are the food of choice in cocktail parties all one must do is think about what has a cocktail party unique in comparison to other planned social gatherings. The point of a cocktail party is to offer friends and family the chance to mingle and network. Having a menu that requires your guests, to sit at tables and eat would lead to your guests only socializing with the people seated at their table. Because hors d'oeuvres are small remember to make sure you serve enough food to replace a meal for each one of your guests.

Serving your guests
Formal cocktail parties usually feature a butler service, meaning you will have several waiters passing hors d'oeuvres and drinks on trays. An alternative serving style would a buffet table, this is usually for more relaxed cocktail parties and as well as for hosts that are on a tight budget. But if you want to go all out you could combine the two serving styles, having most the food in on a buffet table with the waiters passing a few hot items or drinks.

The cocktails
A cocktail party wouldn't be a cocktail party without cocktails, and this is where the advantages of having a themed cocktail party shine through. Planning your drinks according to your theme would give your guest something to talk about an example of this would be a beach themed cocktail party serving Piña Coladas and Caipirinhas. A good host serves drinks to the guest from the start of the party till the end, you can wait a bit before serving the food but drinks must be served right away, preferably the moment your guest walk in. If serving themed drinks on a tray is a little too much for your wallet, you could opt for a bar service instead and serve sparkling wine on trays.

Planning a cocktail party is a lot of work especially if you want yours to be the topic of discussion for years to come. Luckily The Boys Catering is here to help, with more than 15 years' experience in the catering and hospitality industry, Llewellyn Jacobsz and his team of chefs and 'front of house' managers will make sure that you and your guest have an unforgettable experience.

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Boosting your celebrations.

An industry on the rise nowadays is the catering industry. Catering companies nowadays have improved their skills and techniques. Catering companies have become more aware and now know that the market does not only consist of serving food, it now also consists of taking care of all the other additional preparations that are part of the events like selecting the theme, preparing a menu, arranging tables, taking care of all the drinks (alcoholic and none alcoholic drinks) and many other things.

Make sure your party or event is a celebration to remember
There are many catering companies that can help you host and set up an incredible event on any type of budget. Catering companies will give you outstanding services to make sure a party, wedding or any other type of celebration is one to remember.

Catering companies will make sure that they provide you with the best quality service possible because they value all their customers and want you to have an unbelievable experience. The increase in demand for catering services in the market has also increased the demand of professional caterers. The catering industry is often a twenty four hour industry.

Catering is more than just about food
Food catering is where it all started and is still the most important thing at an event. We live in a time where food catering is not enough anymore, people now require extra things which range from entertainment, decorating the venue, arranging tables and much more.

There are so many other small things that will either make or break your event
These things can range from the quality of the dinnerware, tables, chairs, music too many other things to mention. Those little things are very important if you want your event to be a successful one. So when hiring a catering company make sure it is a professional catering company because a bad catering company can ruin your event. So whenever you consider either throwing a party or you just want to host a corporate event consider hiring a catering company to help you with your entire events playing and hosting. The Boys Catering will organise your entire event including any hiring of crockery, tables, chairs, and décor, and will provide a full bar service if required. Waiters and baristas will ensure guests are served efficiently. We also have many suggestions for a wide variety of live entertainment from classical quartets, jazz ensembles, DJs, fire dancers and lots more to ensures the right atmosphere

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Bredalee Spies
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!
I shared the cupcakes with the all the ladies at the office and they definitely vote that these are the BEST red velvet cupcakes they have ever tasted. Please thank The Boys Catering (Llewellyn) on my behalf .......... don't forget the big hug :)
Barker Tilly, Melrose Arch

Leanne Salotto
The baby shower was awesome thank you and the food was absolutely SPECTACULAR! We will definitely recommend your services. Thank you so much, the service and food was amazing. Thank You & Kind Regards.

Sabrina Forbes
You are an absolute star, I don't know what I would have done without you! Thank you so much for offering up your home for this, I am sure it will be an unforgettable day for the kids. :) We can use a portion of the R2 000 venue hire towards the face painter? That would be amazing thank you! I cannot thank you enough! I can't wait to see the photos... I am going to recommend you to everyone I know, your service has been out of this world!