wine & cheese party for people I want to impress?
I have invited a group of people that I really want to impress. They are a group of female executives in their late 30s-early 40s. I want to do a wine and cheese thing. I have connections to get great wine & cheese-but what can I do to make the whole thing seem expensive? What music and decorations would you suggest?
Tagged with: 40s • female executives • music • wine and cheese • wine cheese
Filed under: All Things Wine
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Fresh flowers and some votive candles around the house are good for tasteful decorations.
Use your best wine glasses!
For music I would say east listening or soft jazz
no offensive but it sounds really boring but i would say classical music and get grapes. try Good Charlotte for music O.o
brie cheese is good, and almost anyone likes red wine. I also think that some light big band or swing would go good. Like Bing Crosby, or maybe even Michael Buble. I would go for as little decorations as possible. Maybe some prints of famous paintings. Put all the effort into the stemwear and plates and serving setups, thats where most of the attention will be anyways.
call in a professional event planner give them a budget and it should be great.
I suggest you focus on making your living space as presentable as possible before worrying about decorations. Do you have enough wall-art so that your home/apt seems warm and lived-in? Or do you have too much stuff on the walls? Does your home/apt suggest that a 30-40yr. old lives there?
Dressing the right way is better too. Also, make sure your kitchen looks clean. And double check your bathroom. That's really gotta be clean.
Music should be soft, but not necessarily classical. Do you know anything about these people? Try and see what types of music they listen to before making your selections. Make sure you've got things to chat about too. If the wine is good and the cheese is good (you're going to have some nice roquefort right?) and the conversation is good, then people won't have to wander around thinking about your lack of decoration as it specifically applies to the party.
I say, unless it's a holiday party, there's no need for special decoration.
To make your cheese platter more interesting serve deep fried brie. Also stuff some small mushrooms with blue vein cheese and parma ham then grill. Yum. Hope your night is a success.
Nice glassware… which you can rent at a good party supply place. No paper plates or napkins… use cloth and china. Unscented votive or tea candles, seasonal flower arrangements, mellow music of your choice. Also offer a premium coffee… once again, nice china cups. Have a designated area for coats and purses . If your budget allows, present each with a small gift… a small ornament, perhaps.
Go to your nearest florist and have a small or medium size floral arrangement for the dinner table if you have one. Make sure you clean your house or apartment. If you don't have the time to do it yourself, hire a cleaning service. You can also put some fresh flowers in the bathroom. Use nice platters to serve the cheese and nice wine glasses. Tea lights look nice but not too many cause then the place gets too hot with lots of people. For music, someone suggested Michael Bubble, you can also play some Gypsy Kings, Maxwell or some jazz but no classical music…..
2 key points….make sure you serve wine and cheese Costco has an EXCELLENT slection and it is only 2 dollars a bottle.
Buy deli and sausauge a couple boxes of crackers.
Remember keep the wine flowing ang push the cheese treats ( must have toothpicks and small cardboard plates
Party on!
I helped a friend with a party with this kind of age group (we called it snob fest). Go for assorted cheeses first off (Soft, hard, sharp and aged). Crackers and other finger foods (smoked salmon, shrimp on ice, etc) to consume as well. A selection of vegetables with dips are good along with some hot items like baked quiches or birds nests. you can place those on a heated plate to keep them warm. Think of a non alcoholic punch for the designated drivers, or those who will not drink at all. Add complementary fruit sliced into the punch to add color and make it presentable.
Chose a min of three wines. One white, one red and one desert wine. Have tasting times and in between you have social time. If you have a friend who is a bartender you could ask them to serve the wine. Find information sheets that describe the wines and let the person serving read the sheet to highlight the flavors to expect in the wine! Also if you're up for it go for a full (or as close as you can get) bar for other drinks.
Tasteful soft background music with no lyrics is a plus (classical, string quartets or tasteful piano music).
If you have multiple rooms I'd suggest a black and white classic movie from the 40s to add atmosphere, and to give shyer guests a space to chill. Be sure to have plenty of glasses on hand for the tastings so as not to have to wash between.
Decorations should be simple. Flowers are always nice. Bows or ribbons. No balloons, it's not a kid party! At the party I helped set up we did some colored blocks of ice (Tupperware containers, water and food coloring in the freezer 2 nights before) and put that in a central display with white ice around it and shrimp on the white ice. We got bunches of parsley and put that all the way around the shrimp. It was a classy touch. You can also do a cheap version of monogrammed napkins (we did this for 100 of them, and there were more than half left over by the end of the evening) by getting cocktail napkins, rubber stamps and some silver or gold ink. Looks classy and is a nice little touch.
Hope this helps!
*** ADDED***
Dressing in evening wear will also add a touch of class to the party. Guys in suits (or at least dress pants, shirt and a tie), ladies in nice skirts or dresses.
The first order of business is to make your house as clean as possible. If you have natural woodwork oil it or polish it to make it look its richest. Make any glass (mirrors, pictures, etc.) in your home shine and sparkle.Your home being at it's cleanest is the most important thing. Don't worry too much about decorations. In fact they can end up making the atmosphere look tacky. As other people have suggested, a modest floral arrangement will do just fine. Candles are always nice, but again don't over do it. Also, keep scented candles to minimum, probably one will be sufficient. A lot of people are sensitive to really strong scents.
Make the lighting soft, but not too dark. I think this will create the ambiance you are looking for. Turning off your ceiling lights and turning on your table and accent lamps should do the trick.
As far as music, there are a wide range of choices… classical, big band, standards, jazz, etc. A CD changer might be beneficial, that way you don't have to stop to change the music. Also with a CD changer, you can include several different styles of music. A little bit of variety may help to stimulate your guests senses, making feel more awake. Also be mindful of the volume, you want them to hear that music is playing, but you don't want them to have to talk over the music.
Cheese and wine is great, but at some point during the party you may want to bring out some more filling o'dourves. There's nothing worse than being at social gathering and being starving. Serve some fresh premium coffee as well, for a pick me up for any guests who may feel drowsy. Also have chilled filtered water available as well as a few other non alcoholic beverages.
The last thing is to keep in mind is that although you want to impress your guests, you don't want them walking away feeling like you were trying to impress them. Although you want your home to be its cleanest and you want to create the perfect mood, avoid being showy…. it will just make people talk… especially women.
If there's time, try to find out as much as you can about the likes and/or dislikes of the people you've invited. Nothing big, just simple details like what books, magazines, newspapers do they regularly read. You can than browse current articles so that you're knowledgeable and place the periodicals out and about in your living space. Also, the background music is fairly important. Try to have an interesting mix–light classical and light contemporary (again, try to ascertain this info about what might appeal to your guests). Unless you plan to overhaul your entire home, decorations can be quite simple. Everyday flowers are fine, with perhaps an exotic plant or flower interspersed.
Perhaps try and get a cleaning person in to give your place a thorough cleaning, so that everything appears quite sparkling clean and fresh! Think about decorating the area that will present your spread (the wine and cheese). Make that the focal point. Pick a color scheme and build around it with simple touches.
That, and the fact that you are hooking them up with excellent wine and cheese should be quite nice.
Why is it that you are trying to make everything look "expensive?" Be yourself and bring out creative efforts that express YOU best. Sometimes, to make the best impression, less is more. Good luck! Hope this helps!
Love the idea ! Boring?? Only if you want it to be. I am a Chef Soooooo hang on !!! To make it expensive combine all the ideas you have gotten so far. Candles a must! Music keep it in the background so people can chat and as much instramental as possile Ottmar Liebert, Miles Davis, Grover Washington jr. I love the big band swing idea just not to loud. Proper stemware is important but not the cost of it. If you are serving both white(tall more slender glass) and red(fuller glass more bulbous) offer both .Call a catering service or temp agency and hire a bartender for the night. Plateware I always stick with white and bring the color in with food & flowers; not in a bouquet for the table but cut into smaller bouquets placed all over the room like the candle light. Dont forget to cut individual flower to decorate the food platters and please use smaller platters placed stratigicly around the room if you can not just in one area like a bufffet. Cheese fantastic but please no cheddar, jack ,swiss BORING!! use Smoked Gouda ,Aged Cheddar , Fresh mozzarella with tomato slices and a bit of pesto(from a jar so easy) Brie warmed with fresh stawberries drizzled with honey is amazing.Guyere, Havarti with dill is incredible.Please no ritz crackers go to the international section of any grocery store and chose bread sticks flatbread crackers & water crackers. To make any of this rich add bright fruits apples( buy them precut they have a citrus to keep them from browning) berries, orange slices, kiwi. mango THINK COLOR !!! and Have Fun
cheese.
You need table cloths to make the room look elegant. You need to create centerpieces for the table. I would suggest you go to a party store and you buy large wine glasses. They are really large and cannot be used to drink out of. Fill these with water and food coloring to make it look like they have wine in them. Then, at the party store you can buy the plastic fake grapes. Put the grapes around the wine glass. Put candles on all of the tables. It would be nice if you can buy the scented candles to give the room a beautiful scent. Candles make every room look very elegant. It would also be nice to have balloons around the room.
Although it is a wine and cheese party, you need other food around the room as well. Have platters of grapes on the tables. Also, good accompaniments for cheeses include breads, crackers, nuts, and of course, fresh and dried fruits. It is also nice to have an antipasto. An antipasto has olives and proscuitto and ham. You can also put celery and carrots.
It is very important you also have buckets for the guests to dump out the wine after they taste it. You also need to have a lot of water so guests do not get dehydrated.
A really nice touch would be to buy wine charms for the guests glasses. I will give you a link below. Those are very cute and the women will love them. Finally, you can put at each place setting a wine stopper to give to all of the guests who come (If you have the budget).
Finallly, you can serve after the party cheesecake and coffee.
Hi im mommiegreenest.net party throwing is on my list-ck out my site,more answers.But you need some sophisticated-yet cool music(everyone exect-never admit it but jazz,swing,sinatra-,music is good!)You dont want to put them to sleep.Party favor is very nice gesture,email me off site,give you specials,ideas..centerpiece-i suggest chocolate fountain w tray fruit*20$most stores,fount!Candles~!as deco,,use 1 scent dont mix-peppermint-is natural wake up. now cheese crackers use sharp-mild-pepperjack,,sit in 3area,,,ea variety on a tray mix,,,serve on nice tray or plate..have 2wines red,white(chardonay)and do have ginerale for non drinkers,,always pot coffee on..
on your invites.make sure they know its just wine-cheese..
when people ask what can they bring ?say-cheese ball!
good luck
I personally think that if you want to impress and you got the connections to get the good wine and cheese. Then pick a viariaty of music. People, no matter who they are, it seems do not like to be stuck in a small room with low lights and the same old music playing. So shake things up a bit. Play some Rock and roll, jazz, hip hop, country, rap, opra, classical, reggaeect, you get the point. Just have fun with this party. Have fun with the music also. Make the theme laid back and don't go so far out that people feel stiff and uncomfortable. I would suggest your decorations to be very nice and clean like. clear the house of to much clutter. Make the decorations white. You could buy one ice sculpture and place it in the middle of the room also. After you do this then take the wine and cheese, place around the ice sculpture to keep them cool, while at the same time it will look good. Have plenty of seating that's soft to sit on. Women like to be comfortable when they are looking good and having a drink. Be sure to have really nice wine glasses. Also, hire someone to pass the wine and cheese around for the executives. Trust me. These women will appriciate the fact that they do not have to walk to get a drink or a bite to eat. Let your guest feel completly at home while having a nice drink and listening to different kinds of music. The diversity of things will make all the guest feel welcome. And the white makes things feel clean and neat. Women love this. The soft seating will make room for nice conversations and smile for everyone.Great wine glasses are just common since. Have fun. Cheers to you. God Bless you also.
The important thing is to be relaxed and gracious and spend time with your guests, rather than freaking out over food and details.
Keep the decor classy and understated, if you have silver serving pieces and dishes, so much the better. You can't go past plain white or white damask for the tablecloths.
Paper serviettes/napkins are out.. white cloth ones are in, you can hire them from a wedding hire facitlity. Also hire some beautiful glasses, or buy them if you prefer, crystal is best.
Number one tip is to have lots of beautiful fresh flowers, get them from a florist, that way you won't have caterpillers from Mum's garden on your beautiful table! Music, not sure of genre, but keep it low.
Summary: white tablecloths and napkins.
Silver or clear glass/crystal serving pieces
beautiful glasses.
Lots of fresh flowers.
Relax and enjoy yourself, when your guests see you doing that, they will relax too. Better to keep it simple and elegant than to go over the top and spoil it.
Great little APPETIZERS & HORS D'OEUVRES
recipes that might add a little elegance to your cheese and wine : http://www.gildedfork.com/recipes.html#appetizers
Remember that "thirty" is the new "twenty" and "forty" is new "thirty'. Unless these people are from the country club and dedicatedly old fashioned, leave out the chamber music and brie. Go with modern music, trancy and nice, get a large playlist on an ipod, with lots of music, in genre's, perhaps the mood will start soft, and get upbeat.
I find that at any age we are all the same, people just want to cut loose and have fun. Have lots of stuff to look at and make conversation. A trip to Target and the poster store, and perhaps some mail order items, or pulling some relics out of the attic just to talk about them, might be a good idea. Large colorful things, like a framed comic book, a conch shell and snowglobe, can make the difference between conversation and stagnation.
Don't forget that cheese can be challenging, especially some of the smelly rank ones. Be sure you know what your getting into before the room smells like socks.
Gorganzola is crumbly but I like the way it tastes, marinated Mozzarella balls with sun dried tomatoes is always nice for those less adventurous types.. Fresh grapes and pitted cucumber will balance the cheese. Figs are nice too and are in season. Fresh Pineapples look nice, whole and perhaps one can be cut up.
When you go olives, get the Pitted not-so-cured large green ones, they are the best. Avoid anything difficult, with sharp pits. We wouldn't want anyone losing a filling.
See if you can make two setups spread at opposite ends of the room, this way everyone spread around and there isn't a place where someone might feel alienated.
For wine, I like Cotes du Rhone and Sherry.
80's new wave is a cool theme, and is always hip. Throw in some 90's, and bring em back ol'school.. Mix in modern songs from iTunes and don't forget to play the crowd.
However, if it is that kind of traditional party, then I guess this is all wrong, and bring on the Einekleinenachtmusik.
I'll start with the decorations. Get some empty white and red wine bottles. Have someone drill ( with a diamond tipped drill bit ) a hole near the bottom, large enough for a Christmas light bulb ( fairy light size ) to fit through. Thread a 20 light set through the hole. Set these lighted wine bottles at some of the cheese tasting stations ( more on this later ). At a few other stations, where they won't be bumped into, make wine glass candles. You can get the candle gel in tubes at any good craft store. they will also carry the wicks to insert. I would get the glasses at the local Dollar Tree.While at the dollar store, look for wine glass charms to put on the glasses to make them identifiable to each guest. You might want to serve up to eight different kinds of cheeses,including a good mix of mild,strong,soft and hard cheeses. Caculate about 2 ozs. of cheese per guest and plan on serving 3-4 wines to match the cheeses. Make sure you pair the right knife with each cheese. Get ( or make ) cheese markers. Create 3 or 4 wine and cheese stations throughout the room: on the coffe table, on the buffet or sideboard,etc. Here you can pair 2 or 3 cheeses with a well matched wine ( say, French wine and cheeses ). If you must serve crackers, make sure they are of the gourmet type. Small rounds of fresh baguette pair with just about anything. You should also choose a few accompaniments: speciality olives, lightly spiced nuts, dates and figs, etc. Place some artifical grapes ( red and green ) around the base of the lighted wine bottles to hide the cords. For music, play some soothing instrumental music. Keep it low as background sound. Relax and enjoy….nothing to cook, so you are free to join the party.
THROW A WINE AND CHEESE PARTY
Tables — you have to put white cloths over them with really nice or expensive looking utensils to get the cheese (lots of knives!) decorate them with REAL flowers not FAKE (u can go to costco for real and cheap flowers)
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If you really want to impress people and make the whole thing seem more expensive than it is, you will be nervous and it can backfire. Women are not stupid. They know when people are trying to be what they are not, and they find it off-putting and not at all trust-inspiring. Be creative but be yourself. Why do you want to "impress" them? If it is for business reasons, it really won't work.
….dont throw a wine and cheese party?
when you think of wine and cheese, you imagine fancy and elegant and all… so thats exactly what you need… Clean out a part of your house or whatever and fold your curtains like this http://www.supplierlist.com/photo_images/12583/Designs_for_Window_Curtain.jpg and you can put food on a table like this http://www.painetworks.com/photos/gb/gb0921.JPG
and just make it elegant and flowy, not to over the top… or you can rent a ballroom at a hotel. good luck!
p.s. lets not forget party favors/ thank you gifts http://www.flickr.com/photos/54535733@N00/487554345/
Consider the source! Wine and cheese are very European, and specifically in my experience, associated often with France. A possible option is that the theme is that of a French house.
Also consider presentation. To make cheese look good it shouldn't be sitting on glass, crystal, etc, but rather any form of a rustic-looking cutting board. Make sure that you maintain a sense of class while making sure it doesn't look like an attempt to be purely just expensive.
As far as music: Michael Bublé, the classic jazz greats, Norah Jones' jazzier stuff, etc. Consider that if you're appealing to a group of 30-to-40-year-old women, you're also targeting the same group that is generally interested in romantic comedies, and they feature that kind of music prominently quite often.
Candles are also a must. Make sure that they aren't overly fragrant if you plan on having many; in fact, considering you've got wine, I'd say you could skip the fragrance altogether. In keeping with a rustic look, go for tall candlesticks rather than the miniature votives. Also use rich colors like a dark red for the table settings, napkins, etc. Not only do they offer an elegant touch, but they make it less embarrassing and noticeable should somebody happen to spill any of their red wine.
Hope that helps!
Jonny
If you want to make it seem expensive….you should hire your own wine expert to give people information on the wine and hold a mini tasting. By your name "Crazy in DC", i'll guess you're in D.C. If so, there is a small wine shop in Mont Village, Grape Expectations. They hold tastings every Saturday and different sommelier's every week. You could contact them and see how you could get in touch with a few of them and see what there prices are.
Decor is one thing….wine and cheese no matter how average, will seem extravagant with an expert explaing how the wine ingites different facets on your palate like a fine diamond….very bourgeoisie
Invite them over when they're all sitting talking throw cheese and wine at them
Just be yourself. If they were happy with you, they will be as long as you remain yourself. Wine and musics will not make you what you are not.
Don't forget to put out some olives on little tooth picks. As far as music goes I think Barry Manilow would be appreciated. Decorations…have an arrangement of pretty flowers. Have fun and concentrate more on being a gracious hostess as that will be the best move you can make in order to have your party well remembered. Make sure you have adequate closet space for their coats (if it's cold) and hangers to accomodate Don't forget little cocktail napkins either. Have fun, I wish you well.
I am you should do what you want is better. The party is made by you. You are the final decision.
1. Music. I like DJ Music. If the people in there, you can play some trance Music. You have to select some music with piano. Remember not too fast to go and buy. Trance is the one of the faster music or house music.
2. The light. What kind of effect you want. Want to be a club or party.
3, Environment. Do you want the people stand around or sit down have a glass of wine.
Hope can help you with those main idea……
buy loads of cheese and wine……….. spend some money dont be shy
i havn't made any such arrangements ever in my life so i can't giv any suggetions
Well, don't do it to impress them, for you will fail. The goal is for them to have a good time, not for you to show how marvelous. You rpreparations will speak for you.
What i would do is pair the proper cheese with the proper wine, so it is more than just a Gobblefest. Certainly let them experiment, but, for "dessert", pair a cheese with a port.
Music can be some soft jazz, as most will be too engaged in conversation to actually notice that you have played that same "Foreplay" CD eight times.
No decorations, just keep it simple (as you do not mention where this will be). Also, offer water so they can keep hydrated between tastings.
Again, focus on the quality of the event and let the rest happen and you'llhave your success
Don't overdo the decorations. You want it to look classy, not trashy! Try nice candles and edible decorations like fruit set up nicely.
Choosing wine and matching cheeses can be a daunting task. Try going to a nice winery or cheese shop and have someone help you out. They are trained to know what wines go best with what and will let you taste test for free.
For music I would suggest something classy like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Jazz music, Michael Buble, or just classical music. Make sure to set the volume really low so it's not overpowering.
I suggest stop trying to impress people, and be yourself.
Use fancy linen, and fancy dishes. As for decorations, candles and mirrors…they always make things look fancy and expensive. Be careful it doesn't look like a wedding though!
I need 2 points…Would LOVE 10 more… ;D
The thing that will make this seem more pricey is what kind of glasses you serve the wine in, and how the cheese is presented. Having an immaculate area (I presume in your home) to host them in, and having some 'trendy' flowers in a vase on a table (like lillies or something) Having everything prepared before hand, so that when they come in, it's really easy to get everything out, etc. this will make you seem like a pro at hosting. Even down to having the wine pre chilled, pre breathed, having enough glasses for everyone to have a white and a red, and then a few extras for breakages, and forgot which one was mines, not to mention somewhere to rinse a glass in between tastes, and some water, with water glasses preferably.
They may be executives, but they are still human, any kind of boppy music should get the mood going.
don't! how 70's. do cool cocktails and simple canapes.
keep it simple with vodka martinis and blinis
Hire a caterer. It's simple and sweet and trust me flattering for your quest.
Get in touch with any ABC Liquors in Florida and they have it all ….possible they can give you a list or mail you some info
I wish I could help you more, but here is what NOT to do: PUT AWAY THE CHEEZ WHIZ, IF IT COMES IN A CAN ITS NOT COOL!.
Wine? IF THEY SELL IT TO YOU CHEAPER IN BULK ITS NOT A GOOD SIGN.
Good luck and remember to stock the bathroom with TP (it always runs short at parties)
(And no, I dont get out much)
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I would suggest going to Crate and Barrel They have AMAZING wine glasses that are cheap! They also have fabulos vases and other decorating accessories!!
Go to Costco and Whole food store to get cheese and crackers.
They have a lot of differrent selection. Costco stuff comes is normally comes in a good amount of food for parties. They have those sundreid tomatoes in a jar and you use some cheese spread it on top of the crakers are really good. Everyone will be impress with it. Then go to Party City to get those Silver round trays they are really inexpensive and looks elegant. I did this for a party back in June and really one enjoyed it.
Have it catered, and have someone serve the wine, and some one to walk around filling up ppl's glasses etc..
This way your hands will be free and you will be able to mingle with your company. I know it might cost and few extra bucks, but your already spending a great amount, why not go all the way?
As far a decorations I would have the season that we are in done elegantly, get a few holidays candles, like pumpkin spice, cinnamon etc…
Have some background music that is soft and but agreeable to everyone. Less is better but service with a smile and being hands fee is the best.
put whole diamonds in the goody-bags and then give them keys to their new ferarri u got them
Since you've got the wine and cheese hook-up rely on those experts for choosing the selection as they will keep in mind the season and setting. Stick with a theme maybe something that has drawn you to invite these women over, the state you live in.
Music: stick with something you can have a conversation over but keep it smooth and subtle light jazz with some mellow crooners every 3 or 4 tunes (remember to add some women into the mix like Barbra, Bette, Carly).
Decorations: black and white photos, silver frames & platters, add some height to your table with upsidedown bowls as pedestals for the trays, cover it with white cloth napkins (or match it to your table cloth-white is a classsic choice) pair the wine with it's approiate stemware, choose white plates, coffee (cups & saucers), nice silverware. You want to stay with 1 color base any a lighter and darker to compliment with your flower choices.
Lighting: soft if you have a drive or walk way you may want to line it with white paper bags a bit of sand and a votive in water.
Suggestion: Try adding a fruit, veggie, olive tray to your list of noches…some people are lactose intolerant.
Have fun and mingle, you'll be a hit…they've already agreed to come so you are already so in there.
Well Craz, sounds like a fab idea and I wish I could join you. But, I'm a guy and no longer drink. The person who suggested grapes is on course. Grapes and anything else that can be used to cleanse the pallate is essential for the tasting. As far as music is concerned, assuming you do not want to splure on live music, try something contemporary such as Kenny G. Even though the room will be lit, burning candles add ambience, as do fresh flowers.