Hosting The Perfect Christmas Cocktail Soiree
Photography by Adam CrohillChristmas time is here and 'tis well and truly the season for eating, drinking, and hosting a cocktail soiree. Having your friends and family come round for some festive drinks and presents is honestly therapeutic. However, it's sometimes difficult to find enough elegant glasses and pretty serving platters to use when having guests coming over. This is definitely something to consider when you are putting together your wedding gift list. Planning ahead for future dinner parties and cocktail evenings will help to ensure you've got every item covered. So with that in mind, we're sharing our favourite festive party pieces from Recommended supplier The Wedding Shop, to help you start compiling your perfect guest list and get us well and truly in the mood for Christmas!
The Wedding Shop is a multi-award-winning gift list service that has been supporting couples for three decades. It’s often a whirlwind of wedmin and emotions, but The Wedding Shop will help you create the dream wedding gift registry.
GLASSWARE
If you're providing guests with a variety of drinks, then you'll need matching glassware too. Consider champagne saucers as well as flutes - it just feels more decadent to drink your bubbles from a vintage-inspired vessel. Beautiful tumblers are perfect for short drinks. We've opted for these edgy Kavya tumblers. Solid, heavy and sleek - they felt more appropriate for our contemporary styling, but The Wedding Shop also has an excellent range of crystal decanters and cut glass which would look gorgeous on an opulent Christmas cheese table. Don't forget a classic Champagne cooler to keep the fizz chilled, we love this super elegant one by Bar Craft. And a glass drinks dispenser for cocktails instantly makes a get-together feel more refined and will come in handy for countless occasions in the future.
PRESENTING YOUR FOOD AT YOUR SOIREE
For a cocktail soiree, you want food to be easily seen AND easily accessed by guests. We love cake stands (and this one by Eleanor Bowmer really takes the cake, if you'll pardon the pun!). They look elegant and keep food covered up while allowing people to see what delights are available. Just make sure you leave enough space on your table for people to place the lid on while they cut into the food. Display crackers, bread and nibbles on platters made from slate, wooden and marble - not only do these look beautiful but the natural colours of these materials work beautifully together so you can easily create that 'effortless thrown together look' (you know, the one that actually takes a good hour of faffing)...
PLATES & LINEN
Pile plates at the end of the table - mismatched is fine here, and remember it's easier to hold a side plate and return to the table for more than it is to carry around a dinner plate loaded with food. Make sure you add some lovely linen napkins to your gift list, it's at occasions like this that they really come into their own. Using proper tableware and napkins instantly makes a party feel more sophisticated. And let's be honest - if there's a time to be acting and feeling fancy, it's Christmas.
YOUR WEDDING GIFT LIST
When compiling your wedding gift list, thinking about hosting dinner parties and soirees really is a great way to make sure you're including all the items you'll need to truly make your house a home. Start your wedding gift list today with The Wedding Shop and it will feel like all your Christmases have come at once - trust us.
You'll be ready to soiree in no time!
Whether you’re buying for yourself, asking for something as a gift or just fancy a look at what’s on offer, The Wedding Shop is a fantastic site for soirees. If you need some gift list inspiration, team Rock My Wedding each chose four items and made their own fantasy gift list wedding edits. If you want some alternative, more unusual gift list ideas, then our article on 10 things you can ask for (that maybe you hadn't thought of!) will be a great place to start.
