The Party Closet

Everyone should have a party closet! A few years back (well maybe close to a decade ago) the close family friends I grew up with started getting married and having kids and the moms started throwing bridal and baby showers, and before we knew it my mom had a full on huge closet dedicated to all things parties. We joke about it, but really, it's a truly fabulous thing to have. Now my mom, my aunts, my sister, our friends and so on all run to the party closet when we have an event coming up. The trick is not to have the fanciest pieces, but to have a matching set of dishes, glassware, flatware, napkins, etc. in large quantities. Plain white dishes are perfect because you can plan any event decor around them. My mom happened to get her 20+ plates at the Christmas Tree Shops, but I was thrilled to see that Pottery Barn is actually selling Caterer's Dinnerware Sets. These come in sets of 12 and ideally you'll want 24 or more, but I would suggest finding a friend that wants to do the same thing and agreeing you will share your sets for when either of you are hosting larger parties. It's best to pick someone that will always be invited to your events to avoid needing them on the same night.

Pottery Barn also sells stemware sets and flatware sets for the same purpose. While it's not always easy to find exact matches, we found that rental stores like Taylor Rental are a great source for pieces. They often have excess pieces or pieces that somehow landed in their hands after an event that don't belong to them and they'll sell them super cheap. Again, discount stores are great as are thrift stores, tag sales and anywhere else you can find bulk of like items at low prices.

While most people have a decent white tablecloth on hand, you can easily stock up on other colors or stock up on napkins, table runners in every color and more at the Table Clothes Factory. The items on this site are sooo inexpensive, it doesn't even seem possible so grab two dozen napkins in a few of your favorite colors and throw in a few table runners and toppers to go with them. They have chair covers and sashes and other party supplies too.

Before you know it, you'll be ready to host the most beautiful parties at only a moments notice and everyone will be wanting invites to dinner. So many of us are stretched so thin and the last thing we have time for is entertaining, but if you have everything at your fingertips, a huge amount of stress is taken away and we all need those nights with friends to rejuvenate ourselves. Plus, this makes the holidays a lot easier. A little effort goes a long way so go get yourself a party closet!