dowtst et, we .1.a.e10 reV 11rallwig Jr, ,%.*.,.4% Photo Fab Giveaways Galore Created on-site, our innovative photo favors immortalize the magic of your event! Our wide variety of promotional giveaway items can be imprinted with your logo or message! Celebrate a guide to simchahs Continued from page B43 photo candy boxes photo keychains • flip photos • basic photos • much, much, more! • • • • • tote bags photo bookmarks mini basketball hoops mouse pads much, much more! Arty Party Our professionally run art stations make it simple, fun, and mess-free to add artistic flair to your event! • • • • • braided leather bracelets jell candles hand wax sculptures beading table much, much more! entertainmentiDydesign www.ebdpromotions.com (?) 248-544-0999 www.fotosbydesign.com www.enthydesign.com Ask your guests about any dietary restrictions. Avoid problems and ask. For cocktail and other parties where there aren't tables and chairs for everyone, serve food that can be eaten without using knives. That means small bites, easily cut and pick-up menu choices. It's your party, you decide the food. Unless there's a medical, religious or other rea- sonable restriction, don't try to please everyone. It's impossible. Think six appetizer pieces per person per hour, minimum. Be sure you have enough of everything. Period. A buffet of all chopped salads isn't enough variety. Include a protein and stay away from a meal of all carbohydrates. Sweets are the coup de grace to any meal. If you have the option of cleaning up somewhere other than the kitchen, say a nearby laundry room, use your entire kitchen counter (sink and all) as a buffet. Fill your sink with something (bath towels and a wood board and cover it attractively with a tablecloth or another covering. the surface will now be flat). W-] Unless you're really against alcohol, serve wine at the very least for an evening event. Serve the best drinks you can afford. The same goes with everything you serve. It's better to serve no alcohol than to pour bad-quality (this translates into soft drinks, juices and mixers as well). Don't run out of ice, especially during the summer. A 7-pound bag from the store is enough for a party of 12 or so. No alcohol? Serve interesting beverages, such as sparkling juices and waters. Serve a signature drink. It can be your favorite cocktail or your own concoction. Think of a catchy name and presentation (add olives, fruit, a crazy straw or glass) and make it your own. There are many wines that are wonderful and that don't break the bank. If you're not a connoisseur, ask the wine shop personnel for a recommendation. Filling an attractive container with ice and embedding your bottled or canned drinks in it will keep your drinks cold. Or fill your sparkling clean kitchen sink with ice and do the same thing. Close the bar prior to dessert or well before the end of the gathering. ENTERTAINMENT: Good live music always enlivens a party. So will fortune tellers and magicians. !pods, CDs and satellite radio are easy and inexpensive ways to bring music to your guests. Know your crowd and the occasion before you choose your tunes. Unless you know for a fact that your professional guitar-playing guest just loves to play at parties, never suggest that he or she actually wants to strum some chords at your soiree. A DJ can get a parry moving. Or make your own mix of 3-4 hours of music and play it all night long. Invite your friends for a friendly game of Pictionary or Outburst. It's an instant theme for a casual get-together. PARTY ETIQUETTE ROCHESTER, MI 48307 WWW.MARIASBRIDAL.COM 248-652-6610 B44 celebrate! I March 2008 Be sure to make introductions. Give a toast or an introduction. It makes people glad to know how welcome they are. Start a conversation for your guests, then walk away. Change the subject if necessary. The wrong topic (religion, politics for example) can lead to uncomfortable feelings. If someone asks a less-than-appropriate question, answer "No comment," or "Why do you want to know?"That prying soul will usually back off. If all your efforts haven't prevented a guest from becoming inebriated, find someone to drive them home. Someone who leaves earlier than you'd like can start a chain reaction. Divert atten- tion from the party pooper by preparing other activities or not making a big fuss when they leave. A spilled drink or food can be messy or damaging. Don't panic. That will make the guest feel terrible. If it's wine, dab it (don't rub it) with cold water. As long as it's still wet, you can deal with it later. You cannot, under any circumstances, make a fuss over a broken glass, plate, what- ever. Suffer in silence.