Cocktail Party invitations
Cocktail parties bring to mind old-school Hollywood, so play up the retro glam factor by turning off the overheads, lighting silver candlesticks and scattering a few vases of roses around the room. You want everyone mingling, so push couches back to the wall to make more space to circulate. If you want to give guests a spot to break off and engage in private convos (not to mention offer a brief respite from their stilettos), create small sitting areas with dining chairs and a couple of small folding tables to serve as drink parking places. Just don't line up chairs one after another against the wall, junior-high-dance style — no wallflowers on your watch. The finishing touch: a couple of pens and small blank pads strategically placed around the room to encourage starry-eyed would-be lovahs to exchange digits. Next, set up an area for your bar and stock it with booze, juices, sodas, club soda, ice, fruit garnishes, pimiento-stuffed olives, assorted glassware, shot glasses, a cocktail shaker, a stirrer, swizzle sticks, cocktail napkins and a cocktail recipe book for flashes of liquid creativity.