Yep, it’s that time of year again. ’Tis the season for holiday parties and dinner parties and opportunities to hang out with friends you haven’t seen in a while. So why not throw a party where everyone wears sad, strange Christmas sweaters on purpose? Because the person with the ugliest sweater will win a great prize like a truly fashionable sweater from Cliché, that’s why! METRO went to work digging up the best party ideas and sources to make your get-together—no matter how big or small, spendy or thrifty—the best ever. We’ve even brought expert tips and resources straight to you. You’ll hear from Laura Mullen, Laura Mullen Event Design; Todd Pinzuti, Bungalow 6 Design; Stephen Trevino, 526 Gallery; Ryan Hanson, BeEvents; Cy Winship, Cy Winship Design; Scott Ellingboe, Bachman’s; and Nicole Walesch from b.inspired event; along with entertaining ideas from the most creative party-throwers in the Twin Cities. So go forth and start planning the greatest damn party of your life—just make sure we’re invited.

DINNER PARTY

top trends: “A lot of my clients are asking for green tabletop ideas, and we’ve done several fun varieties: We’ve used succulents in small pots that guests can take home. We’ve also used small pots of herbs and bowls of fruit as centerpieces. A cool table runner could be recycled paper or Papyrus paper. Once we lined up small wooden bowls filled with spices and herbs used in the food—people talked about it during dinner, and it smelled great. When people left, the host bagged up some of the herbs and spices and sent the guests home with recipes from the dinner. Very fun.”
—Todd Pinzuti

theme ideas: “I recently went to a dinner party where everyone had one of those coasters with a question on it: “What’s the best present you ever got?” or “If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?” I thought it sounded kind of lame, but it was really, really fun and got the conversation flowing. If you use this idea at a party with close friends, I think it would be more fun to write the questions yourself.”—Ryan Hanson

what the pros know: Snail mail your invites. “It will be a real stand-out because no one does this anymore,” Hanson says.

It’s easy to make your own invitations. “Kinko’s can print on almost anything, including metal—they even sell aluminum sheets,” Hanson says. “Or pick up some stand-out paper, like a great shiny copper card stock at Anchor Paper and print up invitations on your computer.”

want someone else to do the work? Pinzuti recommends renting the Wine Room at D’Amico Cucina. “The room seats 14, you’ll have your own waiter, and they’ll work with you on the menu. It’s a gorgeous space.” D’Amico advises that the four-course meal (salad, pasta, entrée and dessert) is pre-selected with help from the client. There is also a $750 food and beverage minimum.

Ryan Hanson loves the upstairs private dining room at 112 Eatery. “It just opened recently, and it’s a great space and the food is fabulous.” He also likes Maggiano’s Little Italy in Edina: “They have several great little back rooms that are easy to rent and affordable—perfect for a private dinner party.”

Set a theme dinner party against an appropriate restaurant backdrop, recommends Alyssa Fox of Fox Tax & Art Gallery. “We had a Roaring ’20s theme dinner party at Mancini’s in St. Paul, and it was so great! We were all dressed in flapper/’20s gear; you know, boys with hats and girls with flasks. We even got in the newspaper for it, and a super-old guy said, ‘What year is it?’ when a friend of mine walked by. Mancini’s was the perfect backdrop, with its high-backed booths and lounge singers.”