G00d morning, chic readers! Today is a VERY exciting day because my eleventh novel, A HAPPIER LIFE, is out in the world! Described as The Notebook meets Summer of ’69, it’s a love letter to family secrets, small-town seaside summers, and finding where you’re truly meant to be. My 1970s protagonist, Rebecca Saint James, is known as Beaufort, NC’s finest hostess. So today seemed like a fun day to share my favorite entertaining tips that inspired this novel. I hope you enjoy!
When I was growing up, entertaining was something I saw all the time. From my parents’ annual parties where they hosted a group of 200 people in their home two nights in a row to my grandmother’s meticulously planned book club luncheons, the women in my family have always taken great pride in their homes and celebrating all that life has to offer with their family and friends. I spent a lot of my childhood with a drying rag in my hand—and the faint smell of silver polish in the air.
Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles | Nancy Izler and Darby Clark Design | David Christensen Photography | Gather Wild Floral Design
Today, life seems to move at such a frenetic pace and everyone is so busy that slowing down to hand wash the fine china and enjoy the good champagne feels like even more of a luxury—but a necessary one, if you ask us.
Every party is different and while there are certainly moments for casual and easy, we love to host a true Southern soiree every now and then. Here are some of our favorite secrets to Southern entertaining and for throwing a fabulous fete to remember:
Put your best foot forward. Many of us get caught in the trap of “saving things” for special occasions. But the truth of the matter is that using our special things is what makes the occasion feel special! Sure, it takes a bit more effort to hand wash crystal and take antique linens to the cleaners, but setting a table with your very best makes guests feel welcome and important right away. If it’s too time consuming, pick and choose a few elements to incorporate into a simpler design scheme. At the kids’ table at Christmas, we often use linen napkins with adorable paper plates!
Source: Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles | Interior Design: Anna Louise Wolfe | Photography: David Christensen
Be the consummate hostess. People arriving late to their own parties might be in vogue, but it certainly isn’t polite. A Southern hostess greets her guests at the door, takes the time to chat with each guest, makes everyone feel comfortable and makes sure to keep everyone else’s glass filled all night—not her own. (A hostess that’s had too much to drink only thinks everyone else at the party had fun.) If at all possible, have someone else available to take coats, make drinks and serve dinner, so that you can focus on being charming. If that isn’t possible, just keep your smile on no matter what.
Create the perfect guest list. One of our favorite things about living in small Southern towns is that groups of all ages mix and mingle on a regular basis—and that makes things so much fun! Our rule of thumb at a party is to invite a varied group of people where everyone has at least one good friend. This way, everyone gets to know new people while still having a port of call. An easy way to make sure everyone feels comfortable right off the bat is to introduce them with a personal detail that you know they’ll connect on right away. “Sarah was on the equestrian team in college. Bob’s horse won the Derby this year.” (Or, you know, something normal.)
A well-stocked bar. As the hostess, the menu is up to you. From champagne and oysters to martinis and mistletoe, it’s perfectly appropriate to only have a couple of choices when it comes to the bar. But we’re big fans of having the bar cart stocked with a variety of liquors with simple mixers in addition to red and white wine and, if you please, a signature cocktail.
Focus on the fresh. Farm to table is all the rage, but, in the South, eating with the seasons isn’t really a new concept. Years revolve around when the tomatoes will be ripe and the first strawberries of the season. Your menu should too. If you’re cooking, keeping it fresh is the best way to also keep it simple and delicious. And sticking to old family favorites and dishes you could make in your sleep makes the night much less stressful. If you’re taking the night off from the kitchen, focus on foods that feel seasonally appropriate.
Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles | Nancy Izler and Darby Clark Design | David Christensen Photography | Gather Wild Floral Design
Speaking of fresh… Fresh flowers and greenery are always in style. But you don’t have to overdo it. Well, you can overdo it for sure. When it comes to flowers we’re of the mindset that more is more! But if you’re trying to keep it simple, fresh flowers on the dining room table and in the bathrooms will suffice.
Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles | Nancy Izler and Darby Clark Design | David Christensen Photography | Gather Wild Floral Design
A little something extra. It is the overall big picture memory of the night of your party that people will be left with—but it’s the details that help bring that into sharper focus.
From a tiny sprig of rosemary in the napkin or a place card written in hand calligraphy to a fun party popper that ends dessert with a spark, it’s the little things that separate your party from the pack.
Send them away with a remembrance. From a package of milk and cookies to snack on on the ride home to a monogrammed julep cup, a beautiful box of chocolates to a favorite book, sending your guests away with a little treat is a cherry on top of the perfect night.
At the end of the day, entertaining is just like decorating your home: It should be a reflection of you and what you love. If you stay true to yourself, you absolutely can’t go wrong!
For more fun entertaining and all that is Southern, take a peek at my new novel A HAPPIER LIFE, releasing today. Thanks for all your support of my eleven novels. I wouldn’t be here without this amazing Design Chic community! And, if you’re in the area, we’d love for you to join us at The Hall House in Salisbury, NC at 5:30 for my launch–or on one of 20+ other tour stops around the country!
Preorder A HAPPIER LIFE for the June 25th Release –
– amazon
With “her signature warmth and Southern charm” (E! Online), the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Songbirds and the Peachtree Bluff series presents a tender and touching novel about a young woman who discovers the family she has always longed for when she spends a life-changing summer in North Carolina.
Present Day: Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, she’s confronted with secrets about grandparents who died in a car accident before she was born. And as she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, she soon finds she has more questions than answers.
1976: After meeting her adoring husband Townsend, Rebecca “Becks” Saint James abandoned the life she knew and never looked back. Forty years later, she’s made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make.
As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations. For fans of Summer of ‘69 and The Notebook, A Happier Life explores the power of family, the bonds of friendship, and the boundless nature of love.
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