“If you have to ask if it is too early to have a glass of wine…then you’re an amateur and we can’t be friends.”
Don’t you just LOVE a great party? It is even better when you can actually enjoy it and be a guest at your own party. One of the ways to make entertaining effortless is to prepare a bar cart filled with everything needed to keep your guests happy. I got a great tip from a hostess shortly after I arrived at her party. After we said hello, she offered me a drink and then asked me to follow her. She brought me to where the bar was set up and showed me where to to find everything (wine, beer, spirits, mixers, ice, etc). As she was preparing my drink, she said in the nicest way “I’ll make you the first one, after that you are on your own.” I thought it was the perfect balance of being a gracious host and making you feel at home at the same time. Mi casa, es su casa.
I would also make sure that any food you serve (and I highly recommend offering something to snack on) is in a location other than the bar area. This helps keep the guests moving and mingling and helps avoid a crowd in the bar area. In this post, I’ve included the essential items needed for a stylish bar cart and a round up of very stylish bar carts (and accessories) and where to buy them.
If you want more inspiration, here is a link to my Let’s Party – Stylish Bar Carts! Board on Pinterest – Cheers! P.S. I made this pretty graphic via Canva! It is a free on-line editing tool that has been indispensable to me for my blog. I use the templates to create collages for gift guides and fashion posts.
1. Ice Bucket – There are so many pretty ones to choose from, I prefer glass ice buckets with gold tone details.
2. Bar Cart – From a DIY to Decent to Decadent there is one for every price point.
3. Cocktail Napkins – Picking out the perfect cocktail napkin is one of my favorite parts of entertaining. Check out Caspari and The Stationery Studio (they monogram too).
4. Bar Tools – these are essential tools to have on hand – a must!
5. Cocktails Glasses – this is definitely an area to spurge, love these hand-painted glasses with the beach theme for a summer party
6. Beverage Dispenser – these are perfect for “signature” cocktails like Planter’s Punch – just add ice!
7. Banner – use these to hang behind the bar cart to adds loads of festivity!
8. Odd and Ends – a small bouquet of flowers, candles, straws, coasters
All images from Pinterest