Fabulous 40 Birthday Celebrations

Precious moments celebrating my Birthday with my people ❤️

My fabulous 40 Birthday celebrations were amazing! Thank you all for your kind words and warm wishes. Thank you to my husband for making my reality better than any dream. In all the world, there is none like you, my love.

Your love and light are the best gifts life have given me, my family and my special circle of friends. My birthday celebrations would have been incomplete without your presence.

My precious human and culinary queen – Vicky Crease! Thank you for designing the most incredible culinary celebration beyond anything I had imagined. Truly priceless!

I will forever cherish this unforgettable birthday in my heart. Thank you millions.

Fabulous 40 Birthday Celebrations

Are You Planning A Black And Gold Themed Fabulous 40 Birthday Party?

Pop over to my Fabulous 40 Black & Gold Birthday Party! pinboard on Pinterest for some major style inspiration.

Here are some dinner party tips that I shared back in 2013 to help you host a formal dinner party with style and ease. This Dinner Party series covers basic table etiquette, social graces and fabulous tips that will turn you into the hostess with the mostest in no time.

“The Pride of any host is her dinner table.”

– Kumari Govender

How to throw a fabulous formal Dinner Party – Part I

First on your list of Dinner Party priorities is The Menu

But before we go ahead, let me introduce you to the handiest tool of any Hostess – a Dinner Party Handbook

My Dinner Party Handbook has been a total game-changer when it comes to hosting fabulous dinner parties. So much so that I intend on adding them to my online store very soon. It is the perfect memory keeper and the best way to record all the special details of your evening. Using a Dinner Party Handbook will ensure that you don’t serve the same meal to the same guests twice. It is also an easy way to see who hasn’t been invited to dinner for a while. 

After the menu and guestlist have been confirmed, you can decide on the service style and the wine. Serving of the coffee and after-dinner drinks can also be planned now. Some people have their coffee at the table while others prefer to serve coffee in the drawing-room. For small casual dinners, the lady-of-the-house may do the serving.

Tip: Have spare pieces set up somewhere in your kitchen, so you can replace anything that might get knocked to the floor. Also, have a bottle of club soda and some towels ready for spills. 

You will also need to decide on the number of courses that will be served. A classic French meal is made up of thirteen courses but, today, three or four is the norm. The more courses you have, the smaller the portion of food goes on the plate and less wine in the glass.

The white card above the placemat is a place card, which tells guests who sits where. Many times the cutlery follows the shape of the table.

It would take a professional butler around fifteen minutes per place setting to create a dinner table that lives up to his standards. So setting a table will keep you busy for a while. Every place setting should be the same. You might choose to use placemats and no tablecloth, to avoid covering up a beautiful table. 

“Always remember that you are not just setting the table… You are also setting the mood!”

– Kumari Govender

Align the chairs evenly down the side of the table. Pull the chairs away from the table so guests can walk around the table freely.

Centre the placemats on its chair. When using large placemats, place the flatware on the mat. If not, the flatware goes directly on the table. 

All done, you’re halfway there. 

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How to throw a fabulous formal Dinner Party – Part II

Let’s now look at the Seating Arrangements. For a formal dinner party, people are placed at the table according to social rules. 

The basic seating rules for the table are:
The Hosts sit at the head and foot of the table.
The guest of honour will sit to the right of the lady of the house.

The basic rules for laying the cutlery are:
The handles will be one inch from the edge of the table.
The two outermost pieces are used first.

The blade of the butter knife should face the centre of the bread plate. Only the soup course has one piece of flatware, all others have two.

The floral arrangements should not be above eye level. Try to set the candelabras so that everybody can make eye contact.

And there go, now you can host like a profesh and a stylish one at that!

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6 thoughts on “Fabulous 40 Birthday Celebrations”

    • Hey, oh that’s something fun to write about especially with Winter coming. The number one tip in any party but especially for this type is make sure your guests are comfortable, so cushioned seats, relaxed music and comfort food 😉
      Enjoy!

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