As a hostess, you pay meticulous attention to all of the elements of your event from the food to the flowers. So, why would you leave the look of your staff to chance? Now, you can cast the wait staff of your dreams by perusing a gallery of model head shots on ModelBartenders.com, which is a service that provides trained male ...

They’re made of sugar and spice and everything nice. And, no, we're not referring to little girls. We’re talking about the heavenly desserts created by pastry chef Hsing Chen. After a short career in broadcast journalism, Chen followed her sweet tooth and apprenticed at her favorite French pastry shop and hasn’t looked back since. Chen, who counts chocolate confections, macarons, and St. ...

Kids' birthday parties don't have to be predictable and boring. Pizza and juice anyone? Certainly not if you have Princess Katie & Racer Steve in the house or rather, the apartment. This extremely funny, talented duo comes with a full band and plenty of music, conga lines and fun. The birthday girl or boy will hear his or her ...

New York City bar Death & Company has been a longtime favorite among cocktail connoisseurs for its unique menu of tasty libations. It isn’t a place to order a Jack and Coke – the bar is known for cocktails made with specialty ingredients like Aperol, Chartreuse, and freshly-squeezed juices. Recently, the bar has branched out into cocktail catering, bringing their drinks ...

Sometimes an event can be the perfect stage to send a message, especially one that is green. Last year event designer David Stark made quite the statement by decorating the Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards gala with thousands of shreds of used paper. We asked the design maverick about the inspiration behind the now-legendary "paper waste topiaries," cool ways to bring the garden indoors and his latest green ...

Welcome to the new green scene. Last Thursday, Notes on a Party invited the city's most fashionable event planners, bon vivants and green advocates to the Astor Center for "A Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining,” and there was nary a Birkenstock in sight. An elegant cocktail reception, the event showcased some of the best new products and services that we’ve discovered in the green marketplace. In a ...

You may be an entertaining expert, but are you eco-chic? These days a hostess needs to be both stylish and sustainable. To show you that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other, we are dedicating the entire month of April to our favorite green event vendors, luxe products and smart services. Our special series, called Eco-Chic Entertaining, will be your guide to ...

Saying "I do," is the easy part. It's the task of finding a wedding planner to guide you to your big day that can get a little tricky. Since 2000, the choice of stylish society girls and chic starlets has been Ann David and Nicky Reinhard of David Reinhard Events. Besides their impeccable taste, they are known for being an invisible force of nature that ...

Somewhere along the way, Easter decoration ended up in the land of pretty pastels and cute baby animals. To avoid having your brunch table look like a nursery, we turned to event planner and designer David Stark for some modern interpretations of the holiday. Known for his imaginative events for clients like Target and the Sundance Institute, Stark often uses unconventional décor elements that transform the ordinary into the outstanding. ...

Colin Cowie knows how to party. He is a celebrity event planner and a lifestyle expert. Did we mention a friend of Oprah's too? His extraordinary events for Hollywood elite, New York society, heads of state and even royalty have made him one of the world's most sought after event planners. But, for someone who lives in the fast (and fabulous) lane, Cowie is ...

Guest blogger Stan Williams, a lifestyle writer and editor, shares his inspiration for Dolly Rama 2008, a fun theme party hosted in honor of his favorite singer, the legendary Dolly Parton for the CD release of her album"Backwoods Barbie." I have been a Dolly Parton fan since I can remember. So when Dolly postponed her New York concert on March 7th, I decided to celebrate anyways by bringing the ...

Vanity Fair’s party may be a no-go this year but excitement for the Academy Awards is at an all time high with nominations for some of our favorite actors including George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett and, breakout star, Ellen Page from Juno. We asked one of the entertainment industry’s top caterers, Mary Giuliani, to share some simple ideas for hosting a last-minute Oscar Viewing Party. To bring ...

From the hallowed halls of IAC to the late night set of Saturday Night Live, Founders Club has hosted their quarterly networking events in some pretty stellar locations. Wednesday night was no exception with the top entrepreneurs and executives in Silicon Alley congregating in the ABC studios of Good Morning America. Notes on a Party once again collaborated with the Founders Club – notably with the indefatigable Dina Kaplan of ...

The Lazy Hostess has a crush. Naturally, it's on a best-selling cookbook author who goes by the moniker - The Minimalist (from his popular column in the New York Times). Mark Bittman (of the wildly successful How to Cook Everything) has created 101 simple appetizers that can be prepared in 20 minutes or less. The easy recipes are perfect for the ...

Holly Doran, formerly of Vogue (yes, that Vogue) is a style maven mama who expects no less for her babe. But when Doran was expecting, she was frustrated by the lack of luxurious layette online. So, shortly after the arrival of her baby girl Finley, PoshSqueaks.com was also born. She gave Notes on a Party the insider dish on her absolute favorite gifts for a new mama, how ...

Whether you are a seasoned entertainer, an aspiring hostess or a social butterfly, we've come up with some New Year's resolutions just for you. Self-improvement has never been this rewarding. 1. Ditch the Plastic Disposable plastic cups are not eco-friendly nor stylish in any way. Before your next event, stock up on inexpensive glassware for your extra guests. Try the Simplicity Party Set by CB2 that is currently ...

Nothing dampens the party spirit more than running out of drinks or glasses at the bar. To avoid an entertaining mishap, we turned to our friends Deborah Williamson and Bryan Calvert of Williamson Calvert for some expert advice. From their years of planning events and designing menus for A-listers including Donatella Versace, Kate Hudson, Hilary Swank and Patrick Demarchelier, they share their tips on how to ...

When it comes to dinner parties, we learned long ago that the most important element can be found not on the table, but on the chairs. Tamsin Lonsdale, Founder of The Supper Club, couldn't agree more. For her, hosting a brilliant event is all about having the right mix of guests. On Tuesday night at the launch party (sponsored by Eos Airlines and Moet Hennessy USA) for ...