Pointers on throwing parties with flair

Pointers on throwing parties with flair

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Throwing parties for families or business partners now can be
done at your own residence as long as you know the tricks. A
successful party will boost the image of the host and at the same
time strengthen your relationships.

To ensure your guests are properly taken care of and
comfortable, details must be focused upon starting from the
invitations, the guest list, the seating around the dining table,
the music accompanying the party, the menu and the etiquette, not
to mention the table setting.

Noted fashion designers Harry Dharsono and Adjie Notonegoro
shared their expertise in table setting during The Art of
Creating a Stylish Party table setting workshop at Plaza
Indonesia, Central Jakarta, last Wednesday. Actress Christine
Hakim, the plaza ambassador, hosted the event.

Harry chose the Romantic Europe theme for his glamorous table
setting with his own collection of old porcelain and silverware
made in England and France. He chose a soft-tone elegant flower
arrangement for the dining table.

"The real 'flowers' in my parties are not the flowers
themselves but my female guests," he said.

To show respect for expatriate guests, Harry suggested using
tableware or other elements from the guests' countries.

His also suggested a personal touch for party on the coffee
table, after dinner, by serving famous kinds of Indonesian coffee
from Toraja in South Sulawesi, Bali and Medan.

Music is another detail to focus on, as it will help create
the desired ambience. To pamper the guests' mood and senses,
Harry said he often hired a small orchestra to add a touch of
class to the party.

As for a cultural touch for his parties, Harry often sits on
the floor and plays gamelan (Javanese musical orchestra) with an
aim to introduce traditional music, to non-Javanese guests.

"I want to show my guests my roots are in Indonesia," said the
designer who has spent several decades of his life in France and
England.

"If the hosts have no idea what kind of music is best suited
for their event, they can seek professional advice."

Amicable conversation, he said, can be maintained by avoiding
sensitive issues like politics, marriage and economics among
other things, while business conversation and name card exchanges
can be done after dinner, at the coffee table during what he
called the Coffee-Cigar-Cognac time.

As for Adjie, he prefers the Asian Beauty theme highlighted by
a bunch of white roses arranged along the edge of the dining
table. Adjie used white as the main color and black and silver
for the accents.

"I use this type of floral arrangement to enable smooth
conversation between guests and I add candles to warm up the
ambience," said the designer, dubbed as "Mr. Roses" by close
friends for his deep love of roses.

With rose petals scattered on top of the dining table, Adjie
also presented a lovely touch by using silver butterflies for the
napkin rings and several others perched on the candelabra, which
gave a sense of dining outdoors in a white rose garden.

"I use butterflies because of the beautiful shapes and colors.
It is also a symbol of elegant beauty and used to symbolize other
beautiful things, like heaven. It's my grateful expression for
God's kindness," he said.

For the tableware, Adjie used his own collection of silverware
and Chinaware.

"I entertain my guests with my own collection. It's my way to
show respect to them," said the designer who often throws parties
for family and close friends.

For the menu, both said they preferred to serve dishes that
fit their guests' tastes, but in a unique presentation.

Batik expert Iwan Tirta, who appeared as a speaker at the
workshop, stressed the importance of making the guests
comfortable. The host is urged to encourage an easy flow of
conversation by carefully planning the guests' seats around the
dining table.

"It's advisable to invite people from different lines of
business to encourage interesting conversation of different
topics. For this purpose, a designer can be placed next to an
actress, for example," he said.

As for the menu, Iwan suggested hosts use professional
caterers.

"A close supervision from the host or the butler is very
important. The menu must be created and tasted at least a week
prior to the event," he said.

Iwan also added that serving buffet meals is more practical
and flexible since it doesn't require the host to hire a team of
waiters.