Party Planning Division

» Party Production Division
» After Party Division

Your Personal Party Counselor

Organizing and throwing a successful party can be stressful and anxiety producing, especially when you’re trying to do it all by yourself while managing everything else that’s going on in your life Let me do the worrying and take care of all the details for you We’ll discuss your goals for the party and any special challenges you’re facing After just a few minutes on the phone with Have Taste – Will Travel or a few email exchanges with us, you’ll know that you’ve brought your party troubles to the right place and are in good hands Relax, you’ve chosen wisely Have Taste – Will Travel is on the job and I’ll be taking care of all of the party details.

Party Space Analyst

During our initial contact, your Have Taste – Will Travel personal party counselor will schedule a convenient time for our Party Space Analyst to make a follow-up visit to your home No, the purpose of this “home visit” is not to determine if you’ll be a nurturing party parent – relax, you qualify and deserve a party I make a visit to your home in advance so that I can orient myself to the kitchen and the party spaces in your home where I’ll be working and to determine if I’ll need to bring or rent any special culinary tools to create the party you envision.

After touring the kitchen and walking through the dining spaces in your home with you, we’ll sit down to discuss party planning logistics and timing and together we’ll fashion a menu that bears your signature How many guests?, How many adults, how many children?, Would you like me to include a kid friendly entrée on the menu? Will you need a babysitter to occupy the children so the adults can relax a bit more and enjoy the party? Will the party be held indoors, outdoors or both? Will the party commemorate a special occasion – birthday, graduation, anniversary, retirement, business achievement? Is there a party theme you’d like to see reflected in the menu, music and ambience?

We’ll determine the kind of party you’d like for me to produce – a cocktail party with appetizers?, a four-course dinner party?, a back yard cookout?, a dessert and champagne gala? And, how formal or informal you’d like the event to feel – will this be a linen, silver, crystal and china kind of party, or is this more of a paper and plastic crowd or is it a group that will be most comfortable with something in between We’ll decide to use your Mom’s lace tablecloth for the dining table and the china and serving pieces you received for a wedding present, or to rent something fun and totally outrageous And, we’ll determine the kind of service you’d like – a self-service buffet, a family style dinner with table service or plated meals We’ll discuss how Have Taste – Will Travel can help with decorating, music, flowers, games and activities And, I’ll inquire about any food allergies, sensitivities or other special dietary restrictions or preferences that your guests may have so I can accommodate these when I prepare the meal.

You’ll also let me know if there are any special activities for the guests or presentations that will occur during the party – a program, speakers, a video, etc. and together we’ll determine the flow and scheduling of the party.

Example:

  • guests arrive at 7:00 p.m. – turn down the lights and greet your guests at the door with your special signature cocktail
  • 7:00 ~ 8:00 p.m. – guests enjoy more cocktails and passed appetizers
  • 8:00 ~ 9:00 p.m. – dinner is served along with a couple of bottles of nice wine at your dining table.
  • 9:00 ~ 9:30 p.m. – guests enjoy dessert and an digestif on the couch in the living room, in the swing on the terrace or under the covers in your bedroom.
  • 10:00 p.m. – Have Taste – Will Travel tidies up the kitchen and leaves you and your guest(s) to enjoy the rest of your special evening, OR we make and serve strong coffee and turn the lights back up — got to sober them up and get them out of here...you’ve got an early day tomorrow.

At the conclusion of our meeting, I’ll also give you a rough estimate of what I believe it will cost to produce the party.

All of the party information gathered during the home visit is then compiled and forwarded to Have Taste – Will Travel’s bean counters for financial analysis and preparation of a detailed proposal and cost estimate for you.

Comptroller

Have Taste – Will Travel’s Comptroller studies the job – I review the menu, the service plan, the amenities and determine how many hours it will take me to do the job and if I’ll need to hire any additional personnel, then I estimate the cost of the food and supplies that will be needed to produce the event I contact any vendors that I’ll be using to pull the party together – bartending services, party rentals suppliers, florists, musicians, etc I use only quality, reliable, service-minded vendors who I trust With this information, I then prepare a detailed proposal for your review and consideration.

If our proposal should exceed what you have budgetted for the event, I’ll work with you to reduce costs I’ll make suggestions concerning how the party might be modified and identify things that you can do yourself that will help you bring your total cost for the party in within budget.

Once you’ve booked Have Taste – Will Travel for your party, your party moves to our Party Production Division.