ENTERTAINING WITH PANACHE Al
Fresco Partygiving
An expert's tips on stress-free outdoor entertaining.
By
Mary Alice Kellog
Our
long winter is over — all those dress-up formal dinners
are but a memory — and now it's time for hearts
and minds to turn with the weather to the next entertaining
frontier: the Great Outdoors. Even the most seasoned host
knows that al fresco parties hold many pleasures … along
with the perils Mother Nature might bring. Will last night's
rain make the grass soggy? What's that large brooding
cloud doing on the horizon? Why didn't we get a tent?
And why is the cake frosting drooping midway through the main
course? To navigate the joys and challenges of outdoor partygiving,
Panache turned to David Tutera, known in these parts for his
creative, trendsetting events.
The charismatic author of A Passion
for Parties: Your Guide to Elegant Entertaining and America
Entertains: A Year of Imaginative Parties, this native of Westchester (who has offices
in Mamaroneck, NY, and in New York City) has built an entertainment
and publishing lifestyle empire in the last 18 years. Counted
on as the go-to party planner for clients like Barbara Walters,
Elton John, Tommy Hilfiger, the Rolling Stones and countless
film premieres and celebrity gatherings (including the post-Grammy
bash last year in New York), Tutera is particularly fond of
outdoor entertaining. Last year, he masterminded dozens of
glamorous al fresco bashes in Westchester and in Fairfield
County, CT, alone, including a tented Tuscan-themed charity
dinner for 400, sophisticated beach weddings, and private
parties for local CEOs, socialites and celebrities.
“The perfect party,” Tutera says, “should
arouse the five senses and create everlasting memories.”
Such memories are particularly heightened when the party is
held outside. “Having an event outdoors is an extremely
special occasion if it's done right and a complete disaster
if done wrong,” he says. Why? “When you're
entertaining outside, the function is really an extension
of you as a person. The party's on your property. And
there's a certain intimacy factor because of it, even
if you've got 200 people in a tent.”
Where to begin? If the mantra of real estate is “location,
location, location,” then the key to outdoor success
begins with “the site, the site, the site.” When
Tutera meets with clients, they'll often suggest the
pool, the tennis court or a tent in an open field. But when
it comes to the great outdoors, there are other options if
one is open to them. “I always suggest the most unusual
and unexpected place,” he says. “In the rose garden.
Over the pool instead of around it. In the woods instead of
an open field. That way the surprising tone is set right from
the beginning.”
Speaking of good beginnings, while most hosts start with the
menu, the flowers, the décor — let's face
it, the fun stuff — Tutera begins with more practical
matters after choosing the site. “It sounds silly, but
so many people don't think of a rain back-up plan,”
he notes. “It's important to know when you're
planning the party if your home can hold 100 or 300 people
in case it rains. That's why I always recommend a tent,
even if that makes the party more expensive.”
Another basic consideration is parking. Can your street handle
the traffic, or are there town vehicle limits? Tutera knows
from experience that local laws governing sound volume (if
you're hiring a band), the distance between houses and
how many people are allowed to congregate vary from town to
town. “The more affluent the community, the harder it
is to get the necessary permits,” he says. A check in
advance by the host or event planner, and securing whatever
permits are required, can make the difference between a glorious
outdoor bash or one interrupted by the local police on a technicality.
To the surprise of many event planners, hosts often overlook
the practical aspect of how far guests must walk from the
car to the party, and the condition of the grounds once they
get there. Outdoor party drama — the good kind —
begins at the entrance. “If you have to walk too far
to the party, it has to be a pretty damned enjoyable trip,”
Tutera says. During a daytime fete, he suggests a direct path
to the party venue lined with waiters offering tropical drinks
or other cocktails to avoid confusion. And in the evening,
the path to the tent should be lit with appropriate lighting
or enough candles to navigate in the dark. “You have
to make sure that people feel comfortable, and that the ground
is safe to walk on,” says Tutera. “You want ambiance,
safety and drama. Guests are bothered if their stilettos are
constantly sinking into mushy turf, or if they get lost trying
to find the tent and bump into a tree.”
Guests are also bothered if they don't know what to
wear, particularly when the party is al fresco. A fete where
guests sport everything from sarongs to tennis togs to golf-cocktail
duds to long dresses and pearls is a confused one from the
get-go. Since the job of a host is to make guests comfortable,
it is imperative to clearly communicate the dress code directly.
Will the party be country-casual cocktails and barbecue? Or
will it begin with drinks by the pool, then continue in an
elegant tent with a seated dinner and a dance afterward? Guests
need to know how they can stylishly — and comfortably
— dress for the occasion.
Practical matters under your stylish belt, it's now
time to consider the party itself. Tutera, who has plenty
of successful parties under his, tackles the ever-present
“to theme or not to theme?” quandary by declaring
that “Themes are passé. The trend in outdoor
entertaining is to have more at-home parties with close family
and friends. It's much more personal. We're all
tired of going to function factories and country clubs. Once
again, the party — be it cocktails for friends, a wedding,
a bar- or bat-mitzvah, or a charity function — should
be an expression of who you are.” He adds that we're
seeing a lot more cocktail parties, with specialty bars and
great hors d'oeuvres, parties where guests can mingle
and be more relaxed. It's not always necessary to have
people in for a formal dinner on warm spring and summer nights.
Which is not to say that an “anything goes” casual
attitude should reign once guests arrive. Tutera and other
event planners believe in the importance of creating a consistent
look, an environment to enjoy. “Anyone can do round
tables with big floral arrangements,” but it's
better to create an overall ambiance,” he says. That
begins, for example, by continuing a garden theme that may
already be there. If there is a tent — and Tutera recommends
one, though not a tent “that looks like a tent, but
a place hung with chandeliers, fabric, furnished with unusual
tables and chairs” — it should be an environment
that reflects the garden or woods outside. “A tent needs
lots of life to be brought to it to be successful,”
but it's worth it for peace of mind and to create a
memorable ambiance,” he says. In this venue, flowers
are important. They make an instant impression and should
reflect the outdoor environment you're in, Tutera says.
Roses are fine, but so are wildflowers, local fruit or vegetables
in season — whatever ties in the garden and the guests.
Last but not least is the subject of the menu. And once again,
practicality has to be considered along with creativity. Remember
that all food will have to be brought outside and stay there,
or brought into the tent if you're having a tented dinner.
“It's important to serve food that will stand
up to those conditions,” Tutera says. That's an
understatement: Be it outdoors or in the solarium-like conditions
of a tent, he says, “Flowers wilt faster, hairdos fall
and sugar melts more quickly.”
While the choice of edibles will depend on the kind of party
and the ambiance you create, there are some basic outdoor
taboos that can save any host grief from the start. High on
the list: sushi, heavy foods or sauces, and any frosted desserts.
On the can't-miss side would be anything grilled, light
sauces served on the side, ceviches and bite-sized desserts.
The basics considered, the success of your party will be in
the details. And there is room galore for individual expression.
Bon appétit — and don't forget the tent.
Mary
Alice Kellogg is a New York writer who covers fashion, entertaining,
travel, food and wine for Bon Appétit, Delta Sky
and other national publications. While she loves stilettos,
she never wears them to outdoor parties.
