by Michelle Alexander

Created on: July 17, 2008   Last Updated: September 01, 2011

Life is too short. With all the stress in the world today, you need to take some time and have some fun with your girl friends. What better way to do this than to throw a cocktail party. There can be a theme if you so choose. There's the classic New Years Eve cocktail party. You can wait till January, or you can celebrate new beginning as we all should, whenever we feel the time is right. If all your friends and family are getting married this summer, and a special someone is yet to place a ring on your finger, you can throw a happily single cocktail party. Enjoy being able to throw and attend these spontaneous parties while you can. You can even pick an interest that all your friends have in common such as the hit reality show, Project Runway. A night of glamour, gossip, and of course, cocktails.

One of the first things to do is to make the guest list. You should really follow the K.I.S.S. philosophy. Keep it simple stupid. Most likely you don't have time to throw a party that the neighborhood and the police will be talking about for months to come. Invite your closest friends and family members. This way most everyone will already know everyone else, and you can all be more relaxed. You can call or text your party guests, but where's the fun in that? Use scrapbook making materials and piece the invites together yourself. Once again, you don't have to compete with Martha Stewart or anything. Some nice paper and a few stickers are all you need to make a cute and creative invitation that will make all your guests feel special.

One of the great things about throwing a cocktail party is that it gives you a chance to wear that beautiful dress you always wanted to wear more than once. It seems such a shame that its whole life has to be spent in a closet. Once your dress is happily freed, you can set up the basics for your party. Depending on the theme, you can display some creative decorations. Those party and gag stores can give you ideas. Nothing will give your happily single party more fun than a cardboard cut out of Orlando Bloom. The best place to buy food is at Costco or another food warehouse. They have little frozen treats that will go perfectly with your cocktail of choice. It's best to set up all the cocktail supplies in one area, preferably in the kitchen. This is where most party guests gather anyway. You can also buy plastic martini glasses or champion flutes at party stores. For music, you can choose a mixed CD to fit your party, or you can never go wrong the Frank Sinatra. This kind of music was made more cocktail parties.

Once your guests start to arrive, just go with the flow. If you have the party timed out to the minute you'll loose the spontaneous and bubbly feel you're trying to get from a cocktail party. It's easier to focus on one cocktail such as apple martinis or mimosa. This way you'll have more time to drink with your guests instead of trying to remember how to mix certain drinks and figuring which liquors to buy. The most important thing is to have fun, and reconnect with your friends. If by chance you have too much fun, here's another article on how to deal with the morning after hangover
http://www.helium.com/items/1116403-how-to-prevent-a -hangover

Guys tend to bond over sports and beer, and women have that same need. We just do it differently. There will always come a time in your life when you won't be able to get together with friends the way you used to, so you have to take advantage of these times while you can. So drink up, laugh, and have a good time. Cheers!

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