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InStyle: Parties: The Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining
At the heart of this wonderful book are 20 of the most popular party guides published in "InStyle" magazine over the last five years. Playful themes, fresh and simple recipes, sexy drinks, elegant dcor, handy timetables, and a non-stuffy approach make it easy to stay on top of all the details. 300+ photos.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2005
About the author
InStyle Magazine
223 books5 followersInStyle is an American monthly womens fashion magazine founded in 1994.
It is owned by People Inc., and started originally as a brand extension of People before carving out its own identity. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only format.
It is owned by People Inc., and started originally as a brand extension of People before carving out its own identity. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only format.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 5, 2022
Review originally published April 2006
Entertaining well isn’t a talent bestowed on just a few. It’s a state of mind. Giving a party, whether dinner for 8 or drinks for 50, doesn’t have to be stressful, intimidating or exhausting. It can be fun, and once you get the hang of it, even easy. A party is an invitation to connect with friends and family.
InStyle magazine can help with a new book, called InStyle Parties.
The first section, the basics, provides everything you need to know about smoothly carrying a party through from beginning to end, and creating a welcoming environment. Tips are given for planning a menu, setting a table, serving cocktails, and stocking a bar. Decorations, invitations, and music are also covered.
Next, you have a section with 16 complete party guides. From dinners to baby showers to bar-be-ques, each guide is broken down into the same easy-to-follow format. "Setting the Scene" covers invitations, décor, music and any other mood-setting details. "Countdown" spells out exactly what to do when starting a few days, or even weeks before the party. "Even Easier" offers a slew of time-saving, 11th-hour tips, just in case you decide on Saturday morning to throw a Sunday brunch.
"Resources," the third section, offers a list of the best food and decoration sources across the country. You can order dinner plates and mail-order desserts at the click of a mouse or a phone call.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Entertaining well isn’t a talent bestowed on just a few. It’s a state of mind. Giving a party, whether dinner for 8 or drinks for 50, doesn’t have to be stressful, intimidating or exhausting. It can be fun, and once you get the hang of it, even easy. A party is an invitation to connect with friends and family.
InStyle magazine can help with a new book, called InStyle Parties.
The first section, the basics, provides everything you need to know about smoothly carrying a party through from beginning to end, and creating a welcoming environment. Tips are given for planning a menu, setting a table, serving cocktails, and stocking a bar. Decorations, invitations, and music are also covered.
Next, you have a section with 16 complete party guides. From dinners to baby showers to bar-be-ques, each guide is broken down into the same easy-to-follow format. "Setting the Scene" covers invitations, décor, music and any other mood-setting details. "Countdown" spells out exactly what to do when starting a few days, or even weeks before the party. "Even Easier" offers a slew of time-saving, 11th-hour tips, just in case you decide on Saturday morning to throw a Sunday brunch.
"Resources," the third section, offers a list of the best food and decoration sources across the country. You can order dinner plates and mail-order desserts at the click of a mouse or a phone call.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
May 17, 2022
Big, glossy pictures and an incredibly appealing layout only add to this book’s appeal. Easy-to-follow advice and instructions as well as specific product recommendations make throwing a successful event seem like a real probability. Oh—and checklists (love) with recommended timing on them.
I borrowed this book from a friend, but I’m adding it to my wishlist!
I borrowed this book from a friend, but I’m adding it to my wishlist!
January 5, 2025
I should preface this by saying I grew up in a socializing household. Even as a child, I was expected to help prepare for parties, learn to arrange flowers, set tables, and help in the preparation of food. The past few decades, excluding the rich who have their parties catered, and excluding the South, which still seem to hold to these old traditions, no one I know (even former party givers) entertain at home anymore, or outside the home. The last party I gave was in the mid-1990's and it was catered in a restaurant. Yes, I chose the food options, and yes I did the flowers. It started with the invitations (which this book covers) and asking only that the guest choose one of three options for dinner (making a check mark,) and returning the self addressed, stamped envelope back to me, so I could plan for quantities needed for the final night. I allowed two full months prior to the party date. Somewhere after the second week, I had to start calling people to remind them of the invitation: did they receive it, would they be attending? And on and on it went. That alone made me want to walk away from it. In the end, almost all of the 82 invitees attended (one declined.) I won't bore with all of the other little incendiaries I had to diffuse, but it was expensive and a huge headache. I guess I read the book, curious what is advised in more contemporary times. Everything seemed geared to past ways assuming you had non-feral friends.
The book is broken down into sections: a good overview of invitations, bar, food, table, vibe and hostess with parties broken down into: Dinner, Holiday, Occasion and Theme, and Summer parties. There was also a nicely flushed out resources guide in the back.
For each party section there is a scene offered up (how you wish the party to look. Where to hold it.) a "take home"--some little item for each guest at their seat. There are also music-vibe suggestions offered as well as a time countdown list. The recipes didn't interest me very much and for the options given, I can see so many "I'm on a diet," "I eat gluten free," "I can't eat spicy," ad nauseam. Each recipe seems to use some ingredient the average cook wouldn't necessarily have fresh or on hand: molasses, saffron, hybrid radishes. I saved two recipes for carrots, both using molasses, and some Greek salads.
For those who are still entertaining at home on a certain scale, it would be an interesting book to check out of the library. Using it in your working cookbooks library? Not so much.
The book is broken down into sections: a good overview of invitations, bar, food, table, vibe and hostess with parties broken down into: Dinner, Holiday, Occasion and Theme, and Summer parties. There was also a nicely flushed out resources guide in the back.
For each party section there is a scene offered up (how you wish the party to look. Where to hold it.) a "take home"--some little item for each guest at their seat. There are also music-vibe suggestions offered as well as a time countdown list. The recipes didn't interest me very much and for the options given, I can see so many "I'm on a diet," "I eat gluten free," "I can't eat spicy," ad nauseam. Each recipe seems to use some ingredient the average cook wouldn't necessarily have fresh or on hand: molasses, saffron, hybrid radishes. I saved two recipes for carrots, both using molasses, and some Greek salads.
For those who are still entertaining at home on a certain scale, it would be an interesting book to check out of the library. Using it in your working cookbooks library? Not so much.
November 13, 2017
If you long to entertain, but have no idea what to do or where to begin, have I got a book for you! InStyle Parties, the Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining All Year Round is the Bible of entertaining. It provides you with 15 different celebrations from which to choose, including dinner parties, holiday parties (although, sadly, Christmas is lacking here), game day gatherings, a darling woodland baby shower, as well as summertime soirées including a fresh summer supper, and beach house lunch. I particularly loved the Latin Fusion Feast. When was the last time you attended one of those?!
Each celebration has its own customized menu of recipes, including a signature cocktail, tabletop ideas, suggestions for party favors, group activities, even a timeline to tell you exactly what to do, and when. I would have loved to have had such an excellent resource when I was first starting out. Had I, I doubt that I would be suffering from party prep anxiety today!
I have never had a cookbook quite like this one; it is certainly unique. But, to call it a cookbook is selling it short. This is your own personal party planner. The recipes are easy and doable, there are beautiful, helpful, mouthwatering photos, and copious information on party favors that complement your theme, and that guests can take home with them as a remembrance of the fabulous time they had at your gathering. Additionally, it is also a valuable resource, guiding you, step-by-step, through the party planning process, from invitations, to stocking the bar, to planning your menu, advising as to needed supplies, and setting a table. This book has it all.
There are so many good ideas here that I can't do it justice in this brief review, you're just going to have to pick up a copy for yourself. And if you know anyone who struggles with parties, or is just starting out and doesn't exactly know what to do, this book is their answer. It is a fairy godmother in book form, a “must have” for the holidays, and welcome addition to any cookbook library, large or small. The InStyle people know what they're doing, and it shines through here.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Each celebration has its own customized menu of recipes, including a signature cocktail, tabletop ideas, suggestions for party favors, group activities, even a timeline to tell you exactly what to do, and when. I would have loved to have had such an excellent resource when I was first starting out. Had I, I doubt that I would be suffering from party prep anxiety today!
I have never had a cookbook quite like this one; it is certainly unique. But, to call it a cookbook is selling it short. This is your own personal party planner. The recipes are easy and doable, there are beautiful, helpful, mouthwatering photos, and copious information on party favors that complement your theme, and that guests can take home with them as a remembrance of the fabulous time they had at your gathering. Additionally, it is also a valuable resource, guiding you, step-by-step, through the party planning process, from invitations, to stocking the bar, to planning your menu, advising as to needed supplies, and setting a table. This book has it all.
There are so many good ideas here that I can't do it justice in this brief review, you're just going to have to pick up a copy for yourself. And if you know anyone who struggles with parties, or is just starting out and doesn't exactly know what to do, this book is their answer. It is a fairy godmother in book form, a “must have” for the holidays, and welcome addition to any cookbook library, large or small. The InStyle people know what they're doing, and it shines through here.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2017
While I don't throw the types of parties that would fit into exactly into the models presented in the 15 examples the basics of planning was still on point. In a year, I plan and host at least four parties and I follow much of the planning laid out in the first chapter "The Basics". The one thing that is not tackled is how do you get people to respond -- it is so annoying when people refuse to say "no" and instead simply ignore an invitation. That applies to all forms of invitations ranging from paper to electronic to telephone and even issued face-to-face. It seems like people haven't been taught basic manners and that isn't addressed in this book.
Four types of parties are modeled and again while I wouldn't follow these models exactly the basics of what you need to consider and the timing of preparations are important to repeat particularly if you have not thrown parties other than spur of the moment ones. Food and wine, seating, setting, number of guests, those are comment enough aspects of parties that most of you should know them. I was very pleased to see two other aspects of parties addressed that I routinely think about and incorporate into my parties -- "The Activity" and "The Take-Home". Sometimes I have both an activity that we can enjoy at the party as well as something for my guests to take with them but this guide suggests only one.
The only disappointments in the book was a focus on fancy supplies and foods versus the types of food that most Americans can afford and have easy access to. Honestly anyone can throw a party (which the book claims in the introduction) yet the focus is on more expensive models. The section disappointment was two typos where an activity is clearly a take-home ("Fresh Summer Party") and a take-home is really an activity ("Midsummer Mediterranean Fete"). That's a mix-up that an editor really should have caught.
Four types of parties are modeled and again while I wouldn't follow these models exactly the basics of what you need to consider and the timing of preparations are important to repeat particularly if you have not thrown parties other than spur of the moment ones. Food and wine, seating, setting, number of guests, those are comment enough aspects of parties that most of you should know them. I was very pleased to see two other aspects of parties addressed that I routinely think about and incorporate into my parties -- "The Activity" and "The Take-Home". Sometimes I have both an activity that we can enjoy at the party as well as something for my guests to take with them but this guide suggests only one.
The only disappointments in the book was a focus on fancy supplies and foods versus the types of food that most Americans can afford and have easy access to. Honestly anyone can throw a party (which the book claims in the introduction) yet the focus is on more expensive models. The section disappointment was two typos where an activity is clearly a take-home ("Fresh Summer Party") and a take-home is really an activity ("Midsummer Mediterranean Fete"). That's a mix-up that an editor really should have caught.
November 20, 2017
This book teaches you how to be a good host to throw themed parties. It starts off with a discussion of basics: the invitations, the bar, the food, and the table. Then there are 15 different parties which tells you everything from how to decorate, a sample written invitation, then the menu with recipes for the cocktails and drinks as well as the courses of the meal with recipes. The decor, table settings, flowers, and sometimes also activities are given.
These are the parties: cozy dinner party, Green market dinner, Latin fusion feast, harvest dinner, New Year’s eve cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, Mother’s Day Tea, Fourth of July picnic, Thanksgiving dinner, game day fiesta, best friend’s brunch, awards night bash, Woodland baby shower, fresh summer supper, Midsummer Mediterranean, and Beach house lunch.
This is a fun book to teach you how to throw classy looking parties with really good cocktails and drinks as well as delicious food and a whole atmosphere and vibe. This would make a great gift for a bridal shower or for a young person just starting out who has never thrown parties before. The book is square shaped, hardcover, has glossy pages with full color photos throughout. It is a beautiful book with lovely photographs. Rating 5 stars = love it.
These are the parties: cozy dinner party, Green market dinner, Latin fusion feast, harvest dinner, New Year’s eve cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, Mother’s Day Tea, Fourth of July picnic, Thanksgiving dinner, game day fiesta, best friend’s brunch, awards night bash, Woodland baby shower, fresh summer supper, Midsummer Mediterranean, and Beach house lunch.
This is a fun book to teach you how to throw classy looking parties with really good cocktails and drinks as well as delicious food and a whole atmosphere and vibe. This would make a great gift for a bridal shower or for a young person just starting out who has never thrown parties before. The book is square shaped, hardcover, has glossy pages with full color photos throughout. It is a beautiful book with lovely photographs. Rating 5 stars = love it.
March 23, 2018
What’s it about . . .
The editors of InStyle Magazine share their tips and tricks on everything you need to know about planning, preparing, and hosting a successful party.
In the first part, the guide takes the reader through all the basic steps of planning an event: Sending out invitations, planning a menu for food and drinks, creating the table, and establishing a mood. In the second part, which is the bulk of the book, plans for fifteen different types of parties are detailed from start to finish, including shortcuts and a timetable for ahead-of-time prep.
What did I think . . .
This is a useful how-to guide for proper party planning. With help, I might be able to pull off hosting a party like this, but alone, it would be a lot of work. The recipes are almost all made from scratch and require some cooking experience. I wouldn’t want to try many of these dishes for the first time on the day of a party. Most of my entertaining is more relaxed, but this type of book is useful as inspiration to add a touch of elegance to one of my casual affairs.
The editors of InStyle Magazine share their tips and tricks on everything you need to know about planning, preparing, and hosting a successful party.
In the first part, the guide takes the reader through all the basic steps of planning an event: Sending out invitations, planning a menu for food and drinks, creating the table, and establishing a mood. In the second part, which is the bulk of the book, plans for fifteen different types of parties are detailed from start to finish, including shortcuts and a timetable for ahead-of-time prep.
What did I think . . .
This is a useful how-to guide for proper party planning. With help, I might be able to pull off hosting a party like this, but alone, it would be a lot of work. The recipes are almost all made from scratch and require some cooking experience. I wouldn’t want to try many of these dishes for the first time on the day of a party. Most of my entertaining is more relaxed, but this type of book is useful as inspiration to add a touch of elegance to one of my casual affairs.
October 31, 2015
In Style has always been a great place to go to get ideas that I wouldn't normally think of (before Pinterest). I have had this book on my shelf for years, and still pull it out from time to time to come up with a fun drink, table setting or venue setting idea.
Granted, my budget never comes close to what is featured between these pages - but it has always helped my creativity - somewhat as a party muse.
Granted, my budget never comes close to what is featured between these pages - but it has always helped my creativity - somewhat as a party muse.
January 26, 2023
A wonderful volume filled with information and recipes for giving outstanding successful and memorable parties. Entertaining how to for everyone both novice and experienced can find helpful tips for their next events from small and intimate to larger sized gatherings. Wish it had been available years ago for me.
August 21, 2008
I liked a lot of the suggestions in the book, both in party ideas and prep recommendations. I probably wouldn't buy it, but I would definitely check it out from a library again in the event I had a use for it.
May 3, 2010
I have read and used and loved this book so much it has fallen completely apart. Great tips as well as guides to design and enjoy several types of events and parties. Very helpful. I LOVE this book.
November 17, 2013
Some of the party themes were neat. Not horrible, but overall I thought the book was pretty blah.
November 8, 2015
We used the Vegas theme and playlist for a sorority formal--turned out so fun!
February 3, 2017
I have found some great recipes and presentation tips in this book ... and the photos are very good
March 28, 2025
2000s Party books are so underrated! I guess everyone goes to Pinterest now for party planning but I still love to sit down & flip through books like this for ideas
Want to Read
November 23, 2017My mom got this book years ago with her Dior purchases, and I kind of got obsessed with this book. It's about entertaining and I LOVE the idea of entertaining friends and family. It's all about parties from small to huge events and what to cook and how to pair beverages. It's simply beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews