The Wimbledon Championships are being broadcast through July 3rd, so there is still time to pull together a celebration party. The London Candy Company party that I attended earlier this week was actually a combination launch of their Knock-Offs cake line and a celebration of the start of Wimbledon. Since Wimbledon has its origins in England, I really liked the ideas of a British-themed party. Below are five takeaways that can be applied to your own home party.
1. Food: Platters of tasty finger sandwiches were put out for guests to enjoy at their leisure. Along with the hors d’ oeuvres, The London Company’s new “Knock-Offs” cakes were served. (Alice’s Tea Cup also has some great sandwiches and desserts on their menu that you could replicate at home. Their cookbook actually contains the recipes for some of their top sellers.)
2. Drinks: Pimm’s and Lemonade (you can find the standard recipe at www.viewlondon.co.uk), wine, champagne and candy-inspired drinks were served.
3. Entertainment: That is easy – the tennis matches are the entertainment. (If you don’t have a large television, you might want to consider renting one.) You can check the schedule of play at wimbledon.com
4. Parting Gifts: Small bags of British candy sends guests home on a sweet note.
5. Special Touches: You can request that guests where “white dress” in honor of Wimbledon, but definitely don’t require it – especially in New York!
One last thing to consider is the people attending the party. All of the things that I mentioned above can be fabulous, but the party won’t be a lot of fun if you don’t have a great mix of people. I think that was the thing that I liked about The London Candy Company’s party the most. There were a variety of media invited – from mainstream media to bloggers. I also appreciated the fact that I could bring a guest. (It can be intimidating for people to go to a party where the only other person that they know is the host – who is usually busy for most of the party.)
Most importantly, the owner, store manager and employees were very warm and engaging to all of the guests. Howie, the manager, took the time to answer my questions and share fun facts. Lamont, an employee, made me laugh with his various tennis poses and quips (i.e. “I’m the sweetest thing in the store.”) Last of all, I was impressed by the owner. As he talked about his plans for opening another NYC location of the candy shop, he said something to the effect of “If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it all the way.” My sentiments exactly…
