Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/819093
cooking entertaining spirits recipes open house wine cellar hors d'oeuvres food & wine Easy Does It Summertime cocktail parties are the epitome of laid-back revelry A L E X A N D R A H A L L writer as much as I relish entertaining at any time of year, summer shindigs are an entirely dif- ferent kind of animal. Put most simply, the usual rules don't necessarily apply. And that is precisely why I love hosting summer parties most of all. Instead of worrying about strategically plan- ning out assigned seating arrangements like one does at a fall, winter, or springtime dinner party, in summer we tend to let guests mill about the patio or lawn, laze on the hammock, or stroll the garden. Guests can sit wherever they feel most comfortable while they nosh and talk to whomever it is they feel like talking to. Rather than sweating over a hot stove (or hiring some- one else to), everyone loves the interactivity of getting involved with the ongoing grilling pro- cess—even if it's just to chime in with requests about how they prefer their steak or tuna kabobs done. And instead of being about fine china and the perfect etiquette of "proper entertaining," it's far more about fun music, fresh air, and breezy conversation. Most of all, it's about relaxing with friends—which, at least as far as I'm concerned anyway, is the heart and soul of what true hospitality and generosity are about. My favorite settings for such festivities are most often someplace comfy, casual, chic (but not self-consciously so), and ideally either on a boat, near or on a body of water (which could as easily be a pool or fountain as it could a lake or an ocean), or, at the very least, outside on a C H I Y A C A T / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M 188 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s u m m e r 2 0 1 7