FASHION Magazine | Creating a (Late Summer) Affair to Remember

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Creating a (Late Summer) Affair to Remember

Whether a garden tea party, outdoor barbecue or chic cocktail party, throw the summer bash of the year by following the Dos and Don’ts from three top event planners from across Canada.

TEA TIME Continue the posh tradition of afternoon tea at The Savoy, from the luxury of your own backyard garden. Alison Silcoff, of Montreal-based Alison Silcoff Events (alisonsilcoff.com), shares her tips on how to host a chic and serene afternoon garden tea party.

DO:

Make a proper pot of tea using fresh loose tea–not tea bags. Make sure the water is boiling hot. Try to have several different teas for people to choose from; a Chinese tea, like a gentle, full-bodied jasmine, is a nice touch. In the summer, it’s also a good idea to offer an iced tea, along with the hot selections. If you want to spice things up, make something that isn’t tea at all. A light peach sangria made with white wine, instead of red, is perfect for the afternoon.
Stick with the classics. Fluffy, delicious scones are a staple of any tea party–make them yourself, and serve with real Devonshire cream and a tasty made-from-scratch jam. Unleash your inner Martha: The scones don’t have to be traditional raisin–try ginger, blueberry and much more. Let the garden act as the decor, and keep it natural. Use fabulous tea pots with good linens. Stay away from table centrepieces, which can be distracting.
Set up the food buffet-style. It’s less formal, and allows your guests to move around and talk to more people without feeling constrained to one seat during the meal.
Choose your guest list carefully–a diverse and interesting mix of people is what makes the party.
Remember one of Silcoff’s maxims: “Half of the art of entertaining and cooking is shopping.” Silcoff suggests visiting your local farmer’s market, rather than your local Loblaws, to get the freshest food available. Depending on what’s in season, you could serve baskets piled up with an abundance of strawberries or cherries. Same goes for the bread–head to a small bakery that makes rustic and sumptuous homemade loaves.
Photography by Boda Studios Vancouver.

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