Champagne and Shopping Fund-raiser

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 I had the privilege to co-host (and master-mind) a fantastic party with a good friend. She and I have many different talents that seem to compliment each other. I think we make a great team and we always have fun when we plan a party. We came up with this event as an auction item for our local performing arts theater earlier this year. The item was a champagne shopping party for the buyer and 9 of her friends. All in her home including custom invites, a champagne luncheon for 10, goodie bags for each guest and customized fashion, accessories and housewares brought in by local retailers. Basically, we were their personal shoppers and the ladies got to browse their items, champagne in hand, and get all of her friends’ opinions without leaving the comforts of home.

It was sooo much fun, even to be merely the server.

The look: We customized almost every detail from the invitation to the napkin rings. The gal that bid and won the event decided that she wanted green as her main color, as her home (built-in the early 1900’s and so fantastic) and covered porch went so well with it. So I took the green and created the purse invite, adding a croc texture and brightening the whole thing with a pink paisley liner and a bright yellow flower on the front. To her green table-cloth (loved that it was gingham!) I added the pink, yellow and white flowers in jelly jars. I chose the jars for a couple of reasons, one that they just played up the outdoor luncheon and fit the quaint house perfectly, and two because she could then keep or give away the flowers after the party.

I also purchased a wide pink gro-grain ribbon and a tube of scrap-booking paper flowers to make the napkin rings. Just hot glued it all together using a paper towel roll as a form. The napkins made the table pull completely together along with the white dishes.

To top off the luncheon setting, each lady got a goodie bag, or “swag bag” as Hollywood now calls them, hanging from the back of her chair. Each of our participating retailers gave a little something to fill the bags. They each got boutique soaps, pendant necklaces, make-up cases full of salon samples, Vera Bradley mini-wallets and more. Also, the tote bags were even custom-made for them by my dear friend (and fellow master-mind) of Ma Chére Finery. She repeated the same purse shape we used for the invitation and screen printed a quote that reads, “A smile appeared on her faces as if she’d taken it directly from her handbag and pinned it there.” The tote bags were even lined with a coordinating paisley print. Adorable!

The shopping: My friend and partner did most of the legwork in contacting our many retailers. We live in a small town and while our downtown area is very quaint and full of good restaurants and fun shopping, our residents still have a tendency to shop out-of-town. We wanted to showcase our local boutique stores and they were happy to support our event (gotta love small towns for that!). Each guest was asked to fill out a shopping survey about a month or two before the event. They told their sizes, style and color preferences, trends they liked, etc. We handed these out to our retailers and they got to work special ordering and/or hand picking items just for our gals. Can you imagine shopping where almost everything there is actually in your size and tastes?! Now add champagne and lunch and most of us would be in shopping heaven. The “shopping area” was packed. The retailers brought in loads of stuff, and racks of clothing. The entire dining table was full of jewelry. There was even a table of accessories, a hat rack and clothing outside as the guests arrived. All professionally displayed – as best you can in a house setting.

The food: I was in charge of the food for the event. As the women arrived, we made sure they were greeted with a limoncello champagne cocktail (I did not do a sugared rim as the recipe calls for and in fact I used less of the liqueur. I found the original to be too sweet). We also had a choice of tarragon lemonade or assorted white wines. Most happily took the cocktail. As they shopped, we circulated some cold dill and caper marinated shrimp served on endive leaves and some parmesan thyme crackers. Easy to just eat in a few bites and have your hands free to shop some more.

To begin the lunch, I served a small bowl of cold cucumber soup with dill and Dungeness crab garnish. This was the perfect soup to make the day before and not even have to reheat. The main course was a Tuscan picnic tart and a butter lettuce and radish salad with fresh herbs and a lemon vinaigrette. The picnic tart is pastry crust lining a spring-form pan, then filled in layers with Italian sausage (I used spicy Italian), ground beef, onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, spinach, roasted red peppers and cheeses. Then finish with a criss-cross lattice pastry top and seal the edges. After it’s baked, it can be served up to three hours later. Just pop it out of the spring form and slice into gorgeous layered wedges. I thought this was the perfect main dish for an outdoor lunch and I could make it ahead and freeze before cooking. I actually took them out of the freezer that morning and baked them (still partially frozen) when I arrived for set-up at our hostess’s house. They were done about 30 minutes before needing to be served which worked out perfectly. It shouldn’t be piping hot, or your filling might come spilling out! (Also – I used my own crust recipe and added the herbs. I’ve never tried the crust from the recipe.)

The dessert was one I had done before and found I could serve 20 women from one 10 inch pie. It was a dark chocolate tart with a pretzel crust. The original recipe was for a milk chocolate filling – but I am not a fan so I changed it. I also added a light sprinkle of sea salt in addition to the crushed pretzels on top. The salty-sweetness is really wonderful, but the filling is a chocolate ganache and so rich that a small slice really does do the trick. I served this with a scoop of strawberry ice cream and a strawberry garnish. {I’ve linked to all the recipes I used, though I did make little adjustments here or there. Just the nature of cooking I guess!}

All in all our ladies seemed to have a really great time. I know I enjoyed doing it and (other than her aching feet – shouldn’t have worn those heels!) so did my friend. We’ll have to do a follow-up with our generous vendors to see if it’s something they’d be willing to do with us again next year. I was chatting with some gals at the Derby party I attended the next day and they had already heard, from some of the pampered lady shoppers, how much fun it was. They wondered if they’d have a chance to bid on the event next year at the theater’s fund-raiser. I really wouldn’t mind doing it all again (with a new menu – of course!).