Have you ever done paint by numbers? I mean have you ever done one after kindergarten? I tried one recently with the hope of learning, in some small way, how to actually paint for real.

It didn’t work and I have come to the dramatic realization that I am no Picasso. Not even close. In fact, I’m not even the kid in kindergarten who can color within the lines. I’m that bad at anything in the artistic realm. Even my stick figures look like horribly disfigured abominations.

I feel much the same way when I go to an event that is spectacular. Some people really just have a talent for putting together a celebration. I have come, more and more, to the realization that this is a talent that is artistic in nature and the events that they put together are works of art.

For a little while I believed that being submerged in the presence of such individuals would rub off on me. It hasn’t. I’m constantly reminded of that fact every time I attend a party or an event that is thrown by someone who really knows what they are doing.

I recently had an “I would have never thought of that moment” at a friend’s 25th anniversary. Both my friend and his wife are architects. They design buildings and homes. Where you could even begin to do something like that I have no idea. I tried building a fort once out of pillows and a blanket; within five minutes the city declared it structurally unsound and made me destroy it.

Despite their artistic and visionary natures, my friends happen also to be somewhat simple in their personal lives. They aren’t extravagant, nor are they flamboyant in their tastes. I knew that their anniversary party would be perfect without being showy.

I was right. The gathering took place at their home (which, of course, they designed and built). There were many people there: family, friends, business associates, etc.. Food stations had been set up in different parts of the house. At first, I couldn’t figure out why they hadn’t decided on a single buffet area or something similar. When I got closer to the first station, I discovered why.

When I picked up the plate I was surprised to see that it was a triangle shape. I’d never seen a plate like that before. All of the food at this station had also been cut and shaped in the form of a triangle. The shapes were natural; it wasn’t as if they had taken a hamburger and pressed it into a triangular shape. There were pies, quiche, and the like here.

Across the room a food station was set up with oval dishes. Again, the food had been prepared to naturally match the shape of the plate it was being served in. As I stood at this station and looked back at the “triangle station”, I realized it had been placed below two magnificent wooden beams that started at the floor and met each other at the ceiling in the shape of a triangle.

Similarly, the other food stations complimented some feature in the home. Rectangles, hexagons, squares, cubes . . . you name it.

I had been to my friend’s house many times. I had always admired the beauty of their house. I had seen everything before, but this was the first time that the shapes of the house started to stand out to me. The way that they had been placed together or used as juxtapositions was remarkable.

All that time I had never seen it for the piece of art that it really was and it finally took some shaped dinner plates to open my eyes.

Art. Plain and simple.

I’ll never be able to come up with things like that. It just isn’t in my nature. I’m glad that there are people out there who see the world so differently and can make things like this for the rest of us to enjoy!

Ask anyone what makes a great party or event and you will get many different answers. Some will say the dancing, others the bar . . . but everyone will say the food if they really think about it.

An increasingly popular way to serve food, especially in these harsh economic times, is the buffet.

They are cost effective and guests like them as long as you do it right.

If you choose a buffet rather than a traditional table service breakfast, lunch or dinner, consider the following:

Don’t Sacrifice Quality for Cost

It is completely possible to choose a buffet with GREAT tasting food. Interview several different caterers and ask for references. Whether you are having a wedding or a birthday party, you’re the boss; you’re spending money and deserve a product that you know is going to satisfy your guests.

A caterer should be open, honest, quick and efficient. They should let you sample their foods. Go with the caterer with whom you feel the most comfortable and, of course, the one who makes your taste buds dance.

Be Prepared

Many guests like buffets because it gives them more control over what they are going to eat. We all know the distant cousin who would pull a chair right up to the serving table if they could, but we also know the dieter who will only eat lettuce, lettuce and more lettuce.

The caterer will help you assess how much food you will need, but if you are in charge of providing the dinnerware remember that you should have 75% more plates than you do guests. So if you have 100 guests, order 175 plates. It may seem excessive but it is better to have more than you need than not enough. You can’t have your guests putting their food in their hands!

Timing

You’ve seen it at events before . . . people are mingling and dancing. Everyone has their drinks and is laughing. Then it’s time for the meal and the party grinds to a halt as everyone stampedes towards the buffet table. Before you know it, your fun, flowing event becomes a line that wraps around the block.

The easiest way to avoid this is to have assigned tables with assigned seating. Make sure that you give each table enough time to get their food before you invite the next table up. You should allow the guests to be half way through the buffet before inviting the next table to help themselves.

If you don’t have assigned seating or tables get creative. Try handing out inexpensive party favors of different colors as your guests arrive. Make sure they hold onto them and invite them up according to color. This would be especially effective at events where people may not know each other and you want to get them mingling!

Check out the below Atlas Party Rental video for more information!