Brad Royale
Wine Director at Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts and owner of Kitten Swish wine label
“Always have a magnum of sparkling wine in the fridge. Magnums make a great impression. Their sheer size and obvious generosity will make any guest feel more than welcome.”
Jann Arden
Musician and Author of several books including Feeding My Mother
“Do not constantly clean! I have hosted parties where all I do is clear glasses and wipe counters and put things into recycling. You end up missing the entire party. Relax, let the dishes pile up and the glasses stay where they’re put down and just enjoy visiting with the people you’ve probably not seen enough of over the year.”
Todd Hirsch
Chief Economist at ATB Financial
“Every party is a shoe-on party! Your guests don’t spend good money on beautiful footwear only to have them heaped up in a wet puddle by the door.”
Paul Brandt
Singer-songwriter
“It’s always important to me that my guests feel I’ve spent time and attention to making it a special night for them, that there has been preparation. And yet, it’s important that there’s a casual enough feel that we can stray from my plans if that’s where the evening leads.”
Patricia Koyich
Instructor in Hospitality and Tourism Management and Culinary Entrepreneurship at SAIT
“Have plenty of bubbles! Champagne is my favourite, but if you’re on a budget you can be creative with other sparkling wines and sparkling-wine cocktails.”
Read more: How to Host a Holiday Party
