How to Make a Budget Party Seem Like a Fancy Affair

These ideas will help elevate your next gathering without breaking the bank.

Illustration by Tyler Lemermeyer.

Fancy is easy when money is no object, but what does a host with Champagne tastes do when they’re on a cheap beer budget? While no amount of chutzpah is going to make a bottle of fine French wine or a tin of Beluga caviar magically appear, a little blue-sky thinking and elbow grease can turn a shoestring event into a delightfully refined gathering.

Start by setting the scene: this is where bringing out your inherited bone china, old candelabras, and linen napkins and tablecloths really makes a difference. Many of us have some good stuff collecting dust in a closet.

If not, while ultra-stylish mid-century dishes are fairly picked over at thrift stores these days, there is a surprising amount of older formal tableware and crystal glassware on offer at various estate sales and second-hand stores, with the supply from downsizers and inheritances outweighing modern demand.

Keep the food looking fancy by splurging on nice cheeses and fancy crackers or by making one amazing show-stopping dish — guests won’t even notice your Costco-sourced side dishes if there’s a beef Wellington or roast goose on the table. Putting grocery-store frozen hors d’oeuvres on a pretty platter or pouring your cheap-and-cheerful wine into a bougie decanter makes everything taste twice as expensive. Wine can also be stretched when it’s transformed into punch — a $15 bottle (or two) of prosecco can serve a crowd when it’s mixed with soda water and a few cans of frozen lemonade in a vintage punch bowl.

There are some other clever tricks to employ — give your neighbour’s teen a few bucks to play valet driver, buy some sparkly accoutrements at the dollar store, create a playlist of classical holiday music — but, ultimately, fancy is a state of mind. Put on your best face, don’t apologize for your budgetary shortcomings and your guests will feel like they’re being treated to a night at the Ritz.

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This article appears in the November 2024 issue of Avenue Calgary.

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