What are the ingredients for a stunning holiday soirée? Cocktails, of course. But Andrea Goto gets the rest of the story direct from a pair of party professionals. >> Photography by Beau Kester
You know the drill. Back in early November, a holiday party seemed like a good idea. But when the big day rolls around, your version of P. Diddy’s white party devolves into a scene worthy of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: your boss is over-served, the pork loin is undercooked and you offer foie gras to a card-carrying PETA member. Consequently, the holiday spirit exits your body faster than your mother-in-law can question your housekeeping skills—again—and you’re, well, totally Scrooged.
Luckily, there’s professional help for the party-planning impaired. Hosting heroines Genina Ramirez and Meredith Stroud, co-owners and event planners of From This Day Forward Weddings and Events, transformed the deliberately dark Carriage Wine Cellar at 700 Drayton Restaurant into a bright, convivial atmosphere without seizure-inducing tree lights or demonic cherubs, showing how a festive party can come together as easy as newlyweds under the mistletoe.
Savannah Magazine: You’ve designed a beautiful tablescape for our little party. Tell me about the look you were going for.
Genina: We didn’t want a traditional red-and-green Christmas with tinsel, but a more grown-up (and non-denominational) version of it. It’s still a gilded look because we have the mercury glass and we still bring in the green, but as a natural element rather than a forced color. We elevated the look a bit by using purple. Because red is a base of purple, all the “traditional” colors are here, just not thrown in your face. Plus, I really don’t like matchy-matchy things—I think it looks boring.
See how this dynamic duo created their tablescape, right HERE >>
Behind the Scenes: Holiday Cocktails with From This Day Forward Weddings & Events from Stephen Withers on Vimeo.
To get all the details from Genina and Meredith about throwing a festive holiday party, subscribe or pick up a copy of the Nov/Dec issue of Savannah magazine today.
