Bridal shower, baby shower, birthday, Galentine’s Day, mate meetup, cousin catch up…. divorce party? There are a thousand reasons to round up your best girls for a big love fest and chin wag. Quality time with the girls is good for the soul. And an amazing spread of food and delicious wine to power up the laughs and D&Ms is what brings it all together.
The only downside? Tearing yourself away from having a good time.
With this in mind, we’ve come up with a few tips to host a fabulous long lunch that will have you and your gals happily schmoozing from noon until night.
Before deciding on your guest list, work out how many people you can comfortably accommodate to sit down for lunch in your space. If you’re planning an outdoor gathering, do you have adequate shelter from the rain or shade from the sun? If the weather doesn’t work in your favour, is hosting lunch indoors an option?
People are busy! Send a text or an email invite a few weeks in advance if possible. If it’s a special occasion, it doesn’t take much effort to create something cute using invitation templates online. Remember to include an RSVP date and a reminder for your guests to reply with any dietary requirements.
The last thing you want on your big day is a morning meltdown because you don’t feel ready. You can slash your stress levels by ensuring your space is fully prepped, ideally the day or night before your event. Dress your table with a tablecloth (you can’t go wrong with white!) and lay crockery and cutlery out for each person. Coloured linen napkins are great for adding a chic and sophisticated touch.
Floral table centrepieces are a lovely way to brighten up the table and are relatively inexpensive if you select in-season blooms. But don’t go over the top — anything too high will block the view of the people opposite you. And you’ll want to maximise your table real estate for food (and wine!).
Don’t forget to get a playlist organised. Music is everything when it comes to creating a vibe. Have a few different list options that you can quickly divert to depending on the mood — power ballads and classic dance tunes are always fun as the afternoon wears on.
If you plan on having lunch kick on well after the main meal, consider setting up some chill-out areas where smaller groups can huddle and relax.
Greet your guests with a welcoming tray of some easy-to-make cocktails. We’ve listed our favourites below.
To make these delicious cocktails, you can use the Rosé or Prosecco from Tempus Two’s Lighten Up collection. It’s a fantastic (and more virtuous way) to ease into your ladies’ lunch, as the wines are lighter in alcohol and calories.
To accompany your welcome drinks, a large grazing board or antipasto platter loaded with an assortment of cheeses, cured meats, olives, dips and crackers is a great way to encourage pre-meal mingling.
The hardest part about being a host is that it can be hard to relax as there is always something to be done. Advance preparation is the best way to achieve hassle-free hosting — especially when it comes to your menu.
Here are some quick and practical ways you can lessen your workload before your big day:
Save yourself the headache of preparing a fancy three-course lunch served on individual dishes. It’s easier and more relaxed to set down a few platters in the middle of the table that can be shared family style.
Keep it simple by selecting one or two hot items that can be cooked or heated up in advance and kept warm before serving, accompanied by three to four different salads and sides.
Here are some ideas to inspire you.
It’s likely that your guests will each have a different approach to the way they consume alcohol on the day. Some will be up for a bottomless lunch, others will want to moderate their drinking for health reasons or because they are driving, and then there are those who can't or choose not to have any alcohol at all.
For all these reasons, it's important to ensure you have an inclusive selection of beverages that caters to everyone.
At Tempus Two we are big believers in celebrating any occasion your way, and we have a range of wines that let you do just that.
Tempus Two Zero Looks like wine. Tastes like wine. Is wine, but without the alcohol. Perfect for your guests who are up for socialising sans booze.
There are five delicious varietals in the range:
Tempus Two Lighten Up With just four standard drinks per bottle, your guests can stay in the moment and truly enjoy an extra long catch-up with the girls.
This modern take on traditional wine includes six fantastic varietals, but for a long ladies’ lunch, we recommend:
Tempus Two Copper Collection For those guests who are up for indulging in a boozy lunch, you can’t go wrong with these Tempus Two classics:
There are not enough reasons in the world to get your girls together for a memorable catch-up over lunch. With Tempus Two we have all your bases covered so you and your ladies can swirl like no one’s watching all afternoon long!
