Happy new year my beautiful readers!
One of my favorite things about 2013 was hosting at the new house. I celebrated my golden birthday (29 on the 29th), my sister's engagement party, Hanukkah and of course, New Years Eve.
Last year I hosted about fifteen friends for a dinner party and this year I hosted again, but with a much more intimate group.
I had an absolute blast decorating the house for the special occasion.
I started in the entry way with a subtle golden glow.
In the living room I covered the coffee table with gold sequins and gave the mantel some new head gear.
How could you not feel festive when your drink is resting here?
I topped the fireplace with hats, glasses and headbands for my guests to wear when the clock struck twelve.
I anchored the fireplace with two gold candle holders, or as one of my guests called them "candle cages."
In the kitchen I set up a mini bar with red, white and rose wine choices. I am obsessed with this gold tray. I use it constantly!
Now for the piece de resistance, the dining room table! Over the past few months I have been gifted so many bottles of champagne and prosecco. What better way to set the table for the new year than to give each and every guest their own personal bottle of bubbly?
Each plate was topped with a black and gold lace napkin, which was then topped with a bottle.
Down the center of the table I laid out a row of candles at varying heights and then dusted the center of the table with faux diamonds.
Over the top? If it is, I don't care. I want to keep those diamonds on the table all year!
You may remember the below sign from my golden birthday party. Well, the "Time to drink champagne and dance on the table" mantra is still true and was perfectly suited for New Years Eve.
For dinner my incredibly talented friend made us a four course meal. She came over Monday and Tuesday night to prep and cook. I am in awe of her. You can find all her recipes on her blog right here.
We started with butternut squash soup.
The second course was arugula salad with parmesan cheese and lemon dressing.
With our entree course we had mushrooms cooked in marsala wine.
As well as Brussels sprouts topped with parmesan cheese.
The main event was the macaroni and cheese. The mixture of cheeses really made this rendition stand out. I didn't even offer to give anyone else left overs. I hoarded it all for myself.
For dessert she whipped up a flour-less chocolate cake, garnished with a strawberry sauce. This cake was more like a block of fudge. No one was able to finish their piece it was so rich!
We finished dinner around 11:00pm and sat down to watch the final hour of Ryan Seacrest. During the broadcast one of the news people shared that the word of the year was "selfie." Appropriately, when the clock struck twelve I took my very own selfie:
It was such a happy new year. I truly felt so lucky to spend the evening with such incredible friends and toasting to the new year in such a decadent way.
I am wishing each and every one of you a happy and healthy 2014. I can't wait to see what this new year bring us.
Happy happy!
