Party by Numbers

Aim for these quantities if you would like to send guests home with leftover pastries.

For eight people: 80 pastries, 4 bottles of wine, 2 pots of coffee
For 16 people: 160 pastries, 8 bottles of wine, 3 pots of coffee
For 24 people: 240 pastries, 12 bottles of wine, 5 pots of coffee

At Your Service

It’s entirely acceptable to set out a mishmash of dishes, alternating styles as you stack them. If you don’t own 36 crystal flutes or silver for 24, borrow from friends, use disposables, or call a party-rental company (look in the Yellow Pages under categories such as “Party Equipment and Supplies”). Most deliver the day before the event, pick up the day after, and — bless them — require only that you scrape, not wash, the dishes.

Prices vary according to glitz. For a standard dessert plate, fork, and Champagne flute, expect to pay about $1.50 a person. Delivery fees start around $40; a minimum order is sometimes required. The cost increases with the number of guests — but so does the benefit of having someone else do the dishes.

Beverage Basics

There’s no need to offer a full bar, regular and decaffeinated coffee, three kinds of tea, and sparkling as well as still water. If you don’t know your guests’ preferences, stick with a single sparkling wine, decaffeinated coffee, and still water. (And, if you’d like, some hot water for tea. Rather than brewing a pot, consider offering tea bags.) After you make the first pot of coffee or hot water, set up a second run so it will be ready when you need it.

This is the perfect occasion for sugar cubes. They lend an elegant touch to the table, and you won’t have to clean up spilled sugar or ripped paper packets.

When buying the sparkling wine, estimate one bottle for every two guests. Then throw in an extra bottle or two, just in case. Place the wine in the refrigerator a day or two before the party, then transfer the bottles to buckets of ice water half an hour before guests arrive.