Celebrate -- Lauren Conrad

I don't normally write book reviews on the blog, but I knew I had to share one of my current favorites with all of you. I've been a longtime Lauren Conrad fan and was ecstatic when I heard she was coming out with a party planning book. I love the idea of throwing parties (I love actually throwing them too, I just don't as often as I would like) and I knew that the book was going to be chalked full of beautiful pictures. I sure wasn't wrong! The book has gorgeous matte pages with stunning images on every page!

The first part of the book includes sections on concept, invitations, menus, decor, and the bar. The second part focuses on specific types of parties and includes birthday, engagement, bridal shower, housewarming, dinner, baby shower, clambake, bachelorette, wedding, brunch, holiday, and New Year's Eve parties. I love the wide variety of different parties that she included and plan on following her tips and tricks for several different types of parties in the next few months.

 

Lauren talks about her own experiences throwing parties and gives advice that she learned along the way. If you're getting married, there's also a suggested timeline of how far in advance to do things. She also recommends waiting to start planning your honeymoon until you're really stressed out with wedding plans because it makes for a nice breath of fresh air. She also mentions when you should have the talk about eloping vs having a large wedding. I love the personal insight that Lauren gives. This book doesn't seem quite as formal and stuffy as a lot of other party planning books I have read.

 

Lauren also talks about the etiquette for each type of event. For example - what should you bring as a hostess gift to a dinner party? Lauren believes that all good gifts should be able to be burned, eaten, or drank. Giving a gift that can be consumed is great because it won't clutter the person's house forever and they won't feel an obligation to always have your gift displayed somewhere in their house.

 

Asking for your guests food preferences is a big one! I never think to ask what people can/can't eat before they come over & it's something I'm now more aware of. Especially in the days where people are so weird about eating gluten. Lauren says you can't always make everyone happy, but you can have a wide variety of food to ensure that there is at least something for everyone.

 

If you either love throwing parties or just love books with pretty pictures, I would highly recommend Celebrate! This is a home-run by Lauren and easily her best book to date. 

Amazon currently has the book available for just $16.99!