IT'S A GUY THING
Part II of IV
© Melissa Nowakowski April 2008
THE THEME: Classic Gentleman's Club or Cigar Lounge
Regardless if your guest-of-honour actually smokes cigars, there's nothing more suave than an evening in a Cigar Lounge or Gentleman's Club (the non-stripper type). Have your guests dress "business casual".
THE VENUE: Choose a venue that encompasses dark oak furnishings and an open-air space, whether it be a patio, an accessible rooftop or just an outdoor area. A venue that has pool tables works well for entertainment value (even thought they aren't typically found in Cigar Lounges). Our fave venue here in Toronto for this type of theme is THE ACADEMY OF SPHERICAL ARTS -- dark furnishings, pool tables galore and all around class...not to mention fantastic food. Our second choice is THE ROSEHILL which is as classic as you can get with its leather couches, chic ambiance and classic dark styling.
THE STYLE: Rely on the furnishings and ambiance to set the style. If your gut instinct is to add florals, compromise and use arrangements of moss and willow branches instead. Other classic centerpieces can include large martini vases with a floating candle or filled with dark coloured ball ornaments.
THE ENTERTAINMENT: Utilize classic old-school or new wave jazz for your background music. If games are your thing, host a snooker/pool tournament using teams of 2 while guests are mingling. The winners of the tournament can win a bottle of Scotch. No pool tables? Have three large round tables decked out in dark linen and have a 4-person-per-table poker tournament (with half hour breaks) for those who aren't into the mingling scene.
THE FOOD: Provide a spread of lamb burgers, stuffed potatoes, grilled portabellos, beef saté skewers, veal tortières, etc. If the party is for a birthday, design the birthday cake to be an open humidor with chocolate cigars inside, or as a fedora.
THE GIVEAWAYS: Serve cigars as favours to the men (this is where the patio or outdoor space comes in). No smokers? Serve chocolate cigars instead. For the ladies, give away a cute beaded necklace or bracelet or, as a more cost efficient option, serve them with a cream or red rose.
THE ALTERNATIVE:
Like the overall look but want a more laid back feel? Try having ONE NIGHT IN HAVANA.
The venue remains the same but with the right accents you will have a completely different -- and more casual -- feel to the party.
Have your guests attend in Cuban Inspired Dress -- linen shirts, guayaberas, summer dresses, wide-brimmed summer hats, etc.
Skip the centerpieces and place areca palms or large, palm-tree-like plants in corners and around the room. Use banana leaves as place mats for platters or as chargers for a sit-down dinner.
Play salsa-inspired music in the background or -- for the more extravagant minded -- have steel pan drummers perform for an hour or two then switch to a Latin DJ. For added entertainment, have your guests participate in a few rounds of "Mentirosa" (a dice game that involves dice and a whole lot of bluffing!) or, for a more mixed, adventurous crowd, hire a salsa instructor to teach some salsa moves.
Serve Mojitos and Sangria's and delicious Cuban-inspired food - tostones, palomilla steak, empanadas, tasajo (beef jerky), plantain chips, papas rellenas (fried stuffed potatoes), etc.
Keep your cigars as your favour-of-choice for the mean. For the women, give away beautiful paper fans or vibrant-coloured maracas.
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