You love playing hostess—it’s the prep work you loathe. Namely, the utter misery that is trudging around a subarctic NYC bogged down with shopping bags. *Shudders* Welp, good news, folks: You live in the greatest city in the world and can have just about anything dropped at your doorstep. For the next time you try your hand at Martha-ing, here’s how to ship in your soiree…from the comfort of your sofa.
How to Throw a Fabulous Apartment Party Without Running a Single Errand
The Libations
First things first: Stocking your bar cart. Our go-to? Minibar, the streamlined delivery app that partners with local liquor shops and delivers in 30 to 60 minutes. Especially handy for these purposes is the party planner tool, which prompts you to plug in event details (think: length of the party, guest count, etc.) and gives you bottle breakdowns and quantity suggestions so no one’s left thirsty. Oh, and if you really want to ball out, you can even book a local bartender.
The Appetizers
We’ve said it once, we’ll say it again: An amazing app spread forgives any number of other party shortcomings. On that note, a friend recently tipped us off to Graze, a boutique purveyor of next-level cheese plates (aka “graze boards”). Available in three sizes, these gorgeous platters serve up to 20 people and come decorated with herbs, fruit and flowers served up on a burlap-wrapped board that you can keep.
grazenewyork.com; from $75
The Party Gear
Just because you have no place to store dinnerware for 15 (and shhh, no idea what a salad fork is) doesn’t mean your party shouldn’t have them. The solution? Table + Teaspoon, an innovative online service that lets you rent entire table settings (everything from essentials like water and wine glasses down to the taper candles, decorative linens and menu cards). The cherry on top? You don’t even have to wash the dishes (praise hands emoji): Just return them to their box and ship back with your prepaid FedEx label.
tableandteaspoon.com; from $24
The Dinner
You guessed it: Delivery, baby. We’re partial to Max Delivery because of its curated Best of NY section featuring local goodies like baguettes from Balthazar (bless) and cannolis from Ferrara Bakery (perfect for dessert). Our go-to easy dinner party menu? DIY’ing a big, beautiful green salad and then for the main...ordering pizza. No shame, guys: you’re a New Yorker after all.