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Planning a Long-Distance Party

© Becky Doland

Have you ever planned a long distance party? One that you essentially had to put together and move someplace else? That's just what I was faced with recently, and here's how I pulled it off.

May 25th was my wedding day. My fiancé and I live in northern Virginia, and we wanted to have a very small and intimate but fun wedding. We discovered that in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee there are numerous adorable wedding chapels and hundreds of beautiful honeymoon cabins. We booked our wedding in a lovely little log chapel and started making plans.

There would be ten friends and family members joining us in the mountains that weekend, so I wanted to plan a small reception after the ceremony. The cabin we rented was not only perfect for our honeymoon, it was also perfect for entertaining. The two-story chalet was beautifully appointed with a full kitchen, entertainment center, fireplace, hot tub, two full baths, a game room with pool table, two decks and a BBQ grill. We loved it at first sight!

The key to any successful party is planning and organization, and it was even more so in this case. Plan what you want to have, make lists, shop, and pack as early as possible. I had decided on a menu a couple months in advance: Marinated grilled chicken, potato salad, baked beans, chips, dips, and assorted cheese and veggie trays. And of course, a wedding cake!

Several weeks before the big day, I began shopping for plates and napkins, cups and forks, and a few decorations. I bought candles, a bride & groom for the cake, champagne flutes, and some CDs of special music. All of this went into a box right away - no sense in waiting to pack things.

The week before the wedding we did the grocery shopping. Anything non-perishable was packed as soon as we brought it home: champagne, wine, beer, chips, etc. Then it was time to start preparing the food. The wedding was on a Friday, so I started baking the cake Tuesday night. Wednesday I decorated the cake and put each tier in a sealed, plastic cake carrier. I made the potato salad and the baked beans, again putting everything in Tupperware. I filled zip-lock bags with sliced cheeses. My sister - bless her heart - was traveling from Nashville, and offered to make the dip, deviled eggs, veggie tray, and a big fruit salad. That was a huge help! The last thing I did was to mix up the marinade for the chicken.

Cutting the cake!

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