• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jaime Says

wine.quiet travel.lifestyle.

  • About
  • What is Quiet Travel?
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Amsterdam
      • France
      • Portugal
        • The Azores
      • Spain
    • United States
      • Alabama
      • Arizona
      • Canada
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
        • Chicago
        • DuPage County
      • Indiana
      • Michigan
      • Mexico
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Orleans
      • Wisconsin
    • Quiet Travel
  • Life and Links
  • Wine
  • Work With Me
    • Previous Brand Partnerships
housewarming charcuterie board

Home, Wine

4 October 2019

I Threw the Least Instagrammable Party on the Planet and Here’s Why

Last Updated on March 16, 2020 by JaimeSays

One of the reasons why I knew our house was the one as soon as I walked into it is because it has a great room. Not a family room, and not a sitting room. It is an actual great room, nearly all windows, and looking out onto a forest of 200 year old oak trees that contort into a canopy over our yard. It’s breathtaking.

See the tree canopy?

When we moved from our 700ish square foot apartment in the city to our home, we had to tap into our emergency fund within 4 days of closing. So, some of the funds to furnish the house were immediately zapped up into getting a new vehicle. Then, I took some time figuring out how I wanted to design our dining room area, and went back and forth quite a bit. Eventually, I settled on a table from Wayfair.com and chairs from RH.

I bought a mix of these chairs for our dining room.

As soon as that was finished, I began to work with a local lighting company to figure out how to get some overhead lighting in our dining room. After weeks of meeting with an electrician and a designer, we established that it just wasn’t possible. I began looking at sconces to brighten up the room, but the ones that would pull in the most light required that I have more things established in the room, like art and a sideboard.

What’s a Girl to do with a Half Furnished House and Some Bare Walls? Throw a Party Anyway.

  • 20 people participating in a blind wine tasting.
  • Ivy Grapes donated glassware and the second place prize for the event.
  • Idaho Wines donated a stay in Boise and tickets to Sippin in the City for the winner. (pictured right)

No, I didn’t mean to have two different colored couches in the great room but we haven’t had a chance to move our old one upstairs or find accent chairs. My kitchen was a COMPLETE DISASTER of dirty dishes and half cut cheese blocks. People still hung out in it, but were kind enough to offer help or not comment on the chaos. We had some wine glasses break and things spilled, but nothing a quick vacuum couldn’t fix. Yes, I walked away from the stove for too long and there was a teensy fire. But, we had a wine tasting party at home anyway! We got to celebrate with my extended family and got to know our neighbors better. We learned that it takes about a week to prepare for a party, and I still need to figure out a better lighting situation.

I am not an interior designer. My husband and I don’t have an unlimited budget to throw at every project at the same time. Some of my favorite serving dishes are from Goodwill and Ivy Grapes donated Grassl glassware for the event so that even the least experienced sniffers could identify scents. (Seriously, these unique wine glasses are amazing and are 10% off with the code JS10.)

As the party start time approached, I was starting to feel inadequate that we didn’t have a photographer and perfect lighting and that things weren’t perfect, but once people arrived, it didn’t matter. Maybe I should have gone with more prestigious French wine. I can’t tell you that the party would have been better if I had my favorite sconces installed, catered instead of cooked, and hired a bartender. I dressed up in something that made me feel confident and moved forward.

I spent four years not being able to have people over and feeling guilty about always suggesting get togethers “at your place.” Even though we need some art, lighting, and a few coats of paint, it turned out okay, even if it wasn’t Instagram worthy.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
JaimeSays
WSET Level 2 Certified Wine Lover, DuPage County Brand Ambassador. DME + Orthotics By Day, Adoring Home Life and Travel by Night.
Latest posts by JaimeSays (see all)
  • I Hired an Interior Designer and Was Disappointed - November 10, 2021
  • Why I Didn’t Share My Pregnancy - September 18, 2021
  • Awesome Planters for Your Home - July 9, 2021
  • 9 Must See Things to do in Columbus, Indiana - July 3, 2021
  • Garden Advice for the Newly Suburban Beginning Gardener - June 20, 2021
  • 6 Things I Learnedat the 2021 Maremma Toscana Wines of Tuscany Tasting - June 3, 2021
  • Cocktails and Mocktails I’ve been Making at Home - April 6, 2021
  • Birdwatching: One of the Best Attractions in Southwest Florida - January 13, 2021
  • My Endometriosis Story - December 8, 2020

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Posts

  • The Most Instagrammable River North Chicago Bars

    It has been a few years since I spent a considerable amount of time in…

  • Wisconsin Bachelorette Party Ideas: A Girls' Getaway Package and Photoshoot Party at Destination Kohler

    I really did not intend on having a bachelorette party.  Eddie and I are saving…

  • All the Tools You'll Need for a Blind Wine Tasting Party at Home

    This past weekend, I hosted my very first wine tasting at our new house. When…

Newer Posts
Older Posts

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Alex Howell says

    October 17, 2019 at 2:16 pm

    gREAT PARTY!! IT SEEMS THAT IT WAS A NICE SUCCESS, I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A PARTY JUST LIKE THE ONE YOU DID, IT’S JUST SENSATIONAL, WHAT WAS THE BEST PART?

    Reply
    • JaimeSays says

      October 17, 2019 at 2:42 pm

      I loved having a little competition among friends and was happy to introduce my friends and family to the beautiful wines of Idaho. Do you entertain much in cancun?

      Reply
      • Alex Howell says

        October 18, 2019 at 1:31 pm

        Of course! From time to time we have meetings like this between my friends and their parents and mine, as we have known each other since we were little, since there is already that trust, sometimes we meet to talk and remember old times with a good glass of wine and a board of rich cheeses!

        Reply

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Popular posts:

  • Whitefish Montana Restaurants: Where to Eat in…Whitefish Montana Restaurants: Where to Eat in Whitefish Montana
  • Are the Azores Safe to Visit? 9 Reasons Why You…Are the Azores Safe to Visit? 9 Reasons Why You Should Visit the Azores
  • 10 Things to do in Petoskey This Summer10 Things to do in Petoskey This Summer
  • 8 Things to do in Ludington MI8 Things to do in Ludington MI
  • 16 Things to do in Sandpoint Idaho this Summer16 Things to do in Sandpoint Idaho this Summer

Tags

Amsterdam anxiety management Architecture Bordeaux Canada Champagne Charlevoix Chicago Chicago Tours CityPass date night DuPage DuPage County Europe Family France Gadgets home Honeymoon Hotel Review Idaho Indianapolis Life and Links Marathon Weekend Michigan Michigan's Upper Peninsula Midwest Money Saver Money Saving Tips Northern Michigan Petoskey Petoskey Area Portugal Practical Tips quiet travel Québec South Loop style The Azores U.S. Travel Where to Eat Wine Wine Tours Winter Wisconsin

@instagram

  • What is Quiet Travel?
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Case Studies
  • Policies

Copyright © 2022 · Jaime Says · Designed by Small Shop & Developed by Bella Creative Studio

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT