Party of the Decade

Celebrate the first 10 years of the millennium with 20 of your closest friends

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To kick off 2010 in style, we decided to put together a guide to throwing the ultimate New Year’s Eve party. That meant calling in our favorite caterers, bakers, and party punch makers. We even designed custom invitations to set the tone. This would be a New Year’s Eve to remember. Check out our dos, how-tos, and who-to-calls for ringing in the new decade.

1 rise and shine.
Start the prep work early so you can relax later on.  

INVITATIONS To set the tone for a stylish affair, only paper invites will do. We called up our friend Jude Y. Fendel, owner of Paper Sweet, to create a custom design for us (pictured at right). (415) 203-9223, papersweet.net.

CANDY Where is the best candy store in the East Bay? Well, it’s gotta be Powell’s Sweet Shoppe. From Hershey’s Kisses to Hot Tamales, you’ll satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. 3591 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, (925) 299-9866, powellsss.com.

FAVOR BOXES Make sure your friends indulge—and take home some sugar-licious fun for January 1 and beyond. We snatched up some supercute favor boxes at Unveiled. 1513 Cypress St., Walnut Creek, (925) 944-0132, unveiledeventsandgifts.com.

CAKE A special occasion deserves a special cake. For one that’s gorgeous—and delicious—we went to Walnut Creek Baking Company and ordered their blue gift cake so we could unwrap a new year full of joy and hope. A 10-inch square costs $150 and serves 25–30 people. 1686 Locust St., Walnut Creek, (925) 988-9222, wcbakingco.com.

DECOR Go lively with balloons. We stuck with a pink-and-white theme, but threw in a few black, red, and blue ones, all from Boswell’s, to keep it hip. Don’t forget to curl the ribbons for festive flair! Four East Bay locations, boswellsparty.com. 

PUNCH When it comes to mixed drinks, we go mad for Walnut Creek Yacht Club’s raucous concoctions. But we wanted to go big for our party. So we asked the restaurant staff to mix us a punch. They created the delicious Bitter End rum punch—and we slurped every last sip. 1555 Bonanza St., Walnut Creek, (925) 944-3474, wcyc.net.

recipe: holiday punch

(Bitter End Rum Punch provided by the Walnut Creek Yacht Club)

Ice Mold
Take a pie pan (preferred) or round Bundt cake mold and, in the bottom, place the seeds from a pomegranate, orange slices, plus any leftover syrup ingredients. A few cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon stick, etc. would also look nice. Fill with warm water (it will freeze clearer), and freeze overnight.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Digital Technician: Brian Stevens, Assistant: Fredrick Usher, Wardrobe and Prop Stylist: Sharon Maloney, Stylist Assistant: Dusty Brummel, Hair and Makeup: Brynn Doering/Artmix, Models: Lucie Padova/Stars, Adam Gurr/la Models, intern: Kristin Carey, Location: Margarido House, Oakland

(CLICK HERE to share your own party tips in our December forum)