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This post is all about hosting the most perfect Aperol Spritz Party!
It’s Aperol Spritz party time!
bamboo cocktail stirrers I colorful napkins placed around the party
It’s so crazy how Aperol Spritz has become such a trend — even it’s own theme — over these last few years (at least here in the States). For a long time I thought I didn’t like Aperol (from the few sips I had from someone’s drink all I could taste was bittteerrrr). But, when I had an Aperol Spritz made properly, I was immediately all in. What has been your experience?
Now, as soon as the weather warms up I love a good spritz, so this year I decided to throw myself a fun girls’ night birthday party (milestone birthday for me!). I also knew that I wanted color, color, color, and to celebrate and enjoy good company, food, and drink.
Hence, the Aperol Spritz Party came to be.
In This Post:
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Aperol Spritz Party: Planning Stages
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Aperol Spritz Party Food: The Menu
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Aperol Spritz Decorations
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Aperol Spritz Party Outfit
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Aperol Spritz Party Wrap-Up
Aperol Spritz Party: Planning Stages
I’ve shared in previous party planning posts that I enjoy hearing the brainstorming process when planning a party or an event. Mine is typically all over the place, but I usually can pull on a few main features that inspire the rest of my planning.
Here are some of my initial thoughts in planning my Aperol Spritz party, in case it’s helpful (or entertaining – ha!) to you:
- When I plan my parties at home, my first thought is my dining room tablescape, as it’s pretty much the hub of our house for our parties, especially since the food typically is served from this table. I decided to once again use our dining room table as a serving area and wanted it to pop with color.
- After feeling inspired by this picture on Pinterest, I decided to use that as a foundational piece to move my decor along — I LOVED the brightly colored tapers. I’ve never done something this vibrant before, so it felt perfect for a special birthday night. I already had a few of these bubble candle stick holders on hand and ended up purchasing more to really amp it up.
- I’m really into the scallop borders that are on trend right now. While I’ve liked them prior to the trend (they serve whimsical English vibes to me), their popularity made it easy to find things with that border since it’s having a moment right now.
- So, I bought this beautiful runner from Anthro — they had two shades and I went with the “pink”. It’s very pale, which was perfect, as it didn’t compete with all the color from the candles.
- I also found this beautiful runner from Hester and Cook and wanted it to make an appearance. I decided to layer it underneath the fabric runner from Anthro, adding a layered effect. This is one of those choices that you hope will make sense and look “right” when you’re purchasing… and then are so grateful when the vision comes together in the end. And, it did!
Once I had the general idea of the table from here, I then decided on the cocktails I wanted to serve, as well as the menu.
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Aperol Spritz Party Food: The Menu
When talking through my concept for the party with my husband (he’s a very good sport), I decided that I didn’t want to make any food for this party so I could enjoy myself and be present. This worked out well because as we all know, when hosting a party we still have things to tend to, like prepping, warming, and replenishing the food.
From there, I had decided on serving two spritzes at the party: Aperol Spritz & Limoncello Spritz, as well as rosé, white wine, and Prosecco (my faves). Once I realized that both the spritzes I chose were Italian, I decided to just lean into the theme and choose mostly Italian bites for the fare. This helped my brain narrow in much more quickly on the menu.
Here’s what I ended up with for the menu:
- Meatballs and homemade sauce from a local Italian eatery warmed in an antique chafing dish
- Two cheese and charcuterie boards made by a local artisan cheese shop
- A beloved salad from a modern Italian restaurant
- A variety of gorgeous paninis (cut into bite sized pieces) from a new, local Italian butcher shop
- Truffle and shaved parmesan kettle chips (I threw these together quickly before the party)
- Herbed olives
- Mediterranean dips and pita from a local eatery (I love Mediterranean food so I couldn’t resist adding a bit to the menu)
Dessert:
- Homemade pavlova (a childhood favorite of mine)
- Mini cannolis
- Colorful Italian cookies
Aperol Spritz Decorations
While I didn’t used any “themed” Aperol Spritz decorations, aside from this sweet printable from Etsy, I did decorate the potting table where I served the drinks. As I was putting the bar together, I noticed that it needed more layers, and a few touches of color. So, I added in the yellow and pink plates below the clear pitchers and added slices of oranges and lemons which could be used as garnish. I also added a little pink pot of fresh mint from my garden for a touch of green and also as a garnish to the limoncello spritz.
To help everyone decipher what glass is theirs throughout the night I made personalized wine charms. I also had a wine marker for those who had a stemless glass. I made the personalized wine charms to be silly, but was really grateful because it was easy to find my glass every time I put it down! I used this kit and these metal rings which both worked perfectly.
Using Canva I made these cute recipe cards regarding how to prepare a spritz. My plan was to make everyone’s first drink upon arrival, and then let them make their own as the night went on. The hope was that these sweet recipe cards offered guests the simple steps to whip up a spritz to their taste and then jump back in the party.
If you would like a copy of the PDF file of these directions, enter your email below and they will be sent to your inbox! Be sure to check your spam/junk folders if you don’t see them.
I also bought some fruits from our local market which I thought would be a nice complement to the colorful table. My original thought was to scatter them amongst the bases of the candlesticks, but then someone else gave me the idea to stack them on this sweet Wedgwood pedestal which was perfect!
One of the main elements of the table was this stunning floral centerpiece made by my friend’s company:
Isn’t it gorgeous? They used the photos I sent them of the candlesticks and tapers as a color guide. Receiving this stunning delivery to my home a few hours before the party was such a treat — it got me even more excited to celebrate and see the party come together!
Lastly, I added more spiral colorful tapers to my antique candlesticks on my sideboard to add more ambience and color. This added to the ambience with soft lighting and cheerful hues.
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Aperol Spritz Party Outfit
I did a bunch of digging (and ordering) and ultimately decided on this dress from Abercrombie in “vegetable print” for my big bday.
With the mix of colors, as well as the whimsical prints on the dress — I fell in love. To me it mirrored a bit of the Hester & Cook runner on the table, while beautifully tied together the rest of the theme. I lucked out that it fit so well! Aperol Spritz party outfit complete!
This dress from Farm Rio kept calling me name, but I didn’t have the opportunity to try it on in the store, so I decided to look elsewhere. It was also an investment for me, so I knew I would really have to love it and wear it many other times to make it worth the purchase.
It’s gorgeous, though, right?
Aperol Spritz Party Wrap-Up
This Aperol Spritz party for my milestone birthday was soooo much fun. It flew by so fast! No surprise here, but I forgot to put dessert out until the last few party-goers were heading out. Fortunately, they were great sports and stayed to enjoy it with me!
We had my mother’s homemade pavlova (my favorite), mini cannolis, and colorful Italian sprinkle cookies. This was a funny ending to the evening, as I ate the pavlova straight from the tray with a fork.
For this party, I wanted to have a few games on hand to play. I don’t typically play games, so this was a new venture for me. We had Monikers, Cards Against Humanity, Guided Tarot Cards (this is boxed set with cards & manual), and Who’s Most Likely To. We ended up doing a round of Monikers which was hilarious, and then a round of Cards Against Humanity (also hilarious). Everyone joined in the games! What a beautiful, light hearted night with great company, food, and drink, which was my hope.
I was having so much fun and rushing around before the party that I really didn’t take many pictures. I’m grateful for my friends (and husband) who snapped a few while it was all happening so I have these memories!
Cheers to a beautiful year ahead full of celebrating life for us all!
Thanks so much for being here!
More hosting + party inspiration:
Hosting an Elevated Wine Tasting Birthday Party
Seasonal + Simple Prosecco Cocktails
If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear them! Simply use the form below.
This post was all about hosting the most perfect Aperol Spritz Party!
