"A green lawn, a few trees, a fine day, and something to eat are
really all the absolute requirements of a garden party." If true, this
places the pleasant mode of entertaining our friends in the power of
many people of moderate means. In remote country localities these
parties are very delightful, particularly if city friends are guests
for the Summer.
When properly conducted, a garden party may be given with very little
trouble, and made very simple and informal, but if desired may be made
elaborate and ceremonious.
When only neighbors are to be entertained, a hasty invitation, so as
to be sure of fine weather, may be sent two or three days in advance,
but when guests are expected from any distance it is customary to send
invitations eight or ten days in advance, as suitable preparations
must be made.
These invitations are usually engraved on handsome, plain note paper,
and may be in this form:
[Illustration:
_Mr. and Mrs. Charles Leigh_
_Request the pleasure of_
_Mrs. Morton's_
_Company on Thursday, the fifth of August,_
_At three o'clock._
_Garden Party._
_Maple Grove._]
When guests are to come by rail it is well to send a card stating the
hours at which trains arrive and leave the station. Then if carriages
are to meet the train, on a card enclosed might be printed: _Carriages
will meet the 3.30 train from Union Depot._
A lady, also, may invite her friends to a garden party by sending her
visiting card with "Tennis" or "Garden Party" written in the lower
left hand corner, and day and hour in the lower right hand corner, or
under her name. It is well sometimes to specify the time of closing.
At a garden party the hostess receives her guests on the lawn, or in
the garden, wearing her hat and gloves. But guests should always be
invited to the house to take off their wraps, or arrange their toilet
if desired. Of course, a maid servant should be in the dressing-room
to attend their wants.
[Illustration: A NAVAL BALL ON SHIPBOARD.]
[Illustration: AN ABSORBING STORY.]
The thoughtful hostess will take care to have everything in
readiness for the comfort and entertainment of the company. Rugs
should be laid on the grass for the accommodation of those not
accustomed to standing on the ground, and easy chairs provided for
delicate or aged ladies who may be present, so all may enjoy the party
without fear of the consequence.
Amusements to be Provided.
Much tact is required to properly entertain guests at a garden party,
and prevent them from wandering aimlessly about the grounds. Ample
amusements must, therefore, be provided.
The lawn tennis ground must be in perfect order, croquet sets in
readiness, archery tools supplied, as well as arrangements for all
kinds of suitable games made. Music is a very delightful addition to
the pleasure of such an occasion, and should always be had, when
practicable.
Ladies wear hats or bonnets at a garden party, and should dress
otherwise appropriately. If a plain, informal affair, the dress should
be simple and becoming, and if games like lawn tennis or archery are
among the amusements, light flannel dresses are suitable. But if
invited to a ceremonious lawn party, where style will prevail,
handsome though simple toilets are required. Picturesque costumes may
be made very effective on the grass and under the trees, and ladies of
taste have a fine field for displaying it upon such occasions.
Many very fashionable people conduct the garden party in the style of
an afternoon tea, receiving and entertaining their guests in the open
air until ready to serve refreshments, when all are invited to the
dining-room to partake of them. This mode is very convenient and quite
pleasant, though it divests the occasion of much of the novelty and
charm belonging to it.
When the refreshments are to be served in the garden or lawn, of
course the dishes must all be cold, and may consist of salads,
_pates_, pressed meats, Charlottes, jellies, ices, cakes, lemonade and
iced tea. A cup of hot tea should always be in readiness in the
kitchen for those ladies desiring it.
[Illustration: A LAWN PARTY.]
Servants should be well trained when in attendance to prevent
confusion. Dishes, knives, forks and spoons should be removed when
used, and put in baskets or trays in readiness for them, and a fresh
supply brought to replace them.
Tables and Refreshments.
Numbers of small tables, with pretty, fancy covers, and colored
napkins, should be set around under trees, near fountains and other
suitable places, with camp-stools for the accommodation of guests when
partaking of refreshments.
Servants should to be very careful in going from place to place with
dishes to be served never to spill or drop the contents on ladies'
dresses.
Gentlemen may help the ladies, if they prefer, and wait on themselves,
requiring the servants only to remove the dishes and replenish the
pitchers with lemonade, milk or water.
Fruits, pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, peaches and grapes are
served at garden parties, and should be of the finest quality.
Ices are a very acceptable addition to an outdoor entertainment, being
light and refreshing for warm weather; they are served in fancy paper
cups, laid on ice plates.
For ladies desiring to give garden parties, the following bill of fare
will be found sufficient:
Cold Rolls. Mixed Sandwiches. Brown Bread. Pickled Tongue.
Pate de foie gras. Jellied Chicken. Cold Birds.
Lobster Salad. Charlotte Russe. Biscuit. Glaces. Fancy Cakes.
Fruits. Lemonade. Iced Tea. Strawberry Acid.
In England the refreshments are always served in a _marquee_ (large
tent) on the lawn.
For such outdoor entertainments foods that require little use of knife
and fork should be chosen; sandwiches should never be made of sliced
meats as they are awkward to handle. Crusts should be trimmed off, and
the filling shredded or grated to a paste, and highly seasoned. For
the same reason hot drinks should be dispensed with as far as
possible. Glasses are to be filled but two-thirds full. None of these
precautions are necessary when the refreshments are served indoors.
For the out-of-doors feast a number of small tables should be
provided; cover with fancy cloths and on them place piles of plates
alternating with folded napkins, breadbaskets, or trays heaped with
sandwiches and buttered tea biscuit, baskets of fancy cakes, and
plenty of reserve napkins. Have some of the assistants pass these,
beginning with the plates, and to the maidservants leave the service
of tea, coffee, cream and sugar (when these are given) and other
drinkables.
By this time the gentlemen who first assisted will have been served
and the maids can turn their attention to the ices. Ice cream can be
served as above, and ices in glass cups; after this the maids can
gather up the dishes in baskets. A caterer may be called upon to
furnish the feast, in which event all trouble will be spared the
hostess. Do not use the best glass and china at these entertainments;
the danger of breakage is too great.
At many gatherings a special table is supplied for the gentlemen,
where soda-water, claret cup, and sometimes wines are served. The men
help themselves, but a manservant is present to supply fresh glasses,
etc. This table depends entirely upon the principles of the hostess.
If no hours are mentioned, the guests usually disperse about dusk,
unless dancing is provided for those who wish to stay and enjoy it.
Seats.
The business of providing seats is a comparatively trifling affair
when there are to be young people present, who prefer clean turf or
the piazza steps to any more luxurious lounging place. For the older
guests, less unconventional accommodations may be devised. Light
rockers, camp chairs, wooden or wicker settees are pretty, and in
harmony with the rustic nature of the reception. It is well, also, to
have rugs or strips of carpet laid about, for the benefit of those who
dread the dampness that some imagine rises from the ground even in the
midst of the most obstinate drought. Cushions are invaluable at such
times, whether used as footstools for the more delicate guests, to
soften porch steps, or to convert stumps and grassy knolls into
divans, for those who like low seats, but yet have a due regard for
their bones or dresses.
A charming, and thoroughly rustic style of seat, can be formed of dry,
sweet hay. Tossed up in generous piles, to make couches, or heaped
against the trunks of trees to simulate arm chairs, they provide
resting places that are not only luxurious, but uncommon. The
costliest upholsterer can furnish no chairs or sofas more softly
padded or more deliciously perfumed than these. With rugs or shawls
thrown over them, to guard the garments of their occupants from any
possible injury from moisture or from crushed insects, they are all
that the most fastidious could demand.
Hammocks, also furnished with cushions, are always comfortable and
picturesque, while screens are valuable additions to the furniture of
this open-air drawing-room. Covered with cretonne, felt or paper of
any shape and size, these are almost indispensable for shielding from
draughts in breezy weather, or sheltering from obtrusive sunlight on a
sultry day.
Lawn Parties for Charity.
In case of a charitable object, the refreshments are disposed of at
reasonable prices. In this case the menu should be restricted to a few
articles. Berries, ice cream and cake are frequently sufficient;
coffee can be added. Dainty buttonhole bouquets should also be
provided and sold to the gentlemen for prices in advance of their
value. Afterward, with the piazza for a stage, a little program of
music, singing and recitations can be carried out.
At any garden party, music and singing are in order, and at very grand
affairs, paid musicians of note are engaged. Orchestras also are
frequently somewhere on the grounds.
Breakfasts, Luncheons and Teas.
[Illustration]
A breakfast or a luncheon is somewhat less formal than a dinner and,
hence, so much the more delightful.
The breakfast party includes both gentlemen and ladies while, as a
rule, the luncheon is an entertainment given to ladies. The
invitations to a breakfast may be written, engraved or verbal. If a
large number of guests are invited to meet some distinguished
stranger, engraved invitations are issued.
Five days or a week's notice is usually considered sufficient, but if
distinguished wits and scholars are to be secured, it is well to give
a longer period, since their time, always in demand, should be
bespoken well in advance. A reply to the invitation is a necessity,
because the hostess wishes time, in case of non-acceptance, to secure
another guest.
Where the breakfast is less stately in character, an informal note,
written by the hostess, in the first person, is a pleasant method, or
simply written on the lady's visiting cards under the name in this
form: Breakfast, Tuesday, ten o'clock, February fifteenth.
Artificial light is out of place, and sunshine should flood the
apartment, while a certain airiness and daintiness should pervade the
table appointments, quite the opposite of the elaborate display that
characterizes the dinner party. Flowers should form the decorations of
the table. Breakfast parties are a very convenient mode of social
entertainment for those whose limited means will not admit of a more
extensive display of hospitality.
Ten o'clock is the usual hour, though it may be as late as twelve,
thus differing from the luncheon, which is never earlier than one.
Breakfast parties are a favorite reunion with literary people, who
generally take the morning hours for leisure, leaving brain work until
later in the day. Sidney Smith said he liked breakfasts, "because no
man was conceited before one o'clock in the day."
In serving breakfast the bill of fare, unless for special occasions,
should never be elaborate, but rather dainty and attractive, as the
appetite usually needs tempting at this early hour; fewer courses of a
more delicate variety should be served than at other meals. The
hostess dispenses the coffee, tea and chocolate from the head of the
table; the substantials are set in front of the host, who may help the
plates and hand them to the waiter to serve; the vegetables and other
dishes may be handed from the side table.
Concerning the Viands.
It is well-bred to serve the breakfast with as little formality as
possible, and with as few attendants; one servant, a maid, or man
servant is sufficient unless the party is unusually large.
If grape-fruit be used for a first course, or orange skins filled with
juice, a wreath of smilax on each plate makes a pretty decoration.
A breakfast should invariably begin with fruit, followed by a course
of eggs. This latter is one of the essentials, and offers a greater
variety than is perhaps known outside of France. A Spanish omelette,
if properly made, is a thing to be treasured among the "pleasures of
memory." Stuffed eggs, or hard boiled eggs cut in slices, with a
bechamel or white sauce, are appropriate and generally liked. A fish
course, an entree, one meat, a salad and a sweet course should follow
next in order, concluding with coffee. The entree and the meat may
form one course, if a slice of duck with olives, fried chicken or some
such dish be selected.
Ices of all kinds are entirely out of place at a breakfast. An
omelette soufflee, peaches with cream, or best of all a fruit salad,
are within the proprieties. This last never fails to call forth
enthusiastic appreciation. It is simply made, and keeps perfectly for
two or three days. Half a dozen oranges should be peeled, leaving no
particle of the white adhering, and then cut in small pieces. Half a
ripe pineapple, broken with a fork into bits and sugared to taste, and
four bananas sliced, are mixed with the oranges, and the whole put on
ice for three or four hours. This will be found a dish rivalling the
ambrosia of high Olympus.
With the first course of fruit, finger-bowls are in readiness, but are
removed at its close. Hot breads and breakfast cakes are always
suitable, and oatmeal, carefully cooked and served with thick cream
and powdered sugar, often follows the fruit. The closing course should
be hot cakes served with honey or maple syrup.
If there are ladies present, or the hostess presides, the coffee,
chocolate, etc., are poured by her, and after the first course she
asks the guests when they will have it served.
The following will be found an acceptable bill of fare for an ordinary
breakfast party. It can of course be varied to suit the convenience
and taste of housekeepers.
Bill of Fare for Breakfast.
Melons. Grapes. Oranges. Fried Perch with Sauce Tartare.
Young Chickens with Cream Gravy. Saratoga Potatoes.
Poached Eggs on Toast. Broiled Quails. Baked Mushrooms.
Tomatoes or Celery. Bread and Butter.
Crackers. Hot Cakes. Coffee. Tea. Chocolate.
If a butler serves at a breakfast he does not wear full dress as at a
dinner.
Wedding Breakfast Menu.
A menu that would be easy to prepare for a wedding breakfast would be
two hot dishes consisting of chicken croquettes, lobster cutlets,
oyster patties or creamed oysters. Everything else might be cold and
as follows: salad, either chicken or lobster, pickled oysters, a small
wedding cake, little cakes for the bridemaids, Charlotte russe and
coffee. The table decorations should either be all white, or the
colors used in the bridemaids' costumes. Let the waitresses be dressed
in white.
[Illustration: _Frances Folsom Cleveland_]
[Illustration: THE COTILLION.]
The simplest costume is in good taste for breakfast parties. Men wear
morning dress, and ladies handsome but plain street costumes. Gloves
are removed before going to the table. Bonnets are kept on.
Each gentleman is given the escort of a lady. The host conducts the
lady who is the most distinguished guest to the table, and the hostess
follows last with the gentleman whom it is desired to honor
particularly.
Upon entering the dining-room the ladies are assisted to their seats,
and the gentlemen then follow, and the meal is served. The signal for
rising from the table is given by the hostess, with a smile and simple
bow, and all proceed to the parlor, exchange a few pleasant remarks,
and take their leave.
For informal breakfasts no after-call is expected, but for ceremonious
entertainments of this kind the same observance of the rules of
etiquette are required as for dinners and large parties.
Guests should not remain more than half an hour after leaving the
table, and many do not even return to the drawing-room.
A Bachelor Breakfast.
If a breakfast has been given by a gentleman to ladies and gentlemen,
the lady who chaperons it and presides as hostess, receives all the
attentions of a lady in her own home. The host calls upon her soon
after the event, and also calls upon his lady guests. Gentlemen
usually give their breakfasts at fashionable hotels or restaurants.
A Golden-Rod Breakfast.
This is a pretty country entertainment. It can be given out of doors
under wide-spreading trees. For the one in mind, great roots of
golden-rod were dug up and transplanted into jardinieres (stone jars
in this case) and a hedge of the nodding yellow plumes placed all
about.
The carpet was of checkered sunshine and shade, and the green canopy
of the leaves made the scene a perfect one. The guests, arriving at
ten o'clock, were ushered into the rustic breakfast room. Four tables
were used. On one pure white damask napery was enlivened by low
baskets of maidenhair fern, and sprays of the same delicate plant tied
with baby ribbon of green gave a cool look to the whole. The largest
table was resplendent with cut glass vases filled with golden-rod.
White asters gave a hint of autumn's snow to the third table, and the
ingenuity of the hostess found pleasure in decorating the remaining
one with the delicate grasses and rich-colored small fruits of autumn.
Gold-banded china, cut glass and silver, which had been in the family
for three generations, supplemented the floral charms of the tables.
Choice Blending of Colors.
Autumn and yellow were the main ideas which guided the selection of
the menu for this golden-rod breakfast. Everything possible was in the
yellow tint or rich golden brown. With plenty of cream and fresh eggs
and the fresh fruits of the farm to work with the menu was an easy one
to furnish. Ices served in the shape of tiny melons and cakes
decorated with frosted sugar. As a memento of the feast each guest
retained her name card which bore a spray of pressed golden-rod
fastened with narrow yellow ribbon, and on it in golden script a verse
with some thought suggested by autumn or the flower.
Tiny garden hats of yellow straw, filled with golden-rod, accompanied
the name cards. The golden-rod in itself proved a veritable gold mine
as a help to conversation. Discussions as to whether or not it should
be chosen as the national flower; descriptions by travelers of where
they had seen it growing best, bright quotations of favorite authors
leading to discussions of poems or books by these authors, anecdotes
of travel all followed each other and naturally, led by the clever
hostess who, in her quaint gown of yellow, with golden-rod in her belt
and a spray tucked close to the wide tortoise shell comb which held
her golden hair, looked like the personification of the flower she had
honored at her breakfast.
Wine at a breakfast is optional. If used, two varieties are enough,
and should be in keeping with the principal dishes; claret, sherry,
Burgundy are suitable.