Hosting | The Next Day

It gets so little airtime and yet, it manages to be one of my absolute favorite parts of a gathering. Nothing tells the story of the night before like the mess the next morning—maybe it’s why we laughed so hard during movies like, The Hangover. But why?

Maybe it’s because it lets us grab a glimpse of moments we were across the room during and missed. Maybe it’s because it lets us see how carried away we became—what a gift. To be so carried away in any moment, to be so fully present in what we were doing, who we were talking to, the music…

…that we left the forks astray, the napkins a mess, a bottle of wine dripping what’s left into a small puddle beneath it’s opening. While it’s consuming work to clean up a party of 30+, it leaves a smile smeared across my face and joy so lightly bubbling up in me.

I get to see which dishes were the favorites; plates practically licked clean.
I get to see which tables have no wine left.
I get to see bread crumbs….

It’s the way the feet move across the room where the impromptu dance party began.
Where the staff left because, well, they’re exhausted after the food preparation and serving.

I cherish many parts of hosting.
But the clean up, the gathering of the story that took place, the way it etches.
That’s it for me.

xx, k

PS. Most venues won’t allow next-day cleanup, so in a very American way, bulldoze through it and skip right over the romanticism of it for efficiency’s sake. A miss. It’s different in a venue than in a home. The cleanup in a home feels more like dish duty (more on that later) but in a venue there is something magical about the way the light hits it at a different time of the day than the event was experienced in. The quiet. The stillness. It’s poetry.

Thanks again to my wonderful sponsors: Adam Morley of Wolf & Key Marketing + Whitney Kroneberger

+ Kinship Landing + Camino Massage Therapy + Fjallraven Outdoor Gear + The Elan Studio + Olema Wines + Helen Milan Home

Florals by Studio Q Events | Food by Ryan Sparzak
without you, these dinners would offer much less connectivity and special touches. I and my guests are so thankful for the items you gift for their homes to improve their lives and the funds contributed to complete the details.