Some people really delight in party prep: planning the perfect menu; crafting the perfect playlist; setting a perfect table that aspires to Martha Stewart Living standards. For every other host, there’s the Internet. We confess we hadn’t considered the convenience of ordering party supplies online until a certain Middleton family fell into the limelight, and with them, their decades-old mail-order company, Party Pieces, based in West Berkshire, England. (Idea for a new slogan, Middletons: “Parties fit for a (would-be) king!”)
Similar companies exist stateside, including a recent discovery of ours: Elliewood. Rather than offer every kind of tableware and tchotchke under the sun, a la Oriental Trading, this modern party-supply Web store skews toward the simple and chic. Formed by three business school grads and headquartered in Chicago, the company sells carefully edited thematic collections — plates, napkins, paper straws, place mats, etc. — for celebrations such as bridal showers, kids’ birthday parties, summer barbecues, holiday get-togethers and more. Also available: A la carte supplies, and all of it can be delivered directly to your door.
Elliewood’s Party in a Box option features a pre-styled selection of high-quality paper products (so no one has to be on dish duty!) and reusable goods such as centerpieces and decorative accents. The Jetty collection, for example, includes a beach-inspired array of complementary items: plates in various shades of blue; napkins printed with a pretty shell design; even actual shells. A la carte products range from $5 to $30, and collections run from $40 to $88. The company’s tagline “Home Entertaining: Effortless. Elevated” isn’t entirely accurate: You’ll still have to figure out food and seating and put someone on playlist duty. But Elliewood’s Instagram bio says it all: “Pinterest-worthy without any of the pain.” Info at www.elliewoodcollections.com.
Laura Pearson is a freelance writer.