Mermaids and Martinis

Book excerpt: Don't host a party-host a memory. Everyone loves to throw the perfect party-the one all your friends talk about. Today, everyone is searching for ways to save and still do the things they love in a big way, and almost everyone is craving for creative ideas and solutions to celebrate their lives in a big way-on a tiny budget. New York party-planner Hilary Pereira has happily played hostess and rolled out the red carpet for celebrities such as Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, Kanye West, Josh Duhamel, Helen Hunt, Vanessa Carlton, Allison Krauss, Helena Christensen, Jane Krakowski, John Legend, Nigel Barker and Danity Kane-just to name a few. And as much as she loves hosting wonderful parties for celebrities, her favorite fetes are the ones she hosts for family and friends. Mermaids & Martinis is a book to teach you creative ways to economize, but also to remember to turn your party into a memory. You may be asking yourself: Why a Mermaid? Look no further than this quote from Louisa May Alcott to capture the essence of our main character: She was one of those happily created beings who please without effort, make friends everywhere and take life so gracefully and easily that less fortunate souls are tempted to believe that such are born under a lucky star.