When you’re throwing a dinner party, you want to focus on having a good time and not the cost. So Rachael challenged Kelsey Nixon, Mary Giuliani, Ryan Scott and John Gidding to split into teams to plan a party in under 1 hour for less than $100!
Definitely not an easy task, but both groups rose to the occasion, shopping at Target on the tight budget.
They presented their different ideas that really impressed the voters — and Rach. Here’s how the two teams broke down their party plans!
Kelsey + Mary’s Party
The theme: Fun to Table (an interactive dinner part with playful food and a simple tabletop)
The décor: In line with their whimsical them, they decorated with confetti balloons (watch the video for the exact how-to tips) and had bingo playing cards at each seat.
The food: The ladies encouraged guests to play with their food and made monkey-bread pizza, Caprese meatballs and cranberry-lime granita for dessert.
The cost: $100.41
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John + Ryan’s Party
The theme: Farm to Table (“E-I-E-I-Yum!” ... this was a farm theme with down-home touches across the decoration and menu)
The décor: Using stickers, brown paper and flannel placemats, the table was decorated with rustic touches including cute farm animals (e.g., chickens, pigs and cows) that kids would love.
The food: The guys made a pasta salad (made with animal-shaped pasta), ham sandwiches, deviled-egg salad (using arugula and ranch dressing) and potato chip-chocolate-chip cookies.
The cost: $99.80
Some of the most clever ideas came from the teams’ innovative ideas for decorating, such as slicing up a doormat to make placemats, using a cut-up flannel shirt as a table runner and making the most use of everything on the table (e.g., using candlesticks and plates as elevated serving platters). Brilliant!
WATCH: This 2-Year-Old Goes Grocery Shopping!
Check out the video to see which group won the challenge and took home the prize!
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