At The Party Bee we have two options to help you throw the kind of party you wish you had time to plan: Custom Designed Parties are the bread and butter of The Party Bee and are what we are most known for while Party Bee at Home offers a taste of that experience in a more accessible and affordable way.

Our Custom Designed Parties are for the hostess who wishes to delegate the details of her party. We conduct a walkthrough of your home or venue to start the process. We handle all of the planning beforehand, set up and food preparation, rentals, as well as staff and bartending during the party.

Party Bee at Home is a door step drop-off program limited to menus which work well for self-service without onsite staff preparation. Items arrive chilled in disposable packaging for you to prepare and serve on your own. Now, with our Traveling Tea Room we offer drop off rentals for the do-it-yourself tea party hostess.

For each custom designed party we curate a selection of the service pieces needed to help you host your event from our vintage silver chest. This is why each custom designed party comes with a walkthrough so we can asses the size, scale and formality of your event and select pieces unique to your home. We want your party to feel authentic to the entertaining items you would have in your own home. We include everything needed for the entire party- from the silver wine chiller on your fully tended bar to the platters and tray on your buffet. You have the option to add a la carte rentals of glasses, plates, linens and tables. Our party design studio is stocked with everything from champagne flutes to chivari chairs. For our Party Bee at Home Tea Parties we have a new, unique service called our Travelling Tearoom which offers bundles of rentals specifically curated for tea parties, be it a seated tea or a tea buffet. These rentals are delivered and left on site for you to pack up after the party. Packages start at $100 and can be customized for up to 24 people. For teas of more than 24 guests, rentals are available through our Custom Designed Parties where our staff brings, sets up and then serves during your event.

The greatest luxury you can give yourself is the gift of hiring staff for a party. Having someone help set up and manage the food and drink at a party frees you to really enjoy the party and your guests. It is an indulgence worth splurging on. But we understand this is not always in the budget, which is why we created Party Bee at Home. All our menus for Party Bee at Home are meant to function without staff and can be managed solo by the host or hostess. We suggest staff for parties and teas of 24 or more to facilitate with the logistics of the rentals, the silver care, and cleaning of the equipment necessary for that size event.

All our custom designed events start with a minimum team of two people: one party captain and one hostess helper. That is why we are able to offer such a wide variety of menu options for custom designed events that are not possible with drop-off delivery through Party Bee at Home. All our staff are trained in preparing and serving our menu items on a private chef platform, meaning everything is prepared in as fresh a way as possible and served promptly. We just don’t believe there is ever such a thing as a good shrimp cooked off site and kept warm for 6 hours. That’s why so much of our menu, like our signature shrimp and grits, is designed around the concept of on-site service staff. Bartenders and additional hostess helpers can always be added to the two-person team based on the level of service and formality of your party.

You may elect to serve your own host-provided alcohol or you may opt to have us help you procure the alcohol. This is always the most economical way to handle beverage service rather than charging you per drink based on consumption, like a large corporate catering company does. We have several TIPS certified bartenders who can be part of any service team at our events. We have developed our own Party Calculator to estimate what you need based on the length of your party, menu and bar selection, time of day and guest count. Then, based on your budget and your preferences we will build out your bar order and place it on your behalf with our liquor and wine partner, Sherry’s Liquors in DC. We work with them to have this delivered, chilled and served and you don’t need to lift a finger. Anything not consumed is yours to keep. There is no additional fee for us to place your alcohol order as our design fee includes coordination with all vendors for any event.

Our calendar operates on a first come, first served basis. Most of our parties book about two months in advance, but some events come together at the last minute. Your deposit is requested to book the event, guarantee your minimum number of guests, and reserve the staff for either delivery or full service. Then, up to a week prior to the event you may increase your numbers based on your RSVPs. Last minute additions can be handled with the associated fees required to make the alterations to the menu.

We request a 50% deposit or $1,000 (whichever is more) to book an event. The full balance due is billed a week out when your head count is confirmed and is due prior to the day of the party. For deliveries of Party Bee at Home orders we do not collect a deposit and simply send a single invoice for payment of your order.

We invoice electronically with QuickBooks software for payment via ACH or credit card. All credit card transactions incur a 3% bank fee so we encourage you to take advantage of our free option where you pay with an electronic check also known as an ACH transfer. You may also mail a paper check if that’s your preference.

We calculate our servings “up to” a certain headcount with 12 being our minimum. This is because most items from our specialty bakeries come by the dozen, bread is sold in loaves and some recipes just can’t be cut in half any further. The cost of goods and man-hours to shop, prep and cook for a party of 12 is basically the same as a party of six or eight - so we are unable to reduce our minimum any further below that guest count.