I recently scored tickets from work for a fundraising event at The Hickman in West Chester. After a long week I was excited to attend, but had some work to do to prepare.
The Build-Up
Shoes. I had my heart set on wearing green shoes. I found a pair the day before the event on my lunch break. I just had to figure out what to wear with them.
Dress. I didn’t have the money for a new dress, so I had two options: my little black dress or my other little black dress. I chose the more cleavagey of the two (realizing later this was probably the wrong choice for a senior living facility fundraiser.).
Brows. I headed to Mia Bella in town to get them polished up. The owner, Mia, had a hair style that looked so fantastic I decided that her ‘do would be my inspiration for my hair for the evening.
Hair. I tried to do my hair just like Mia’s. “Romantic curls” I think she referred to it as. It didn’t work out quite as I had hoped, but I made an attempt.
Appetite. I had intentionally not eaten anything hours before the event. J. Scott Catering was providing the food… they are by far the best caterer around. I wasn’t wasting an inch of stomach room on anything but stellar party food.
Necklace. I needed a green necklace to match my shoes so I walked, fully decked out, to Green Eyed Lady to purchase some inexpensive costume jewelry on the way to the Hickman. I walked out with a beautiful green necklace and a giant green adjustable gold costume-ring to match.
Date. I decided the party would be the most fun with my friend Jamie (a WC Dish writer and event planner with me). She informed me that she had the perfect black dress that made her “boobs look fantastic.” I was glad to hear I wouldn’t be the only one.
The Event
Open Bar. As soon as my date arrived we hung our coats and made our way to the open bar. I enjoyed a glass of Cabernet and my date sipped a Jack and Coke.
Food. The reason we came (in addition to supporting a fantastic local organization). As soon as we had drinks we began our search for the hors d’ourves. We walked room to room doing our best to seem interested in the silent auction items and make our way to the kitchen area where the servers came out with full trays of appetizers. We had our fill of wild mushroom puffs and delicious fresh figs wrapped in prosciutto before we got distracted by something else.
More food. We found the stationary food (which was much more satisfying than chasing down a server) and chatted up others who had the same idea. We huddled around the huge bowl of warm crab dip and the gigantic wheel of baked brie.
Small Talk. Jamie and I ended up having a brie debate and surveyed everyone else who dared eat in the same area if they felt that baked brie should be served on bread or simply eaten with the puff pastry that surrounded it. I’m still not sure if the CEO of a local bank thought we were kidding or not.
Buffet. My date was much better at balancing her dinner plate on her beverage while we served up a crisp, well-balanced salad with goat cheese, roasted vegetables, not-too-sweet pureed sweet potatoes and no-knife-needed pork with three different condiments (all were divine).
The Auction and Embarrassment
Live Auction. I don’t know if it was the wine or the food, but something made me make the first bid on a live auction item which (surprise, surprise) was a dinner for eight by the caterer of the evening. The auctioneer had started the bid at $1500 and for some silly reason I waived my bid number. My heart almost stopped when I realized the reality of what I had done. “$1600, $1600, $1600 do I hear $1600 from anyone?” Silence.
Embarrassment. I took a sigh of relief when he pointed at a lady in the front row who had waived her bid number for $1600. The auctioneer glued his eyes to mine and it felt like everyone else at the event turned to look at me as well to see if I would be bold enough to bid $1700 dollars. Of course I wasn’t, but when he seemed to really want me to I shouted back, “I can’t afford that.” To which he replied “$1700.”
I came back with, “If you want me to get it you’ll have to buy it for me.”
This was when my date blushed and I realized it was time for us to leave. The lucky lady in front went home with the prize of a dinner and a bill for $1600. And I got my jacket and called it a night.
The Final Dish
Note to self: Next time don’t yell back at the auctioneer and get more of the brie to take home.
