Our friend Victoria from SFGirlbyBay just came out with a new book: See San Francisco! In it, she gives a photographic tour of the city through her lens. Each chapter is organized by neighborhood and gives suggestions on where to go, what to do, and what to see. It reminds me of how happy I am to live here. Victoria’s also a master at throwing parties, so we asked her to share some photos of her favorite parties with inspiration from around San Francisco! Here’s what she said:

When I’m entertaining, especially for a larger group I like to be as prepared as possible so the evening of the gathering, I can attend to my guests, and have fun too! I try to set all the tables, prepare foods and my menu in advance. Anything that can be prepared a day before is ideal — then you can give all your attention to the party and not just be in prep mode all night! I also like to create a kind of theme and set the mood — whether it be a specific type of food (like Mexican or Italian), or a color scheme and tie it all together, right down to the flowers and table settings. If I’m doing dinner for a large group, going mix and match can really make up for the fact I don’t have enough serving pieces or place settings for everyone. I keep a stash of vintage tablecloths, for instance, that share a color palette, but can work together to create pretty table settings.

Thanks Victoria! We’re so excited about your new book!

Photos by Victoria Smith