Dear Gala Guru

Dear Gala Guru, Help! Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and we have six couples coming for dinner. My husband is not a good cook and has insisted on cooking the dinner this year. His cooking is the worst, and I worry about how this dinner will turn out. Every time he cooks, it is a test […]

Dear Gala Guru, Some years ago, it was my turn to host Thanksgiving for family and friends, so I purchased an extra-large turkey to feed the crowd. I didn’t have much experience roasting large hunks of meat, so I chose a turkey with an easy-to-use pop-out belly button that would signal doneness. Well, the crowd […]

Hi Gala Guru,I’m wondering how you would plan cocktails or a meal where dietary restrictions must be considered. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten, and lactose issues are more prevalent than they were in the past, so how would you handle menu choices while keeping everyone happy? Robert Good question, Robert, especially with the party season coming up.  […]

Dear Gala Guru, For Halloween last year,  my wife and I threw a party with over 70 guests.  It was so much fun to see all the costumes.  There was catering, music, and prizes for the best costume.  The costumes were so great! Everyone participated.  We hired a photographer who captured every detail of the […]

Dear Gala Guru,I recently hosted a potluck at my home for a professional group, inviting members and their families. One attendee brought her husband and four children (ages 6-12), whom I had never met. While the children were generally well-behaved, I encountered a situation that left me unsure about my actions:Two younger boys brought food […]

Dear Gala Guru, Help!  My family reunion is coming up.  My first in about three years, and I am filled with anxiety.  I typically dread attending family reunions because, well…it’s family, and someone always goes off the deep end.  There are usually close to 30 people in attendance, which is a lot of people to […]

Dear Gala Guru, My 5th-grade grandson has not had much of a turn-out for his birthday parties since before the pandemic. His birthday is in June, right after school is out for summer. He doesn’t like the idea of having an early birthday celebration in May because he thinks it’s cheating. I’m also ticked off […]

Dear Gala Guru, I have good friends who lean both right and left (at this age, probably literally and politically!) and I cringe before social gatherings at the thought of having to witness a tense conversation about the upcoming election.  I recently hosted a group of friends over to play bridge (again, showing my age), and all was […]

Dear Gala Guru, I am a wedding planner in the greater Philadelphia area.  First off, thanks for your blog and the opportunity to share stories.  I wanted to let you know that I recently took on a bride who was a nightmare.  Nothing pleased this young woman.  Her outlook on everything was so negative.  She […]

Dear Gala Guru, I have an awkward situation for you.  Recently, my wife and I attended one of her many fundraiser dinners.  As a newly minted Dermatologist, I have been working hard to get my practice off the ground and was looking forward to the diversion of this black-tie event.  It was for a good […]

Dear Gala Guru, I love hosting dinner parties, using my good linens, crystal, silver, and china. However, sometimes my guests insist on “helping” clean up for me. First, I don’t like strangers in my kitchen since they don’t know where everything goes. Second, they don’t know how to load my dishwasher. Third, I have had […]

Happy Labor Day. Whether you plan to sleep in, shop the sales, or barbeque with friends and family, let us never forget the meaning of this day. Labor Day is when we honor the efforts of those who fought for workers’ rights in the late 1800s.  Their struggles led to benefits we now enjoy, such as […]