Party Guide

Select Hire wants to help you make your party run as smoothly as possible. With our excellent customer service team, we offer you a high level of personal service to give you expert advice on what you may need for your event.

We can deliver an order to your location or it can be collected from our 10,000 square foot warehouse in Sandyford, Dublin. Many customers with small orders choose to collect them from our premises. Our professional delivery staff can help with the set up and will keep you advised on delivery and collection times.

If you have any queries, please contact our friendly customer service team on 01 2907400 who will happy to help you. Listed below, there are a number of useful guides that will answer some of your party questions, these include:

Beverage & Serving Guide
Questions to Ask Your Caterer
Seating & Linen Guide
Dance Floor Guide

As Ireland’s No. 1 hire company, Select Hire has established itself as the leader in providing quality products and has a professional team to deliver the requirements to many events. We are with you all the way from placing an order to the finish when the party is over. With over 70 years of management experience, we can advise you on your requirements for your special party or event.

Whether it is an informal gathering for a few guests or a lavish party for many more, we have the experience for supplying to party events like house parties, birthdays, Christenings, Communions, Confirmations, anniversaries and other special occasions. We will supply the tables, chairs, glassware, cutlery, crockery and catering equipment and you provide the people, food and drink!

Beverage Guide

We want to do everything we can to make your party fun and entertaining. Below, we have provided a few things you may want to take into consideration when planning your next get-together.

Are your guests more male or female? As a general rule, males consume more than females.
Are they wine, spirit or strictly beer? Understand what type of drinks your guests prefer, wine, beer or spirits.
What time of year is your event being held? During summer months, your guests will probably prefer beer, white wine, and other “summer drinks.” In colder months, they might chose red wines and spirits.
The location of the party. Some rented facilities enforce restrictions on the types of alcohol you may serve. If the party is being held outside and you have decided on a keg, you will need a bar cooler, taps and gas.
How long will your party last? On average, your guests will drink 1 – 1.5 drinks per hour
Is your party being held on the weekend? Your guests will tend to drink more on a Friday or Saturday.
Do you want a bartender?
Is your party going to have a theme? Wine and cheese? Cocktail party?

Don’t forget…

Here are 5 things to do that will make your party a success.

Coats Make sure you have somewhere for your guests to leave their coats. A coat rail with hangers can come in very useful and can be hidden in an unused room
Ice You need to ensure you have sufficient freezer space or alternatively pick up as late as possible in your nearest off license/convenience store
Lemon & Limes These add that finishing touch to so many drinks
Cool Hire a cooling cabinet to chill your Champagne , White Wine and Beer
Taxi Have your local taxi company number on hand to ensure your guests get home safely

Beverage Serving Guidelines

General Rules

Plan on two drinks per guest during the first hour of your party, and one each hour after that. Each of these estimates assumes that will be the only beverage served during you party. Therefore, if you will be serving a variety, cut back on each individual item based on what you think the most and least popular drinks will be among your guests.

Wine

Estimate one bottle of wine for every two guests at a two hour cocktail party. If serving both red and white wines, you should have twice as many bottles of white as red, unless you know specifically that your guests are red wine drinkers.

Beer

Plan on two bottles or servings of beer per person for the first hour, and another one for each subsequent hour of your party.

Champagne & Sparkling Wine

One 750 mL bottle of champagne or sparkling wine fills 6 champagne flutes. If serving as a toast, one glass per person is enough. If you’re serving champagne as a pre-meal cocktail, plan on 1.5 glasses per person. If it will be served throughout a two-hour cocktail party or dinner, plan on three glasses per person.

Spirits & Mixers

One 750 ml. bottle of spirits will serve 17 drinks. Plan on 3 drinks per person during a two hour cocktail party. The amount of mixers you will need depends on the type of cocktail you plan to serve. Look at your cocktail recipes and multiply the volume of mixer ingredients needed per cocktail by three, per person, for a two hour party.

Liqueurs & After Dinner Drinks

Plan on getting 15 drinks from each 750 ml. bottle. Usually you’ll only need one drink per guest.

Water

At a cocktail party, one litre of water will serve four guests. At a sit down meal, plan on serving three guests from each litre. Offer a mix of mineral and still water.

Soft Drinks & Juices

At a party where other beverages, such as wine, beer, and cocktails will be served, plan on one 10oz. glass per person. If there are children at your party, you’ll need to increase that amount by 3 drinks per child. If non-alcoholic drinks will be the only beverages served, plan on 3 per guest, adults and children.

Questions to Ask Your Caterer

Know exactly what you’re getting from your food provider, with no unplanned or unpleasant surprises.

Yes, it’s the caterer’s job to provide tasty and well-presented food at an event. But a caterer has many other behind-the-scenes tasks to take care of, too. Here are some questions to ask before an event to make sure you’re communicating exactly what you need.

What is your signature fare?

Every catering company has its own specialty, so it’s important to ask about each caterer’s expertise and defining style. By doing so, you’ll know which company meets your specific needs—and you won’t miss out on a caterer’s signature, crowd-pleasing menu items. Ask, How do you describe your food? What distinguishes you from other caterers?

What can you do for guests with allergies and dietary restrictions?

Special diets—like vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free—are a major concern for some guests, so make sure your caterer is prepared to handle food requests. It’s always smart to ask how exactly the company approaches the issue, especially when it comes to last-minute requests.

Where does the food come from?

Planners need to know where the food being served comes from—because guests are going to be interested, as well. Ask your caterer if local farms, vendors, and purveyors factor into the equation. If they do, consider noting it on the menus.

Are you licensed, with health permits and liability insurance?

Don’t get sidetracked by the look and taste of the food your caterer presents, and remember to verify that the company has all its necessary health and safety bona fides.

What are your water and electrical needs?

No, it’s not a glamorous or creative question, but knowing these details is critical to event catering success. Since a caterer can’t prepare food without adequate water and electrical provisions. It’s an especially pertinent question if the venue is an outdoor or a raw space.

What Equipment does your proposal include?

Hire inclusions or exclusions can represent a huge difference in the budget’s bottom line.

How will your staff dress?

While checking every decor detail to create your event’s aesthetic, don’t forget to ask how the catering staff will dress, as that too affects the event’s overall look and feel.

Seating & Linen Guide: Rectangular Tables


Table Size	24″ x 30″	48″ x 30″	72″ x 30″	96″ x 30″	96″ x 24″
Number of Seats	2	4	6 – 8	8 – 10	8 – 10
Linen Size Required	70″ x 70″	70″ x 70″	120″ x 54″	144″ x 72″	144″ x 72″

Seating & Linen Guide: Round Tables


Table Size	Half 4ft	Half 5ft	3ft	4ft	5ft	6ft
Number of Seats	3	4	4	6 – 8	8 – 10	10 – 12
Linen Size Required	70″ x 70″	90″ x 90″	70″ x 70″	70″ x 70″	90″ x 90″ / 120″	120″ / 132″

How To Set A Table

So, you’ve taken the plunge: you’re planning a dinner party. Congratulations!

But then the anxiety sets in. Will everyone like the food? Will you finish making it on time? And before you even get to the food, what on earth do you do with the table? Trust us, it doesn’t have to be set impeccably — but you probably want to impress your guests. To ease your nerves a little, we’ve found this handy table setting diagram There are two different options to choose from: a casual dinner and a formal dinner.

So get going! Set that table and forget all about it while you throw the best dinner party ever.

Informal

Formal

Table Setting Legend

A Salad Fork
B Dinner Fork
C Dinner Knife
D Teaspoon
E Soup Spoon
F Dessert Spoon

G Cake Fork
H Water Glass
I Red Wine Glass
J White Wine Glass
K Plate
L Salad Plate

M Napkin
N Bread Plate
O Bread Knife
P Place Card
Q Cup & Saucer
R General Wine Glass

Additional Notes

For the Informal setting utensils ae placed one inch from the edge of the table.

In the Formal setting, the cup & saucer aren’t placed on the table until the dessert course.

Dance Floor Guide

Wooden Dance Floor

Panels of our wooden dancefloor measure 3ft x 3ft

Number of Guests	Dancefloor Size	Number of Panels
50 – 80 guests	9ft x 9ft	9
100 guests	12ft x 12ft	16
120 guests	12ft x 15ft	20
150 guests	15ft x 15ft	25
180 guests	18ft x 15ft	30
200 guests	18ft x 18ft	36
250 guests	21ft x 18ft	42
280 guests	21ft x 21ft	49
300 guests	24ft x 21ft	56

White or Black & White Dance Floor

Panels of our white and black & white dancefloor measure 4ft x 2ft

Number of Guests	Dancefloor Size	Number of Panels
50 – 80 guests	12ft x 8ft	12
100 guests	12ft x 12ft	18
120 guests	12ft x 16ft	24
150 guests	16ft x 16ft	32
180 guests	16ft x 18ft	36
200 guests	18ft x 18ft	41
250 guests	20ft x 18ft	45
280 guests	22ft x 20ft	55
300 guests	22ft x 22ft	61