Throw a Terrific Party

The can't-miss secrets that will make you the hostess with the mostess!

O, The Oprah Magazine | From the November 2002 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

The Music Matters

This is your party's backbeat, so if your collection is less than stellar, why not ask your invitees to bring their own iPods or CDs? Hire a DJ or, says Rafanelli, just play these five albums over and over:

After the Playboy Mansion, by Dimitri from Paris ("Great pop, loungy and cool")
Samba Soul 70! ("Cocktail, not totally authentic samba")
Ultra Chilled 01 ("A great house-y feel, but sophisticated enough so that if you're 55 you won't be turned off")
Waltz for Koop by Koop ("Remixed waltzes, which sounds dreadful, but it's pretty cool")
Verve Remixed ("Modern spin to jazz classics").