THE ART OF HOSTING WITH NINA MA’BELLE

A summer entertaining feature with event planner Nina Ma’Belle and Thalia. 

There is a certain atmosphere that settles over Australian summer entertaining. The warmth lingers into the evening, the light turns soft and honeyed, and gathering the people you love becomes less of an occasion and more of a ritual. Few understand this rhythm better than Nina Ma’Belle, one of the country’s leading wedding and event planners, whose work is known for its elegance, intention and quiet confidence.

When we sat down with Nina to talk about hosting during the festive season, the conversation unfolded the way a well-planned evening does: considered, unhurried and full of small details that reveal the difference between an event and an experience. Thalia, chilled and ready, sat between us like an unspoken guest, the kind of sparkling that blends naturally into a scene without needing to announce itself.

Nina begins with what she calls the foundation of hosting: creating a feeling before the first guest arrives. “People remember how a space made them feel long before they remember what was on the table,” she says, her tone both assured and generous. “Set the room, not the itinerary. Light, flowers, music, something beautiful on ice… that is where the evening really starts.”

It is this philosophy that places Thalia so comfortably in her world. The first pour becomes a gentle cue, not the commencement of service, but an opening note that says welcome, you can settle in now. Nina smiles when she speaks about it: “There is something special about that first pop. It is subtle, but it signals that we are here to enjoy ourselves. It is my favourite moment as a host.”

Conversation with Nina moves easily to the table itself. Her approach is grounded in simplicity, though never plain. Natural linens, seasonal produce, unfussy arrangements that feel collected rather than constructed. The charm comes from a lived-in beauty, the sense that nothing is for show yet everything feels intentional. “A table should invite people in. If it feels too perfect, no one relaxes,” she says. “Hosting is about ease, not performance.

Thalia, with its restrained sparkle and refined palate, fits into this philosophy seamlessly. It is the bottle you can pour at arrival, again through the meal, and once more as the night softens. Elegant enough for ceremony, gentle enough for the long, slow arc of summer entertaining. It never competes. It never overwhelms. It accompanies.

What sets Nina apart, however, is her understanding that hosting is as much emotional as it is aesthetic. She speaks about flow rather than courses, gestures rather than rules. “There is no pressure to orchestrate every detail. The best gatherings unfold naturally. You read the room, adjust the pace, follow the feeling.”

In her world, the most memorable moments are often the smallest. A guest drawing closer to talk, shared laughter over the table, the final glass poured as the evening comes to rest. “Endings matter,” she says quietly. “Close the night gently. Let people linger. The farewell is part of the experience.

As the conversation winds down, it becomes clear that Nina’s approach is less about instruction and more about intention. To host well is to create space for connection, for generosity, for beauty presented without fuss. And Thalia, with its effortless elegance, becomes the thread that ties the evening together. Not a centrepiece, but a constant. A sparkling companion to the season’s most meaningful moments.

This summer, the art of hosting may not lie in perfect tables or elaborate menus, but in the simple act of welcoming people in. With Nina’s guidance and Thalia in the glass, the season ahead feels not just festive, but deeply considered, a celebration shaped by ease, sunlight and the unmistakable pleasure of good company.