Throwing a fabulous dinner party for your family and friends is a longstanding tradition of celebration and gathering. As a host, putting together a dinner party that keeps everyone well fed and entertained with not too much hassle can be difficult. From picking the right meal to making your house comfortable and inviting to making sure everyone is occupied and enjoying themselves, a dinner party is hard work. So what little things can you do as a host to make sure the night is extra fabulous? Let’s a take a look.
- Food
Ensuring that everyone gets a great meal is a huge determining factor of a successful dinner party. One way to do accomplish this is by getting your guests’ food allergies or preferences ahead of time; serving meat to a group of vegetarians or bruschetta to gluten-free friends would be a disaster. When it comes to actually picking out what you’ll make, keep in mind that you’re feeding numerous people, so keep it simple. This doesn’t mean that the food can’t be delicious or somewhat extravagant, but instead of making individual pizzas or mini chocolate souffles, try keeping it to a big pasta dish or roast that everyone can pick at. And don’t forget about a good bottle of wine to accompany the meal.
- Table Presentation
A beautifully designed table presentation can really put a sense of elegance to the night without too much time or effort. If you decide to make a theme for the evening, the table presentation is a great way to really show off this theme and emphasize a sense of celebration. If there isn’t a theme, then you can really get creative with picking out some nice items that everyone can enjoy. Start with the placemats, runners and centerpieces, then accent those pieces with the right silverware, napkins, plates and glasses. Be creative with arrangements, and don’t be afraid to add decorations like name cards or flowers. You’ll be surprised how quickly it will change the mood of the dining room and the evening in general.
- Flow
This may seem a bit over the top, but creating a rough schedule or timeline for the evening can help keep it running smoothly. Not to say that things might be put off course by the night’s natural flow, but having a rough idea of when to eat and when to start the games or movie will help keep dull moments to a minimum. For example, the evening will start with appetizers in the living room, followed by the main meal and dessert in the dining room, then coffee and fun activities either outside or in another common area. This kind of schedule will the break the night up and ensure you always know what to do next.
Dinner parties are a great idea to bring people together and celebrate, even if there is nothing specific to celebrate. But as the host, it can be stressful and time consuming to entertain a large group of people for the whole evening. Use these tips to help you get through the evening successfully.
