I have planned and hosted various parties but the one that is my absolute favorite is dinner party. I find dinner parties to be intimate and a great way to get friends and family together for good food and a good time. I started experiencing dinner parties from an early age when my parents would host dinner parties; they would invite friends over for dinner regardless of the occasion. 

Growing up, I didn’t care too much about it, but now that I have hosted a few dinner parties, I have started to appreciate them.  I love having friends over and being able to enjoy a nice meal while having a few laughs.

Now dinner parties can be simple, and they can be elaborate; it all depends on what you are going for.  If you want something intimate, then I would suggest keeping it simple. If you want something elaborate, then by all means go all out!

Once you have gone over The Art of Party Planning, here are some ways to host a fabulous dinner party that your guests will keep raving about!

The key to any successful dinner party are your guests.  You want to invite guests who either know each other or guests that get along with others.  The reason I say this is because your guests have the power to either make or break your dinner party, you can have the best food, the best décor, heck you can even have dinner party games planned but if you feel that inviting that one guest can and will ruin the party then I would suggest: don’t.  I know it sounds harsh but remember the reason you are hosting a dinner party is to have a good time.

For this reason, I suggest inviting coworkers who are friends, mutual friends, friends from school, and members from social clubs you are a part of. You can even combine your guest list; I’ve had dinner parties where I’ve invited my friends from college and my coworkers.

Now that we have our guest list and sent out the invites as well, let’s talk menu. Because this is a sit-down, get-out-your-nice china-type party, you want your menu to fit the ambiance of the party.  You can do a themed menu if that’s easier for you, for example, you can do Italian, Chinese, Mexican, or Thai, the possibilities are endless.  If you are like me and like to explore and create your menu, then you want to ensure that the items pairs well together.

Usually, when I plan out my menu, I’ll start with the main dish first; this can be pasta, roast chicken, lasagne, casserole, or some sort of seafood cuisine. I’ll have two main dishes, after that, I will select side dishes that I know will pair well with one of the main dishes but tie the entire menu together.  If I decide to do roast chicken, then my second main dish will either be pasta (either vegetarian or chicken) or type of seafood cuisine.  For the side dish, I’ll go with roasted potatoes, a vegetable medley, and a salad. 

This way if my guests choose to eat the roast chicken, then they can pair it with the roasted potatoes or the vegetable medley or the salad and if they go with the pasta then they can do the vegetable medley or the salad.

I will cook my main course one day before and the side dishes the morning of the party.  Since I serve light appetizers for dinner parties, I’ll either make them a couple hours before the party or just set it up an hour before the party.

For dessert, I’ll do some sort of bar or pie or just get a store bought cake.If I do decide to make the desserts, I will do this the night before the party as well.

Once the menu is set, decide on the décor you can do a nice simple tablescape with one or two centerpieces to tie the whole setting together. Have your table set up in the afternoon.

If your guest list consists of people who don’t know each other, you can have icebreaker games or topics for conversation starters in hand that your guests can partake in before dinner is served.  During this time, serve drinks or a light appetizer.

Start heating the food that you’re going to serve while your guests are having appetizers and conversing. When arranging the dishes on the table you want your main dishes in the center since they will be the focal point of the menu, arrange the side dishes around the main dishes and the salad to the side of the table. Set the drinks at each end of the table.

  It’s the night of the dinner party, drinks are being poured, your guests are having a wonderful time and dinner has been served; now for the most important task ever: Have fun!

I would love to hear about your dinner party experience. Ever attended a crazy one?

I hope this blog helps you plan your next dinner party.

 Until next time!