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- Throw A Low-Key Theme Party. You don’t need to dress in costume and fill your menu with punnily named dishes, but having some semblance of cohesiveness can elevate the evening from “eating food with people I know” to “legit dinner party.”
- Seriously, Don’t Procrastinate. “Plan the menu as soon as you decide you’re hosting,” Nass says. “If you need speciality ingredients, source them early on.
- Invitations Are Still A Thing. “The invitation sets up the anticipation of what’s going to happen,” Hall says. But it doesn’t have to be a formal, paper invitation sent by snail mail; if your party isn’t especially fancy, a digital invitation or even a text will suffice.
- Try These Hacks For Chilling Your Wine. Nobody wants to drink room-temperature wine. (Yes, that goes for reds, too.) “If you’re in a pinch, take a paper towel and wet it with cold water.
Jul 27, 2023 · 'Tis the season for festive gatherings and bringing the people that you love to the table. If you're planning a big family meal or a dinner party sometime soon, we've got a host of tips and tricks from Mumsnetters to keep things merry and bright.
- Overview
- Decide who to invit
- Choose a them
- Send out invites 2-3 weeks in advanc
- Curate a men
- Decide what drinks to serv
- Cook what you can in advanc
- Set the table before guests arriv
- Create the right ambienc
- Serve the dinner family-styl
So you’re planning on throwing your first dinner party, and you don’t quite know where to start. Have no fear! We’ve compiled a list of helpful tips and tricks for the first-time dinner party host, from choosing a theme to curating the perfect menu. We’ve also interviewed event planning expert Ivy Summer and etiquette expert Lynda Jean for added insight, so keep reading!
Create a short and sweet guest list of 6-8 friends and choose supportive, easygoing guests to ensure good vibes.
Stick to tried-and-true recipes you enjoy and prepare what you can in advance so you aren’t worrying about cooking at the party.
Make a fun playlist that goes with the theme of your party, dim the overhead lights, and fill your space with candles to create the perfect ambience.
Keep the guest list short for your first dinner party.
Smaller dinner parties of 6-8 people are easier to prepare and cook for, which is definitely a plus for a first-time host.
Pick supportive, easygoing friends to invite rather than critical ones who might be harder to entertain. This will create an upbeat, lighthearted atmosphere instead of a stressful one.
Invite people you think would get along well with each other and avoid inviting any guests who have personal issues with each other.
A fun theme can help you decide what to cook and how to decorate.
For example, if you’re throwing a Harry Potter dinner party, Ivy Summer, owner of Voulez Events, recommends going all in. “Chocolate frogs can be an accent to your food table,” she says. “You can even have certain drinks or ‘potions’ in different beakers and glasses to spice things up.” Here are a few other examples:
themed party complete with delicious Greek food, decor that makes your space look like a villa, and an upbeat ABBA playlist.
A dinner party inspired by
featuring fancy finger foods, champagne, and a 20’s inspired dress code.
A holiday party with festive dishes like roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gingerbread cookies, and peppermint bark (plus a Christmas tree for decor).
Once you’ve decided on a theme and guest list, send out your invites.
Include the date, time, and dress code on your invitations so that your guests can prepare for your party.
Try to send your invites 2-3 weeks in advance to give your guests enough notice.
This also gives you time to invite another person if one of your guests can’t make it!
Keep the menu simple, and try to cook things you’ve made before.
You might be tempted to try out fancy new recipes, but this adds stress on your busy day. Stick to mostly tried-and-true recipes so you can focus on being a good host rather than worrying about your soufflé collapsing.
Here are a few sample menus to give you some ideas:
bruschetta, mixed greens salad, spaghetti with the sauce and protein of your choice, roasted potatoes, tiramisu for dessert, and prosecco to drink.
, roasted veggies, key lime pie for dessert, and white wine to drink.
bread rolls and butter, wedge salad,
Pick drinks that pair well with your menu.
As a general rule, red wine
with red meat, while white wine pairs well with seafood and veggies.
If you’re not a fan of wine, keep things simple and pick one cocktail to serve. This allows you to make a large quantity in advance rather than scrambling to make different drinks during the party!
Don’t stress about having a ton of alcohol options—it’s completely fine to serve just one type of wine or one house cocktail.
If you do want more variety, consider making the party BYOB (bring your own bottle). This takes some of the pressure off you while expanding the drink menu!
The more you can cook ahead of time, the better.
As a general rule of thumb, limit yourself to only one dish that requires in-the-moment preparation.
Cook everything else in the hours leading up to the party, leaving yourself about 45-minutes of free time before your guests arrive to change your clothes and ready yourself.
Since most cakes, pies, cookies, and puddings can be made ahead of time, plan on preparing your dessert course the night before your party.
Place the plates, cutlery, and drinkware on your dining table in advance.
Lynda Jean, etiquette expert and owner of Lynda Jean Image Consulting, recommends using the acronym BMW to help you remember how to set your table. “The bread plate will go to the left,” she says. “It can be beside your main plate or higher. The M is the large meal plate, and the W is water on the top right.”
Pick the perfect playlist and dim the lights.
Make a playlist ahead of time so you won’t have to worry about choosing songs in the moment. Ambient lighting also helps to set the mood. Dim the overhead lights or turn them off completely and use only lamps and candles instead. This gives the room a cozy glow.
Curate your music based on the theme of your party. If it’s
, for example, load your playlist up with the magical score from the films.
Instead of plating each individual dish, let guests serve themselves.
This makes things a lot less complicated for you as a first-time host and it allows guests to load up their plates according to their individual taste. Place each dish in an appetizing arrangement in the middle of your dining table and instruct your guests to help themselves to whatever they’d like!
Aug 29, 2024 · To help you host your first dinner party, I’ve created this easy-to-follow beginner’s guide to hosting so you can bring people together, serve them great food, host meaningful conversations, and leave your guests feeling full in every type of way.
Tips, tricks, recipes and hacks: how to host the ultimate host dinner party and ensure those most epic event ever.
May 21, 2021 · A post-lockdown refresher on how to host a dinner party. It's been months since we've been allowed anyone in our houses, so we all need a little reminder of how to be a good host. Here's what you need to remember, with some added insight from Shalini Misra. 21 May 2021. Yuki Sugiura.
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Feb 1, 2024 · In this ultimate guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of hosting a dinner party, from curating your guest list to setting the ambiance and everything in between. So let’s get started and make your dinner party one to remember!
