Whether it’s your first dinner party or you’ve hosted many before, there is a lot of planning and preparation which must be done. You need to think about food, drinks, invitations, how many people to invite, and that’s before you even get started on the entertainment and activities. Here are some great tips for hosting a dinner party that everybody can enjoy.
Don’t invite too few or too many
Inviting too many people will mean that you won’t have time to speak to everybody, and it could also leave you with far too much work. Too few people will leave you feeling like it’s not much of a dinner party, and the atmosphere may be a little dead too. Consider the size of your house, particularly your dining area, and invite a number that will fit comfortably in your home. Invite couples or friends who already know each other to avoid having single people who might feel left out of conversations.
Provide a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
While people typically expect to drink alcohol at a dinner party, you should take into consideration people who are driving, have religious beliefs or simply don’t like alcohol. If you know all the people you’ve invited fairly well, you should know who drinks and who doesn’t, and also which drinks some of them like. If you’re worried about buying the wrong drinks, either buy a selection or ask people beforehand what they would like. You could order red wine online if you want to get cheap deals. You can often order a selection of wines, including red and white, which are ideal beverages to accompany the main course. You may find that your guests will bring bottles of wine or other drinks too.
Choose a theme
If you want to add some extra fun to your party and create some extra entertainment, add a theme to it. This could be asking everyone to come in Gatsby-themed costume, or maybe you’d like to serve food with a Spanish or Italian twist. Think of your favourite TV show or book and theme your party around this. You can involve a theme by just decorating your home a certain way – it doesn’t even have to come into the food. This is ideal for the seasoned dinner party host who wants to try something new, but there’s nothing wrong with trying it if you’re hosting your very first dinner party.
Don’t cook anything you’re not familiar with
One of the most stressful things you can do while hosting a dinner party is start experimenting with new food. If you do want to try a new recipe, cook it a couple of days before in order to try it out yourself first. Don’t use your guests to simply experiment some new dishes you want to try, and don’t try to impress them by making something new and challenging that you’re not sure about. In most cases, the host ends up with lots of stress, and there’s no guarantee that the meal will turn out as you wanted or expected!
