If you’re planning on throwing a dinner party in 2020, then this guide is going to help you to prep and plan to ensure you host the perfect evening. Throwing a dinner party isn’t the easiest of endeavors to take on, but if you want to do it, the advice here can help you.
Read on and you’ll have some solid advice you can use to begin shaping your dinner party:
Prepping The Perfect Dinner Party 2020
The key to throwing a successful dinner party is preparation. It’s as simple as that! You’ll want to start planning as far in advance as possible, and then in the days leading up to your dinner party, you’re going to want to make sure you’ve accounted for absolutely everything. In fact, you should start making a list now so you have plenty of time to add to it if you need to.
Have A Huge Selection Of Drinks
One of the most important things to do, is to make sure that you have a fully stocked bar and fridge with a variety of drinks. Some guests will likely want to enjoy an alcoholic beverage, while some of them may be driving or may simply not want to consume alcohol. Having a selection of beers, spirits, wines, and cordials may seem excessive, but if you have invited a lot of guests over this is probably what you’ll need to cater to them all.
Make Sure You Have Enough Silverware
Another thing you need to ensure, is that you have lots of serving implements, condiments, and silverware. These may seem minor and not something you’ll think about beforehand, but it can mean disaster if you don’t have enough on the day.
The Seating Arrangements
The seating arrangement gives your guests one less thing to think about, although it could potentially be a source of headaches for you. If you are entertaining a large dinner party then you could consider seating your shyest guests next to more talkative ones. This could mean bringing your shy guests out of their shell and getting everybody talking and having fun – although you’ll need to be a good judge of character here. You don’t want to make anybody uncomfortable by seating them next to somebody they won’t get along with.
Invitations
If you’re considering your dinner party to be a fairly formal event, then you may want to send out invitations to confirm with everybody. Your invitations should include the following information:
- The date, location and time of your dinner party.
- A request for your guests to RSVP by a particular reply date.
- The guidelines for your dress code if you have one.
- Provide directions.
- Inquire as to whether your guests have any strict dietary requirements, or anything they simply do not like.
Hire Staff
If you want this dinner party to go well, hiring staff could be a worthwhile expense. Now, it’s probably not something you want to do if you’re hosting an informal dinner party for some close friends, but if you’re trying to strike up a business deal it could be a great way to impress your guests and make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
You can hire staff fairly easily – all you’ll need to do is look for catering staff in your area and check reviews to ensure they are trustworthy. Once you have confirmed this you can call and get a quote, ensuring they are available on your chosen date. When you hire staff, you can also enjoy the dinner party and won’t need to worry too much about anything going wrong.
Don’t Cook A Brand New Meal
If you’re going to cook for this dinner party, you shouldn’t cook a brand new meal. If you want something different, practice it in advance so you know you’re confident with it. Trying to follow a brand new recipe could actually be a recipe for disaster.
Even if you’re planning something fairly simple like a new pork chop marinade, be sure to test it out in advance. One of the best things about a dinner party is the delicious food, so this is something you should take quite seriously.
Decide The Style Of Your Dinner Party
Make sure you decide on a style for your dinner party, and make this clear in advance. Will you host a formal feast or something more casual? It’s probably unreasonable to force your friends to buy black tie outfits to come to your house, but you could always discuss with them beforehand to see what they are willing to do.
Although you might not think that the dress code matters, it can seriously impact the atmosphere and mood of a place. Even if you’re throwing your dinner party at home, having your guests dress up can help the event to feel more formal.
Make Your Home Look The Part
Don’t forget to make your home look the part. Don’t redecorate, but ensure that you have thought of everything. If you have pets, keep them out of the room you’ll be eating/cooking in and even the room you’ll just be sitting and catching up in. Your guests may have allergies, and that’s the last thing you want to worry about! You can also include flowers and plants, which will instantly make your home look more luxurious. Then, ensure soft lighting. If the lighting is too harsh it could seriously ruin the mood. Invest in a lamp if you feel this might be the case, or swap out your light bulbs.
With this dinner party guide, you should have some great ideas to throw your own dinner party and give your guests an amazing time.
Do you have any foolproof tips of your own? Leave them below.
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