Dinner parties are a great way to spend quality time with friends and family, share some great food and drinks, and have fun together. Nevertheless, planning a dinner party can seem like a daunting task, especially if you have never hosted one before.
There are many details to think about, including the food you are going to prepare, the people you are going to invite, and the activities you are going to schedule for the night. Therefore, to help you achieve a more stress-free and fun-filled gathering, we have prepared a set of guidelines and key things to consider when hosting your first dinner party.
Make A Guest List
When you are thinking about who to invite to your dinner party, it’s important to consider how your family and friends will blend together. It’s best to invite people who are likely to get along well so that everyone can have a great time.
This way, you can prevent problems or disagreements from occurring and the night can go smoothly. You may also want to invite people that don’t know each other, but you should let them know in advance that this is the case.
Also, stay organized by ensuring you have everyone’s contact details in one place when you need to send out invitations.
Include Party Games
Although not every dinner party needs entertainment, if you want to impress your guests, you may consider looking for a few fun dinner party games for adults. Greenvelope has put together a list of the best dinner party games for adults, that will get everyone talking about your party.
These simple game ideas can be used as a conversation starter while your guests are nibbling on appetizers. Alternatively, you may want to save the fun until after dessert when everyone is feeling relaxed and ready to play. Moreover, many of these options don’t require any equipment, which makes dinner party planning even easier.
Pick A Theme
If you want to make your dinner party even more exciting, you should choose a great dinner party theme. This way, you will have a lot of fun designing online invitations, selecting appropriate décor, and deciding on a dinner menu.
For example, you might decide to throw a Taco Tuesday party, which means that you will need to follow this theme for the menu, party supplies, and invitations. You can set up a taco bar as the main course and offer margaritas as a signature cocktail. As a result, your guests are more likely to remember your dinner party for a long time.
Create A Menu
You always need to think about the number of people that you will be cooking for. Be sure to provide more than one option for appetizers and side dishes to provide your guests with various options. Also, you should remember to check if any of your guests have any type of dietary requirements.
Never assume that everyone will eat everything, as this might leave some of your guests hungry. Ask around your guests and from there, you can decide if all of your dishes will follow these requirements or if it’s better to prepare separate dishes.
Choose Your Drinks
Whether you want to serve alcoholic drinks or not, it’s important to make sure that your guests have something to drink straightaway. Cocktails are usually a great choice for dinner parties, as well as beer or wine, depending on your guests’ preferences. If you are expecting a handful of people, you may consider preparing a pre-batched punch, as otherwise, you may end up mixing drinks all night. In addition, you can prepare a few non-alcoholic drinks, such as mocktails for any of your friends who might not drink.
Look For Party Songs
It might be helpful to make your playlists ahead of time and choose the songs you love, which will ensure your guests feel happy and relaxed. To avoid monotony with your choices, you should mix music genres so that everyone can find something they love and want to dance to.
You can also mix familiar songs with tunes that are personal to you. This will give you the opportunity to introduce guests to songs they might not have heard. Choosing great party songs will help you take your evening from a dinner party to a dance party in no time.
Prep Your Space
You will also want to make sure that your house or apartment is presentable to guests leading up to the day of your dinner party. Therefore, you should focus on tidying up and cleaning common areas to ensure everything is ready.
On the day of your dinner party, it’s important to set up all of your party decorations and prepare your food dishes. One of the most exciting parts of organizing a dinner party is seeing it come together, so be sure to have fun while you decorate your place.
Find Decorations
Finding decorations will depend on your theme and how you envision the party. For example, if you have chosen a beach party theme, you may want to place a few seashells on the dinner table or get little umbrellas for cocktails. However, a more elegant theme will call for elegant wine glasses, beautiful flowers, and tall candles. The most important thing is to ensure that whatever you decide to place in the center of your dinner table won’t prevent guests from seeing each other and interacting around it. Also, wherever possible, try to inject a bit of your personality into your decorations.
Be A Great Host
As a host, you will be responsible for helping guests meet others and get comfortable with each other. You can get them chatting by sharing something fun about each person. If two people share a common interest, you can add that as well.
Otherwise, you may introduce an exciting detail about one of the guests, such as a job promotion, a recent trip, or any other significant life event. Also, you should set the tone for your guests by being relaxed and friendly, regardless of any problems that might occur during the night.