Planning the Perfect Dinner Party
The mere thought of having a dinner party can send some people into immediate stress fits. You can identify these fits by the profuse sweating, mumbling under the breath and pacing in front of the dining area. These poor folks need to sit down and take a breath, there is no need for panic or raised stress levels.
All it takes to have a successful dinner party is thoughtfulplanningand good food. Planning in advance of the party ensures that very little can go wrong (nothing is ever 100% guaranteed).
Guest list
This is a very important first step when planning a dinner party. The type of people you invite will dictate what kinds of food will be served. Some people may have allergies to certain foods. If you are thinking of serving seafood, then it would be unwise to invite someone who is allergic to it.
You want to take care not to invite people that cannot get along with each other. it is a nice thought that they would be good as a favor to you, but you cannot realistically expect it. Certain people just do not mesh well together and can turn a nice dinner into an uncomfortable event. You want your guests to enjoy themselves instead of running for cover (or the door).
Fare
Now that you have your guest list and have any known food allergies out of the way, you can focus on the dinner menu. You may want to serve appetizers and drinks and then a light or first course like salad or soup and then the main course followed by dessert and coffee or tea. A dinner party can also be as simple as crock pot beef stew and biscuits followed by dessert and/or coffee. The menu is up to you as far as how elaborate or simple you choose to make it.
If you are planning on preparing the meal yourself, then you will want to gather the appropriate recipes, ingredients and cookware. You do not want to be figure out at the last minute that you are out of certain ingredients.
Theme
Now that the guest list and menu are taken care of it is time to think about what kind of theme your dinner party will have. You can go with a holiday theme like Christmas or Independence Day or you can go with the current season like summer or winter. You can come up with a more personal theme such best friends or pet lovers. The trick to choosing a theme is keeping it fun for everyone.
After the theme is selected you then need to make or buy decor that fits it. Place settings, table centerpiece(s), tablecloth(s) and dining area decorations need to convey the theme. One thing you might consider is instead if your best China, buy some really nice disposable table settings. Disposable wares are available in a variety of themes and colors and will save you time during cleanup. Your menu items can even reflect the theme in color and by nature of the recipe itself.
Invitations
Be sure to invite your guests well in advance of the dinner party. If you drop it on them at the last minute, some of them might not be able to make it. Besides it is courteous to give plenty of notice before an event.
You can send out handwritten invitations, email the invitation, text it or simply call each person. No matter which method you choose, it is a good idea to remind each guest at least a week before the dinner party.
Prepare ahead of time
There are many things you can do early like making appetizers, the dessert and getting the area decorated. Depending on the main course for dinner, you can prepare that early and then reheat through the day of the party. The idea here is to do as much as possible before the big event, on days when you have the time.
If you try and do everything on the day of the party, you will end up stressing yourself out, not to mention winding up too exhausted to enjoy the actual party!
Enjoy the party
With everything falling into place nicely after your careful planning, sit back and enjoy your guests and the fruits of your labor. You may want to take pictures of the event and save them in a special photo album or file them on your computer.
Relax
Now that your party was a huge success, sit back and breathe. Take a celebratory bubble bath or just put your feet up and bask in the good feelings of the evening.
Dinner parties should be fun from start to finish and if not, then why bother? Take the stress out of the event by carefully planning each detail from the guest list to the color of napkins. Create a check list and mark off each item as it is completed. When the party is over, pat yourself on the back for doing such a great job.
Remember that you are holding a dinner party for people you know and even if the event is to be formal, they will understand if you do not have diamond studded centerpieces. Relax and have fun planning your next dinner party.
