Your Guide To Planning A Flawless Dinner Party

 

Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash

Whether you’re reconnecting with long-distance friends and family, or celebrating a special occasion, hosting a dinner party is always a great way to spend some quality time together. However, that’s not to say that hosting an event like this is not stressful! 

After all, not only do you have to think of everything from the menu to invites, but you’re also welcoming people into your home - which means it requires a little more planning (and maybe some spring cleaning). 

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With that in mind, here are some tips you can use to plan a flawless dinner party. 

Choose a theme. 

Choosing a theme for your dinner party can make the rest of the planning process much more straightforward - as it makes it easier to put together a menu or choose your decor as you can base every decision around this theme. 

Fortunately, there are thousands of themes to choose from. For example, you may want to host a murder-mystery-themed dinner party, where you encourage guests to dress up and play the role of a specific character. Alternatively, you could base your theme around a particular cuisine! 

Keep the menu simple.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when planning a dinner party is believing that they have to serve up Michelin-star-style food to their guests. In fact, focusing on home favorites is often your best bet, as this means that it's a recipe you have already perfected and tried time and time again. For example, this chicken pad thai recipe always goes down a treat and is relatively simple to make. 

When putting together your menu, you should also make sure to reach out to guests to see if there are any dietary requirements you must take into account, especially if they have any allergies.

Clean the right spaces in your home.

While you may feel tempted to clean your home from top to bottom when hosting a dinner party, this is often unnecessary. After all, guests are unlikely to be tucking into their starter in your spare bedroom! Instead, focus on cleaning the areas they’ll actually be gathering in, such as your dining room, living room and bathroom. This way, you’re cutting down the amount of work you have to do on the days leading up to the event! 

Lay out some decor.

You can take your dinner party to the next level by also adding some decor to the space. For example, creating nameplates for each guest does not take up too much of your time, but it's an excellent way to add a personal touch, and guests could even take it home with them afterwards as a nice keepsake. However, there are plenty of other ways to decorate the space, such as by hanging fairy lights or creating a fun floral arrangement. 

Choose some background music.

While the ideal dinner party is full of conversation, meaning the music shouldn’t be the focal point of your evening, it can help you to set the tone and provide nice background noise throughout. As such, you should put together a playlist ahead of time that matches the theme and includes a mixture of songs that each of your guests like.