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Now that everyone can socialize once again, you may be planning to get together with friends and family and to start making up for the lost time. Being unable to meet with loved ones has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging aspects of the pandemic and one that many people have struggled with. If you are keen to reunite with your nearest and dearest and enjoy some fun, a dinner party is an ideal option. Getting together to enjoy delicious food and great company is the perfect way to spend an evening and catch up on everything that has happened since you last saw each other.
If organizing a dinner party to get your friends and family back together sounds like a great idea to you, why not give some of these ideas a try to make your dinner party perfect?
Select the Perfect Menu
Choosing what to feed everyone at your dinner party is the most crucial consideration, which is why it can be so difficult to choose what to cook. Choosing a meal that tastes great but doesn’t require you to spend all your time away from your guests cooking is a big ask. One perfect meal for a dinner party is a fresh take on everyone’s favorite comfort food; mac and cheese. This easy lobster mac and cheese recipe is sure to be a popular choice among your guests. The great thing about this recipe aside from being a crowd-pleaser is that it is easy to prepare; plus, the lobster adds a feeling of decadence that elevates it beyond the humble mac and cheese.
Selecting a starter that you can prepare ahead of the dinner party will give you plenty of time to greet your guests and mingle before it is time to eat. Choosing a dessert that can also be prepared ahead of time is helpful as you won’t need to be stuck in the kitchen between courses.
Plan Your Drinks
While the food is the focus of a dinner party, choosing the right drinks is also crucial. There is nothing worse than discovering you have run out of drink supplies halfway through your dinner party, so planning ahead to avoid this situation is essential. One common mistake people make is forgetting to have a good supply of soft drinks for guests that prefer something non-alcoholic. Often, the focus is placed on choosing the right wines, but the non-drinkers are forgotten. Stocking up on various fruit juices and sparkling pressés is useful to ensure your non-drinking guests simply drink water all night.
When shopping for dinner party drinks, don’t forget to buy some coffee too for your after-dinner drinks to complete the meal.
Create Atmosphere
Setting the scene for your dinner party by creating a welcoming atmosphere is a great way to make your guests feel at home. Turning the lights a little lower and adding some candles or fairy lights to the room will make your dinner party feel more relaxed. You may also want to re-arrange your furniture a little so that everyone can sit comfortably and join in the conversation - just don’t forget to ensure you have enough seats for everyone!
Selecting some music to play in the background is also useful to ensure that there are no awkward silences during the evening. Keeping the music to a volume level that everyone can hear without needing to shout when they are talking should add some atmosphere without being too loud.
Keep it Fun
After so much time apart and being stuck indoors during the pandemic, it is likely that your guests are ready for a bit of fun. Giving your dinner party a theme is one way to make it memorable and will add to the fun of the occasion, such as a fancy dress theme. Alternatively, you could organize some games to play to keep everyone entertained and having a great time. Providing an extra element to your party, such as games or a theme, is a perfect way to ensure that your evening never has a dull moment.
Don’t Forget the Details
It is often the small details and finishing touches that make a dinner party extra-special. To make your evening memorable for all the right reasons, you may want to include some extra flourishes to elevate the occasion. Dressing your table with a beautiful centerpiece and adding place cards with favors will give your dinner party some wow factor and will provide an excellent talking point for your guests.
I've thrown a lot of dinner parties and this is great advice. The best thing is make everyone feel comfortable and make sure everyone has fun.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day, my friend. ♥
I prefer my dinners less formal that these hints sound - but eating with friends is always special. Some day soon perhaps we will be able to socialise again here.
ReplyDeletePre-pandemic, my groups of friends got together once per month and we called it "Dinner Club". We did a lot of this, planned the food ahead of time and decided who would bring what. Having things planned makes anything go more smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI don't throw dinner parties that often, but these tips are great to follow if ever. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips. Dinner parties are always so much fun, but it can be stressful to plan them. This guide is a great help.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I still haven't had a dinner party since Covid hit but it's definitely time to start having them again. Planning, good food and drinks plus atmosphere is what it's all about!
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips. Once a week we have a friend's family over.. While it isn't this put together, we really enjoy ourselves. Thank you for these great tips.
ReplyDeleteOrganizing dinners are always fun, thankyou for sharing this
ReplyDeletekeeping parties fun can be a challenge but I love your tips. Giving it a theme is such a great idea
ReplyDeleteGreat tips here. It's been a long time since we had big parties at home. Can't wait to have one and apply these tips
ReplyDeleteI love all of these tips! This is really useful information to have in your back pocket. :)
ReplyDeleteI like theme parties because it makes it more fun like you said and enjoy it more than just random party.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips! I love mood lighting too.
ReplyDeleteI dread organizing parties because of all the details to be taken cared of! These tips are wonderful, I can definitely apply these!
ReplyDeletesetting a date is the most important as this will give you an idea of how much time you have to plan out the rest of the details
ReplyDeleteAnother trick of organizing a party is having a good network of resources that you can use with your fingertips. Building good relationship with the suppliers and people makes everything a lot easier.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! We can surely use these tips for the holidays! There's so many parties and festivities left and right.
ReplyDeleteI love throwing dinner parties and it is important to have a fun element added in each of the dinner gatherings to make sure every one enjoys
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a dinner party with my friends in a year. We did Friendsgiving at my house last year, but sadly I'm traveling every weekend from here on out until Christmas, so no dinner parties in the near future for me :(
ReplyDelete