4 Tips When Planning Your First Dinner Party

The classic dinner party isn’t as formal as they used to be, and having people over for dinner doesn’t have to be a formal event. Check out our best tips on how to host a dinner party.

Be Careful Of The Numbers

If this is your first dinner party, only invite between 4 and 6 people. Confirm to see if any of your guests have special dietary needs so you can make a menu that will please everyone else while keeping things simple for you. The best thing to do for your guests is to keep as many courses as possible the same. For vegetarians, we usually make an appetiser and a dessert that are good for both meat-eaters and vegetarians. For the main course, we usually make something different so that our meat-eating guests can still enjoy their main course and so that you don’t have to do too much work.

Choosing What To Cook With Care

With so many recipes on the internet, it can be hard to decide what to make for a dinner party. Themed menus help you focus by giving you fewer choices and making sure that the tastes of each course go well together. Having a theme for your menu can help you decide what to cook, what to drink, and even how to set the table.

Choose easy recipes or, if you have to, make sure you can do most of the work the day before the event. This will make the day of the event less stressful. Simple meals are tasty, and the event is as much about getting to know each other as it is about eating, so keep things simple so everyone can have a good time.

Use dishes you’ve created before, or plan the recipes a week ahead of time so you can try them out and know how to make them.For a dinner party, it might be stressful to try a new recipe you’ve never made before. Instead, keep it simple and cook something you’re used to or get the practice. For example, if you would like to try a jalapeno popper dip for any party try it a few weeks before first. 

Balance the menu by looking at each course and making sure it has the right amount of fresh, fat, sweetness, and tartness. If your main dish is heavy, serve a light appetiser and a light dessert so that your guests don’t get too full. Make each meal a unique flavour experience.

Make it easy on yourself by choosing your recipes carefully. Having people over for dinner should be fun.

Make A Schedule

It may seem obvious to plan your time, but small things can add up quickly. Here are some things to think about so you don’t have to rush at the last minute.

You don’t have to make everything for your dinner yourself. There are a lot of easy shortcuts you can buy at the store. Once you’ve chosen your recipes, make a schedule of what you’ll do. 

If you use a device to cook, you can scan and print your recipes or put them into a spreadsheet. Change the amounts on your recipe because if you get too busy, you might forget to multiply your ingredients.

Make a list before you go shopping so that you don’t forget anything.

Change The Mood Of The Party

Still, you won’t have as much time as you think, so do as much as you can ahead of time. The day before set the table. You might want to make a playlist because you will need music in the background. Think about drinks, and if it’s a themed party, make sure the drinks fit the theme. Also, make sure there’s something for people who don’t drink.

Think about the lighting. Most people like to see what they’re eating, but you also want to make a nice atmosphere. Use a mix of candles and fairy lights to avoid candles that smell. Make a plan for where people will sit if you have a lot of guests. This will save time and keep people from getting confused.

When you host a dinner party, these four tips should help you feel less stressed. Do you know of any other tips that might be useful? Please tell us about some of them in the comments.