When it comes to kitchens, we partake in a never-ending …
Recently updated on February 24th, 2024 at 11:22 am
After a couple of years of avoiding social events and staying isolated from friends and family, we finally returned to spending time with loved ones. A dinner party is an excellent way to gather and bond with people. However, for many, hosting a dinner can be stressful. Aside from cleaning the house and cooking up a meal that every guest will enjoy, you also have to set and decorate the table, mix drinks, prepare a playlist, and more. To ensure that your event will be a success, we’ve compiled a few practical tips on how to host a dinner party. Interested? Great, let’s get stuck in!
Setting your dinner party table sounds simple, but more than just placing plates, glasses, and utensils, you will also want to add a few decorative items. Since it’s a special occasion, you will most likely get out your special china and premium knives, spoons, and forks (if you have any on hand). Additionally, you can add a pop of color by adding bright or pastel-colored napkins, glasses, or decor. Fresh flower arrangements in glass or porcelain vases effectively spruce up your table, as do small sculptures and green centerpieces. However you plan to decorate, leave enough room for your food. If you serve every guest’s meal pre-arranged on their plate, you won’t have to worry about space on the table for your food.
Photo from Pixabay
Insight- Stay Alert: Of course, drinking can be great fun, but when you’re hosting, you need to keep a good head on your shoulders. Being a hospitable host is your primary objective!
It would be best to prep everything you will be cooking beforehand. This includes laying out the cutting boards, knives, pots, and pans and chopping up any veggies that can be prepared early on. Doing so will cut down your time on the day and help you clean up faster once you’re done cooking. Always pre-make your dessert the night before your dinner date. If it’s a creme brulée, you only have to torch the sugar before serving. Pudding and cake can be completely pre-made and just have to be served. And if you serve ice cream, have your toppings, bowls, and spoons ready so you can assemble everything quickly after dinner.
Photo by Gareth Hubbard from Unsplash
If you don’t have extra tableware for special events in your house, you can always opt for white plates and bowls. They are neutral, go with everything, and allow the colors of your meals to take center stage. Whether your interiors are traditional or modern, white china is universally suitable for every meal and always looks clean. Wine glasses should be of good quality. When serving expensive wine, you don’t want to subject your guests to drinking from flimsy, cheap glasses. Consider what type of wine you will serve, white or red, and have glasses for both available.
Placemats should match to give your table a cohesive look. You can find beautiful linen ones in sets of 8-10, along with matching napkins that spruce up your table setting. If you don’t see any style you like, you can always buy fabric and have napkins made. It’s generally not expensive, and unlike paper napkins, you can use those made of fabric forever. White and black napkins are always in style and appeal to most people’s tastes.
Continue Reading: Table Setting Decor: Casual to Formal and Everything in Between
Photo by Shayda Torabi from Unsplash
Insight – Be Inclusive: Not everyone can eat the same things, so it’s essential to consider that when planning your menu. Make sure you have options there for those with dietary restrictions. The same goes for those who aren’t drinking!
Your dinner should start with appetizers like a simple cheese plate or hors d’oeuvres. Pair this with a light wine like a chardonnay. This is the time to turn on the oven to cover any last-minute sides you have to cook, bake, or heat up. With drinks and conversations, estimate the pre-dinner time to take 30-40 minutes. Once your meal is ready, seat everyone and serve the main dish. Allow guests to select a wine or serve what you have prepared. After dinner, everyone might feel full and need time to rest and digest. This is the ideal time to play a card or board game or simply enjoy some conversation on the couch in the living room or outdoor porch. Finish off the evening by serving dessert and a matching beverage.
Photo by Melissa Walker Horn from Unsplash
Insight – Don’t Be Too Strict: While it can be nice to have a seating arrangement planned, the best course of action is to focus on your guest’s comfort(1). Don’t be a stickler if you don’t need to be!
Most dinner parties don’t need unique entertainment. Good conversation between friends goes a long way in ensuring everyone will enjoy your evening. But for those that want to add a fun element, buy and prepare a card or board game. Uno, Monopoly Deal, or Cards Against Humanity are popular and easy games. Preparing a music playlist for the evening is also an excellent way to prepare beforehand. However, if you’re tight on time, you can always just play a Spotify playlist in your preferred genre.
Dinner parties are one of the best ways to reconnect with friends, colleagues, and family – and your dinner party decor will set your night up for success. From stunning homeware sets to classic and ambient lighting to timeless decoration options, there are countless ways to host the perfect dinner party. With the steps and insight outlined in this article, you should now be able to enjoy an evening of joyous laughter, clinking glasses, and delicious food. Happy planning!
Enter your email & get this guide sent to your inbox.
Enter your email & get this guide sent to your inbox.
We’d love to hear from you. Want to get in touch? Error: Contact form not found.
Get in Touch
Let DeCasa Collections open the door for you to live your creativity and passion throughout your home. We invite you to discover new ways to make your space flourish with color, style, and personality without massive expense. From our range of bespoke, affordable kitchenware collections through to our elevated and timeless decorative options, DeCasa has everything you need to make your home a space where everyone belongs.
A Home Full of Ideas
Your living room is the heart of your home. What are the best ways to make it feel calm, rejuvenating, and welcoming? At DeCasa, the answer is timeless. We specialize in inviting home decor: neutral colors with pops of vibrancy, pared-back furniture, and elegant, minimalist homeware that feels curated with you in mind. Let DeCasa Collections open the door for you to live your creativity and passion throughout your home. We invite you to discover new ways to make your space flourish with color, style, and personality without massive expense.
It’s Timeless.
DeCasa Collections has been rejuvenating homes with bespoke and ever-evolving home decor solutions for the past 2 years. We pride ourselves in offering classic and timeless homeware, suitable for a range of lifestyles, from on-the-go to working from home, all sourced from the resilient, premium materials – with DeCasa Collections, you can buy with confidence. We invite you to explore our dynamic range of the best quality homeware products, delivered straight to your doorstep. Why not bring quality home? We go further than the kitchen and living room, we are a rapidly diversifying design and home decor service, setting the trend for the best online homeware stores across the country. We value accessible luxury, therefore we deliver nationwide, as we strive to ensure that everyone is able to build a home that they can feel truly at home in. Our products are sourced from high-end materials but they prioritize functionality and classic as opposed to contemporary designs – this means that we can ensure affordable solutions for you and your home. Start a conversation today and See how our range can meet your homeware needs.
Simplicity at its Finest
Your kitchen is where memories are made: where glasses are clinked, where friends are brought together, and where kids are brought up. It’s a space that should feel open, warm, and nurturing. At DeCasa the answer is minimal. Sleek, stylish kitchenware designed with your lifestyle in mind. From entertaining to cooking up a storm, you need kitchenware that will stand the test of time and match the pace of your life. And why not fuse elegance and functionality into every moment along the way? From our range of bespoke, affordable kitchenware collections through to our elevated and timeless decorative options, DeCasa has everything you need to make your home a space where everyone belongs.
It’s Minimal.
DeCasa Collections brings people together. We take every opportunity to improve our products and our services – we aim to become one of the nation’s home decor companies par excellence. We prioritize our relationship with you – we strive for flawless interactions with our team and immaculate aftercare. We insist on ensuring you feel valued throughout the home decor process and that you are satisfied every step of the way. We are approachable, professional and we want your home to flourish. We have an eye for detail and an individuated approach to your home – our products are uniquely produced homeware sets, centered around classic, rejuvenated household designs. They are versatile, high-end, and always functional. We put in the time to choose premium materials so you don’t have to. We understand that we’re not your typical homeware brand – and we’re proud not to be! We specialize in making sure you can purchase with confidence, so we have put all of our energy into developing an online store that you can access across the nation. We also value your commitment to us – none of our products will suffer from slow delivery times as we have expedited services available. Not to mention we offer a money-back guarantee and 12 months warranty if you’re not convinced our homeware will stand the test of time.
Bring Your Home To Life
Our Values
Subscribe to our Email newsletter today to receive latest updates.
Newsletter
