It’s that time of year where the invitations for Christmas and New Year parties start rolling in. We’re all a sucker for a good night out, but how about something a little more sophisticated? Use this Christmas season as an excuse to throw a dinner party; all you need is your close friends, some good food and a couple of bottles of wine.
How to invite people…
Depending on how formal you want it to be why not hand out invitations, or if you want to be eco-friendly and save time then email/ make a Facebook event. But make sure you’ve planned how many people you have coming and don’t overdo it. As much as you want to invite everyone you know, dinner parties are more of an intimate event so try to stick with up to twelve guests.
Setting the table…
No one wants to turn up to a dinner party with a bare table and a lack of decorations. Make an effort with the table setting as it is the key feature of a dinner party and you need to create a good atmosphere. Flowers always go down well as the centrepiece for a table, just make sure they’re not ridiculously high so people are straining their necks to talk to each other. If you don’t fancy flowers then why not check out edible chocolate centrepieces instead (also great for dessert). If you’re going for candles, avoid scented ones so you don’t overpower your guests with the smell of candles on top of all the food aromas. Make sure you set the table with the correct cutlery for every course, add on cute serviettes and try to keep glasses the same for consistency. If you don’t want to use a table cloth then maybe use a runner across the table instead to add a bit of colour. And with it being the Christmas season put out a few crackers for you and your guests to pull before dinner.
Seating plan…
This is not essential, but if you have people who don’t really know each other or people who get on better then it’s always a good idea to consider where people should sit. This also gives you the option of creating place cards to accompany your decorated table.
Music…
Background music is great for a dinner party to create a good atmosphere. Obviously don’t whack out the house music, keep it calmer and on a low volume so that you and your guests are still able to keep up conversation above the noise. If you’re worried about having to change the music then make a playlist that will last the evening.
The actual dinner…
Definitely check that your guests don’t have any allergies/dietary requirements ahead of time so they can actually eat something. Have a look at a few recipe books if you’re stuck for ideas, but don’t try something crazily extravagant if you’ve never made it until the day! If you don’t have time to cook everything then why not ask your guests to bring a dish, the more food = the happier the guests. It’s also nice to start with a few hors d’oeuvres for the guests when they arrive and to offer tea or coffee with dessert.
Drinks…
Dinner parties need to stay sophisticated so save the vodka and cokes for a night out. Provide wine and maybe even a cocktail but don’t overdo them. Also ask guests to bring along a bottle of their favourite wine. Maybe even try your hand at making mulled wine for the festive season; just try not to drink too much if you’re cooking!
Keep calm and relax…
As much as you want your guests to have an enjoyable time, make sure you do too! Just relax with your guests once they’ve arrived and don’t over worry about anything. Don’t stress about the washing up as the evening is going on, it can be done the next day! Just sit back with your friends and enjoy the evening that you’ve so carefully put together.