As a Millennial, gone are the days of formal dining to show off wealth and status. Some good food, effort and consideration will go a long way at the modern dinner party.
Here are a few simple dinner party ideas to ensure your guests feel welcome and have a great time. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party on a budget or splashing out, following these key stages will help you host a successful dinner party.
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1. Create a Party Staging Area
Creating a staging area away from the kitchen, be it a countertop or side table, will create a focus for the space and get people away from the kitchen when you’re trying to prepare the dinner.
If you’re trying to host a party in a small space with lots of guests, you could have two separate staging areas for drinks and snacks.
Lezli from Square Inch Home has some useful tips on spreading out areas and moving furniture around if you don’t have a separate dining room. A party seating idea that I use to maximise space is using stools as chairs and having an extendable table.
One of the key things I like to have is a charcuterie board. A little for each guest to nibble at, especially if you aren’t doing a starter. Could be as simple as carrot sticks, olives and crisps or be a bit more creative:
- put some frozen nibbles in the oven
- sticky sausages with honey and mustard
- pitta with hummus
For the drinks, it’s nice to start with some Prosecco or Champagne or a ‘house’ cocktail you’ve prepared in advance.
I once tried to make 4 different cocktails with different ingredients – as well as cooking – and it was far too stressful! My guests didn’t feel relaxed because I wasn’t relaxed.
2. Light those Candles!
Light scented candles before your guests arrive so the room smells nice when they walk in.
A candlelit table creates a subtle, relaxed mood for your guests. Nothing better than a homemade candlelit dinner!
Remember to light in all the rooms of your house that your guests will be using – including the bathroom. Lighting a scented candle is the best way to keep your bathroom smelling fresh for guests.
I used to not want to spend a lot of money on candles but they are so worth it.
Tip: candles are a great gift to ask friends and family for as a Christmas/birthday present to ensure you always have a good stash of quality scented candles.
3. Lighting for Hosting
It’s important to set the ambience of the dining table. Candles are great but if the lighting isn’t right there will be no atmosphere. No one wants to walk into a bright room like they’ve entered the dentists. Dimmer lighting also hides any cooking splodges!
Personally, I love to create mood lighting – a hanging light with colour changing bulbs to go above the dining table is a great idea. These are in both my kitchen and living room to change the colour, tone and brightness. This makes your home more inviting and creates a warm atmosphere at a dinner party.
Also, switch off your main lights and use under-cupboard lights for more subtle lighting. If you don’t have these, I recommend colour changing stick-on lights from Amazon.
I also stuck some LED Fairylights inside some nice wine bottles – this adds a different layer to the lighting and party ambience.
4. Drinks and Ice
When hosting a dinner party, it’s best to do a drinks stocktake. I recommend the beverages below to prepare for any guest preference:
- A crate of beer and cider.
- A welcome drink – if you don’t already have a liquor cupboard stocked up, go for a signature cocktail or something sparkling!
- Wine – when it comes to wine, I like to account for 1 bottle per person – just in case! Tip – if you have any wine leftover, you can always freeze giant ice ‘stock’ cubes of white/red wine to use in sauces at a later date – my little trick! I love my modern and chic wine glasses – here are some great red and white sets.
- Mixers – tonic and cans of lemonade are also good to have in stock as spirit mixers. Some mint or rosemary sprigs add a great touch.
- Spirits – if it’s your first dinner party, have the spirits stocked up – we keep a stash from birthdays and Christmas presents.
- Soft drinks – for those guests who might not drink or have the unfortunate job of the designated driver, get some fizzy drinks or alcohol-free beer. That way, everyone feels involved. I recently tried non-alcoholic spirits and they’re a game-changer!
Click on the images below to try my favourites:
5. Table Setting
Water & Glasses
When it comes to setting dinner tables, a must-have for me is cold fridge water on the table – I like to serve in nice glass bottles. Just take them straight out of the fridge once you’re ready to serve. This not only shows consideration and style but it’s so easy!
Elegant water glasses make so much difference. No matter what your guests are drinking, water glasses are a must-have on the dinner table.
Seasoning
Remember to put salt and pepper mills on the table (I use these from Amazon) along with any sauces in little ceramic dishes, parmesan or a bowl of salad if required.
Candles
Of course – don’t forget the candles – I like to go for long thin candle jars with little tea lights so they don’t take up too much room – and no one burns themselves reaching for anything!
Centrepieces
If you are hosting around a small table, a low bunch of flowers in jars or glasses works well – that way you can see all your guests. If there’s space, I like to have a big bunch of flowers at end of the table.
You can decorate your table seasonaling, such as with pine cones and orange slices for Christmas or dried flowers and herbs for your place settings in spring. I also like the idea of pumpkins during Halloween or wild foliage in the colder months such as leaves or sprigs in keeping with the botanical trend.
Adding seasonal decorations will add nature and intrigue, especially for those repeat guests!
Struggling with space on the table when serving dinner?
Tip – Get some nice serving dishes and serving spoons for your food. Plate up the main item and serve the sides on the countertop so people can help themselves.
6. Place Settings
When considering dinner party place setting ideas, some ironed linen textures, stylish glassware and matching china make a beautiful dressing.
Ironed cloth napkins elevate the dinner setting. I have 4 sage green and 4 pink napkins and table mats. You can mix and match the colours or stick to a consistent colour for each setting.
Stick to a colour theme with your place setting – I tend to use pastel colours, but you could also go for rich or earthy colours.
A table setting for dinner should include simple cutlery and crockery. Anne at Aspiring Winos suggests that your dinnerware (crockery) should complement serving dishes and flatware (cutlery) should match serving utensils.
7. Dinner Party Preparation
The whole point of hosting dinner parties is to enjoy time with your friends. You want to feel relaxed when your guests arrive and not have too much to think about. It’s all in the planning!
My mum always says you should create a quick dinner party timeline:
- A Week Before
Plan your menu and consider the dietary requirements of your guest list. Ensure you won’t run out of food! This gives you time to do a few trips to the shops to ensure you have all you need. Jeff and Bridget from The Recipe Wench have some useful planning tips on preparing in advance.
- The Day Before
Clean your house and make the pudding – making it yourself can cause a lot of mess and cleaning. I personally love a homemade pudding but if you’re struggling for time, a nice shop-bought desert presented on a nice plate will be fine. Serve a little jug of cream alongside the desert!
- On the Day
Set the table and prep as much of the food as you can beforehand. Recipes you can just put in the oven like a chicken pie or lasagna are great as the majority of prep is done! You don’t want to be frantically cooking when your guests arrive. A homemade salad dressing is also a simple but personal touch.
- An Hour Before
Light the candles, prep the nibbles and a quick spritz of nice air freshener in the rooms your guests may enter!
Molli from MakeSpace says you need to prepare not only the food but the apartment and yourself mentally. I agree you need to be mentally calm – you’re not having your friends around to feel stressed. If you’re prepared you’ll feel calm and enjoy the evening!
Some Final Tips for Hosting a Dinner Party:
Some final things to consider when hosting a dinner party include:
- Games – Preparing some games and entertainment ideas for the dinner table can break up the evening and make it a memorable experience.
- Blankets for your guests – when relaxing after dinner in the living room, it’s nice to snuggle under a blanket. This creates a relaxed and boho party feel.
- Cleaning – quietly putting things in the dishwasher inbetween courses to clear space for entertaining or preparation for the next course is a good idea.
- Music – recently we’ve been listening to coffee shop jazz or typing in ‘dinner party music’ on Spotify for guest arrival. We also like to watch background ambient music on Youtube. It’s great to have a saved playlist and you can just choose the best scene for that evening – connect straight through your phone to the TV for a cosy atmosphere!
- What to wear – I personally like to wear a dark-coloured floaty dress to avoid any visible splodges when cooking. This is also comfortable to eat in, move around when serving and enjoy your evening!
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