8 Simple Tips For Hosting The Perfect Dinner Party

Hosting was not something that came naturally to me. As a child, my family always hosted NYE parties, birthday parties, and family reunions, but I never had any part in them because you know... I was 8 years old.

As an adult, I realized how daunting it really was when I was tasked to host New Year's Eve for the first time for my husband's whole family. There were many things I did wrong and lots that I learned from that first party that I have implemented through the last three NYE parties.

That is where this comes in. I have compiled just 8 simple things that you can do to host the perfect dinner party, but also make it as low-stress for you as possible.

Make Food You Want To Eat

This was something that I did not do when I first started hosting. I asked a bunch of people what I should make and started drafting recipes based on what my guests wanted to eat. Don't get me wrong, getting input from others is not a bad idea, but it ended up with me getting frustrated.

I was trying to make food I had never made before, and on top of tha,t it was food that I did not like, so I did not enjoy the whole process. Then, during the meal, I was constantly seeing if the person who requested a certain dish actually liked it!

The next year, I set a menu of food that I knew generally people would like and that either I had made before or just that I knew was in my wheelhouse. Then I could sit back and just enjoy the food that I made.

When you are planning your next dinner party, make sure you still enjoy the process of making the food and eating it too, which is just as important!

Let Others Help You

Now this is probably the toughest task on this list. You probably spend countless hours prepping grocery lists, seating ideas, and decorations. Now you are a couple of days out, and your prep timeline begins. Since you spent all your time prepping, you probably feel like you have to do everything because no one else knows your process...right? WRONG!

This comes down to everyone's favorite task: delegation. Chances are, if you are hosting a party, then there will be people you are in contact with and who you can ask for help. This could be something as big as coming over a couple of hours ahead of time to help decorate or as small as grabbing some bags of ice to bring with them as extra supplies.

Another good example of this is doing the food potluck style. I had decided that I wanted to do a taco bar for my last party. I, as the host, tasked myself with making different salsas and all the fixings that go with tacos. I then asked a couple of people to bring the protein. This took a lot of stress off my shoulders and let me focus on some of the more creative recipes for my guests.

Thrift What You Can

Hosting is expensive! Just as a quick tally of things you could spend money on:

• Ingredients

• Cleaning supplies

• Activities

• Decorations

• Plateware

• Centerpieces

• Cutlery

And I am sure there is a lot more you could spend money on. Especially if you host multiple parties a year and holiday parties too. There is something really fun about having everything match or be cohesive when it comes to your plates and decorations.

You certainly go to your local box store and get some matching plates and some inexpensive themed hand towels and call it a day. Or you could take a day and go to a bunch of your local thrift stores and find some really unique items for your table.

At my local thrift stores, you can get sets of dishware that come with 6+ plates, saucers, and cups that all match and look adorable to add some newness to your party without breaking the bank. Also, these are usually fairly inexpensive so you could use them for a couple of parties and then re-donate them so someone else can take advantage for their party (just make sure you wash them first!)

Start Prep Earlier Than You Think You Need To

Prep can feel like it goes on forever from the moment you send out the invite to your guests. You may be tempted to do all your planning and then take a break until the day of or the day before, and then get started on everything. Depending on the party, that may work for you, but being overprepared is not always bad.

Something that I started implementing was building two checklists, the first is for the party itself, and the second is for the food.

For the party, I love to sketch, and I will sketch out my living room or just my table and draw what I want it to look like with a list of things I need. I decide on my decorations, any furniture changes I need to make, and where the activities will happen. While you don't need to draw it all out, making a list makes sure you don't forget anything. I do this about 2 weeks before the party.

For the food, I have my food plans done once I roughly know how many people will be coming to the party. This could be a month before or a week before, but that is the heart of the party. The grocery list is a non-negotiable for me. If I don't have a physical list when I go into the store, I will forget something and get more than I need.

About a week before the party, I will start making any decorations I need and just set them aside until I am ready to put them up. I will always take the dessert for any party because I love to bake, and especially if I am making a layered cake, I will always get that 90% done before the day of the party, so I can put my finishing touches on it just before the party starts.

Make Sure You Have Enough Seating

This one is so often overlooked. The average dining room table can hold 4-8 people, and sometimes your party will hold that many, but sometimes it could be many more. Knowing your finalized guest list will help you determine if you need any extra chairs around your table, but from experience, you may have some surprise guests, so have some extras stashed away just in case!

One of my favorite shows is F.R.I.E.N.D.S., and even before I hosted a party, I had the quote from Ross' rehearsal dinner in my head where Jack says, "Well, who serves steak when there’s no place to sit?" This has stayed with me as I plan my meals and the seating arrangement.

Utilize Hand Held Desserts

Going hand in hand with the seating discussion, this is something to think of depending on the type of party you are hosting. After a long dinner party, people may not want to continue to sit at the table for dessert. Let people stand and mill about to socialize with people who were not sitting directly around them. This helps you determine what kind of desserts to make.

When I did my taco bar, people stood around for dinner and were constantly getting up from the table. Later on in the evening, people started to sit down and chat rather than play games, and that is why I served a layered cake. Other times, when I hosted, we did a Chinese food dinner, and after a meal like that, you may want to stand up and walk around. I made cupcakes for that party because then people could take one whenever they wanted, with no expectations on when they had to eat dessert. After all, it needed to be served.

Label Allergy Foods Well To Avoid Stress (And Chat With Your Guests)

Serving a party where there could be a myriad of allergies can be incredibly stressful. The last thing you want is someone to have to leave the party early (either willingly or not) because they ate something they thought was safe. Two ways to help relieve the stress are to chat with your guests and label your foods.

When I mentioned starting prep, you should have a fairly solid guest list and either you, your spouse, or a close friend knows who is coming to the party and can ask about any allergies, as well as the severity of the allergy.

For me, I will always have a gluten-free dessert, as I mentioned before, I made this Red Velvet Gluten Free Cake this past NYE party because my SIL is gluten-free. Even if someone doesn't have an allergy, they might have a preference. I, for example, prefer to have lactose-free foods, but if someone hands me a piece of cake with American Buttercream, I am not going to say no!

If you want to be safe, you can plan to have something that is gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, just to be safe, and that doesn't usually hinder too many recipes, especially if you are making many dishes. And you should always label your dishes so people not only know about any allergies but also just what they are eating!

Breathe

Now I must end with a cliche, and that is to breathe. Hosting should be fun, and having parties should be something you look forward to and not stress about. If you get overwhelmed during the party, just take a step away to a quiet room for a breath. Oftentimes, you invite people you want to spend time with, and trying to have conversations with 10+ people can be exhausting.

In Conclusion

All of these tips I gave are to help you plan, host, and enjoy hosting a dinner party. You should remember to make things that you want to make and do them with the people you love. Don't forget to enjoy the experience and rely on your support system so you can plan it and have low stress from start to end.

Feel free to leave a comment on some great or even some funny mishaps you have had when hosting!