Hostess With The Mostess: Throw The Ultimate Dinner Party

Organising a dinner party is no easy task. It can feel like you have to make a million decisions to make all at once. When really all you want is for everyone to enjoy themselves and have a great time. Whether it is for an occasion, special event or just a few friends gathering it can be much easier to organise than you think. So I thought I would share with you some tips to help you become a fabulous hostess and throw an ultimate dinner party to be proud of.

Think about your guest list

First of all, you need to decide on your guest list. How many people do you intend to invite to your dinner party? Is it going to be a small intimate affair or something more extravagant? Knowing your numbers early will play a huge part in the rest of the decision making. It can help you decide on the venue and even the food you serve on the night.

Where are you hosting the dinner party?

Once you have your guest list and possible numbers, the next thing to decide is the location you want to host your dinner party. Do you plan on doing so at home or somewhere else? Of course, if it is a small party then being at home would be the obvious choice. However, you may prefer the grander location for a larger amount of guests or a special occasion.

Think about the menu

So you have your guest list and your location, now what? The next thing to think about is the menu and the food you are going to serve. Are you a brilliant chef yourself? Or do you plan to hire in caterers? There is a cost element to this as a caterer will charge for their time as well as the food they prepare. Sometimes part of the fun is making the food yourself if you enjoy that kind of thing. You may want to make it a seasonal menu or work with local produce. Perhaps there is a particular family favourite that works every time.

Make sure the wine compliments the food

The second thing to food is your drink choices. It’s advisable to make sure that the wine or other beverages served compliments the food. For things like this is may be worth buying in bulk to avoid a big cost. This is when it may be worth buying in a selection of wines and liqueurs to ensure that you cover everyone’s tastes. You may want to consider buying alcohol online for convenience.

Have you thought about decoration?

Is the dinner party for a special occasion? Then you may want to think about decorations. Perhaps it is milestone birthday or an anniversary. You could think of a colour scheme to stick to or go all out with balloons and bunting. Whatever you decide I am sure it will look amazing.

The little details

Finally, the last thing to think about would be the little details. Will you be offering a little token gift to your guests? Or a bag to take away with them? Another lovely touch would be to send a thank you card after the event.
I hope these tips help you become a fabulous hostess.