Party Planning Ideas - How to Host the Perfect Dinner Party
Do you want to give the perfect dinner party? Here are some incredibly useful and not-so-common sense party planning ideas to make sure your dinner party will be enjoyed by all.
1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT DATE
Choose a date that works for most people to ensure the best turnout. Mid-week - Wednesday or Thursday is safe as you are less likely to clash with people's private plans
2. GIVE BOTH A START AND AN END TIME
These days, people are so busy and tired that dinner party invitations are sometimes seen as a chore and obligation rather than a pleasure. Set both a start and end time such as 7:00-9:30pm. By setting a reasonable end time, people will feel that they will not be left exhausted the next morning and thus are more likely to accept.
3. GIVE ENOUGH ADVANCE NOTICE
Send the invitations out around 10-14 days in advance so people have time to schedule the party into their diaries. Three days before the party, send out a reminder and chase up the RSVPs.
4. GREET GUESTS WITH A REFRESHING DRINK
The moment guests enter the house, greet them with chilled champagne or a fruit punch. That will put a smile on their face the moment they enter.
5. DON'T TRY A NEW RECIPE. COOK YOUR FAVORITE DISH
Why give yourself the additional stress of trying out a new recipe? Just cook your favorite dish, one that you can make with your eyes closed. Nobody wants to see a stressed out hostess in the kitchen screaming at her cookery book!
6. GIVE PEOPLE LITTLE THINGS TO DO
To avoid any awkward standing around at the beginning, give people little chores to do so that they can mix around. For example, you could ask one guest to fill everyone's champagne glasses, or another to lay out the knives and forks, or light the candles. This is especially useful mixer for the single guests.
7. DON'T SPEND ALL YOUR TIME IN THE KITCHEN
As the hostess you should be mingling around, making guests feel welcome and introducing those who may not have met before. Do not slave in the kitchen all evening. Prepare some of the dishes in advance so that there is very little to actually cook on the day. Many desserts can be made and refrigerated the night before. Avoid making something like soup as a starter as you will have to wait for all your guests to be seated before serving to ensure it is lovely and hot. Instead, fill the table with cold cuts and dips as your starter. It takes next to no time to prepare and it also provides yet another means of social mixing and people pass plates around and share with each other.
8. IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG IN THE KITCHEN, DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT
A great party hostess is filled with confidence. If you make a mistake with your recipe, do not tell anyone, just act as it was always supposed to look, taste and appear that way!
9. GIVE THE PRESENTATION A LITTLE TWIST
A little creative presentation in your dishes will make all the difference. Apple pie might seem ordinary, but it's a popular dish for a reason...most people like it. However, you can jazz up apple pie by presenting it a different way: you could use cute china teacups or even wine glasses to present it in instead of the usual dessert bowls. My friend, who is the most wonderful dinner party hostess, serves her desserts on different plates she has collected from around the world. It can trigger fantastic stories (any excuse for her to recite her 'when I was nearly run over by an angry farmer in Spain story').
10. FILL THE ROOM WITH FRESH FLOWERS
Flowers really do lit up a room and give it a fresh, warm and welcoming feeling.
11. GIVE EVERYONE A LITTLE CHOCOLATE AS A LEAVING GIFT
Chocolate is proven to make people happy. Policemen in England discovered, to their great surprise, that if they gave a small chocolate bar to party-goers as they left a night-club, they felt so happy and delighted, that the number of fights and crimes that would take place after closing hours dramatically shrank. So have your guests leave with a smile on their face and some chocolate in their mouths.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gemma_Swansburg
1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT DATE
Choose a date that works for most people to ensure the best turnout. Mid-week - Wednesday or Thursday is safe as you are less likely to clash with people's private plans
2. GIVE BOTH A START AND AN END TIME
These days, people are so busy and tired that dinner party invitations are sometimes seen as a chore and obligation rather than a pleasure. Set both a start and end time such as 7:00-9:30pm. By setting a reasonable end time, people will feel that they will not be left exhausted the next morning and thus are more likely to accept.
3. GIVE ENOUGH ADVANCE NOTICE
Send the invitations out around 10-14 days in advance so people have time to schedule the party into their diaries. Three days before the party, send out a reminder and chase up the RSVPs.
4. GREET GUESTS WITH A REFRESHING DRINK
The moment guests enter the house, greet them with chilled champagne or a fruit punch. That will put a smile on their face the moment they enter.
5. DON'T TRY A NEW RECIPE. COOK YOUR FAVORITE DISH
Why give yourself the additional stress of trying out a new recipe? Just cook your favorite dish, one that you can make with your eyes closed. Nobody wants to see a stressed out hostess in the kitchen screaming at her cookery book!
6. GIVE PEOPLE LITTLE THINGS TO DO
To avoid any awkward standing around at the beginning, give people little chores to do so that they can mix around. For example, you could ask one guest to fill everyone's champagne glasses, or another to lay out the knives and forks, or light the candles. This is especially useful mixer for the single guests.
7. DON'T SPEND ALL YOUR TIME IN THE KITCHEN
As the hostess you should be mingling around, making guests feel welcome and introducing those who may not have met before. Do not slave in the kitchen all evening. Prepare some of the dishes in advance so that there is very little to actually cook on the day. Many desserts can be made and refrigerated the night before. Avoid making something like soup as a starter as you will have to wait for all your guests to be seated before serving to ensure it is lovely and hot. Instead, fill the table with cold cuts and dips as your starter. It takes next to no time to prepare and it also provides yet another means of social mixing and people pass plates around and share with each other.
8. IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG IN THE KITCHEN, DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT
A great party hostess is filled with confidence. If you make a mistake with your recipe, do not tell anyone, just act as it was always supposed to look, taste and appear that way!
9. GIVE THE PRESENTATION A LITTLE TWIST
A little creative presentation in your dishes will make all the difference. Apple pie might seem ordinary, but it's a popular dish for a reason...most people like it. However, you can jazz up apple pie by presenting it a different way: you could use cute china teacups or even wine glasses to present it in instead of the usual dessert bowls. My friend, who is the most wonderful dinner party hostess, serves her desserts on different plates she has collected from around the world. It can trigger fantastic stories (any excuse for her to recite her 'when I was nearly run over by an angry farmer in Spain story').
10. FILL THE ROOM WITH FRESH FLOWERS
Flowers really do lit up a room and give it a fresh, warm and welcoming feeling.
11. GIVE EVERYONE A LITTLE CHOCOLATE AS A LEAVING GIFT
Chocolate is proven to make people happy. Policemen in England discovered, to their great surprise, that if they gave a small chocolate bar to party-goers as they left a night-club, they felt so happy and delighted, that the number of fights and crimes that would take place after closing hours dramatically shrank. So have your guests leave with a smile on their face and some chocolate in their mouths.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gemma_Swansburg
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2:13 AM
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