Hosting a dinner party is nothing short of an art, one that requires a lot of thoughtfulness and arrangements. Inviting friends or family over, for good food, fun games, and memorable conversations, is one of the best ways to spend time. It is also an excellent occasion to showcase your cooking as well as hosting skills.
With so much going on, while inviting people is easy, preparing for it can be tedious and daunting. The trick though is to take one thing at a time and enjoy the process. Remember that people may judge you, whether in front or behind your back, but hosting a dinner party is as much about you having a lovely moment as it is for your guests. Moreover, by keeping a few pointers in mind, you can be sure of its success every time.
Plan It
To host the perfect dinner party, you need to start planning it a few weeks in advance. Begin with making two to-do lists. One will include every non-food item you need for the party. This can range from decorations and cutlery to selecting the right music and arranging the lighting for a moody atmosphere. The second one consists of all the food ingredients you require. This also means you need to finalise the menu beforehand. By planning in advance, you can check your local grocery store, making sure they have all that you need, while also ordering any speciality items or meats you’ll need on the day of the party.
Pick a Theme
Having a theme might either seem extravagant or juvenile for most, but what it does is give the party a meaning. You can always go overboard with your decorations and wow the guests, but it is also possible to have a low-key theme such as one that revolves around music, movies, or a crowd-pleaser like online casinos. In fact, for a casino theme, you can just get your friends to log in to their online casino NZ accounts, and you need not have to do anything except play, cheer, and win through the night. Basically, a theme acts as an ice-breaker, and if regular conversations get a bit slow, you can always rely on the theme of your party to liven things up.
Start Light
Once the party is in motion, it is essential to guide your guests through the night. To do that, make sure you always start light. This means that your appetisers need to be tiny, finger food dishes that don’t fill up the tummy. Focus instead on packing flavours into these bite-sized delights, and you can pay more attention to making them look good. Similarly, while everyone enjoys alcohol, please don’t make it free for all. Booze will fill up the tummy quickly, and your friends won’t enjoy the meal that is to follow. To keep things limited, prepare a signature cocktail with a hint of alcohol in it.
Highlight Your Cooking
When you’ve spent so much time preparing and cooking food, it needs the right kind of appreciation. A common mistake that hosts make is that they put the entire menu on the table and then invite people to come. Instead, first, ask them to sit, and then bring your pièce de résistance out. It can be anything from your favourite Jamie Oliver chicken dish to homemade pasta or something truly exotic like Kerala fish curry all the way from India. Create a little drama as you bring it and place it on the table. Let everyone see it, smell it, and then start serving it.
Let It Flow
An important junction in any dinner party is the time when everyone has finished eating their food. It’s a bit awkward with most guests unsure if they should leave or not. To keep things flowing naturally, don’t serve the dessert on the table. Let your friends digest what they have eaten. Call them back into your living space, and then serve the dessert after a little while. This not only keeps the party going but also allows your guests to relish every aspect of the dinner in a leisurely manner.
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