5 Ways to Enhance Your Next Dinner Party

A little preparation goes a long way to having a successful dinner party. If you just let people show up, it’s easy for your home to feel crowded and stuffy which isn’t conducive to a party atmosphere. Check out these five enhancements you can make to your home to host a successful dinner party!

1. Set Up A Mini Bar Station

One great way to set the tone for your party is to create a clear destination as soon as people enter your home. Setting up your beverages on a small table or cart is a great way to guide people in your home and prevent lingering at the door. Stock the buying your favourite white wines, beers, and accessories such as flowers.

Setting up a bar station leaves you free to head back to the kitchen while your guests enjoy their drinks. Make sure you chill your white wines at least two hours in advance. Having an ice bucket on hand makes it easy for your guests to serve themselves. Try and include an extra table for mixing drinks, grabbing napkins and hor d’oeuvres.

2. Prep The Kitchen For Socializing

If you’re having a casual dinner party, the kitchen is usually where a lot of the action is. When you’re guests first arrive, they typically hang out in the kitchen while you make the final preparations and wait for more people to arrive. Set up your workstation and put some appetizers on the opposite end so people know where they can hang out without getting in your way.

Another thing to keep in mind about socializing in the kitchen is to accept any help that comes your way. Accepting help makes things easier for you and gives your guests a mission. Simple things such as setting out dishes, refilling the ice bucket, and ferrying food to the table will come in handy.

3. Have Snacks Ready Before People Arrive

Nothing is worse than being hungry and having to be polite about it. People are going to show up ready to eat, so please don’t torture your guests while you’re waiting for others to show up. Prepare a platter of crudités, flatbreads and other hor d’oeuvres to keep your guests sane.

Another way to help your guests relax is to put on some background music. Music helps set the ambiance and fill silences that might otherwise be awkward. Easy listening genres such as jazz and new age are usually good choices for background music at a dinner party.

4. Save The Cleaning For After

No one likes seeing the host stressed out and fussing over everything. Everyone will feel bad for making a mess, and it brings down the vibe of the party. During the party, dedicate yourself to mingling with your guests. You can clean as you go by throwing a few things in the dishwasher, but try to save the cleaning for once people are gone.

5. Cook What You’re Familiar With

Do yourself a favor and don’t try out new recipes the night of a dinner party. Cooking what you know will save you the anxiety of wondering if your guests are going to enjoy their meal. You may even find cooking what you know difficult when you have to cook for 12 people. Cooking meals you’re familiar will make your hosting duties easier.

Another way to make cooking easier on yourself is to do all your prep the night before. Mise en Place is a trick professional cooks use to save time. Cutting your vegetables and measuring your spices ahead of time makes cooking a lot easier.