How To Host The Perfect Dinner Party
There comes a moment in everyone’s (adult) life when they realise one thing; it’s time to arrange a dinner party. Whether it’s because it’s a good chance to get friends together whom you haven’t seen for an age, an opportunity to celebrate a promotion, house sale, new baby, or exciting prospect for the future, or just because, there is a lot of planning involved, a lot of work, and, if things go right, a lot of praise coming your way.
So how can you take your dinner party to the next level? Here are just a few ideas…
The Food
If you’re happy to spend hours in the kitchen cooking up a storm then by all means, go for it. Enjoy yourself, and the love your pour into your dishes will certainly impress your guests. A good way to ensure that everyone is going to enjoy what you serve them is to ask them beforehand whether there is anything they love, or anything they simply can’t stand (or that they’re allergic to). Once you’ve got a good idea of what your guests will enjoy, you can find the perfect meal for them.
Alternatively, if you’re not so keen on cooking and you want to make a good impression, you could use a food delivery service such as Deliveroo Dublin. You can have restaurant food delivered to your home, and all you would need to do is serve it nicely.
The Dining Table
This is the focal point of the room, and there’s no getting away from the fact that your guests are going to be taking notice of it. They will be leaning on it, talking across it, and hopefully not banging their knees on it.
The height of the table top, as well as how low it goes towards the floor is important when choosing your table – it needs to be a comfortable space for your guests to use; the better it is, the longer they will stay and enjoy their evening. A rustic, chunky table is a great way to entice everyone to keep talking even when the food has long since been eaten.
The Tablecloth
Covering your dining table in a tablecloth is a great way of bringing everything together in one cohesive design. It’s also an excellent way of bringing a little of your personality to the party – bright and funky, traditional and classic, whatever works in your home will work on your table.
The Crockery
Once you’ve found the perfect tablecloth, you’ll need something to go on it – and we mean crockery. Eating from stunning plates really enhances the whole dining experience, and by laying the crockery out before the food is served, you’ll be giving your guests a cosy yet designer feel, especially if you layer plates and bowls. Big is certainly beautiful when it comes to chunky crockery.
The Cutlery
The other essential is cutlery – unless you’re planning on finger food it’s a little mean to present your guests with great looking and smelling food but not give them the tools to eat it with. Don’t forget, your guests are going to be using these knives, forks, and spoons a lot, and they need to be easy to handle. Give them something elegant that they will enjoy interacting with, and you’re halfway there. Wooden handles will give your table that rustic touch.
The Candles
Choosing the right candles may not seem like too much of a chore, but get it wrong and your entire table will look at odds with your ideal. Will you choose classic white, or will you add a splash of colour? Do you want them big and chunky (perfect for when you are creating a homely atmosphere) or slim and refined (a nice touch for those elegant soirees)? However you go with your candles, we can offer one important tip; stay away from the scented ones!
Written by: Lisamarie Lamb. Lisamarie is an enthusiastic writer for all things food, beauty and health.
All images sourced/created by: Edwina Elizabeth of The Life of Stuff.
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