How to set up a dinner party: A modern guide to an impactful table (and event)
Food, friends, laughter and making memories are what dinner parties are all about, and the setting for a perfect gathering is your home. Spending time with friends and family is important, especially in a post-pandemic world. Priya Parker, author of "The Art of Gathering," told Epicurious, "We've just experienced the biggest reset in a century — in politics, race, and how we gather. The decks have been cleared. Take a breath and think: Why do I want to do this? What's the intention? Who do I want to spend time with? With those thoughts in mind, there's not much more to hosting a dinner party than preparing the food."
A dinner party is a chance to connect with the people you care about and have a fun night in your own universe. So here are some tips to make it a success and make your guests (and clearly you) enjoy your dinner parties.
SET A THEME
You don't need a theme for your dinner party, but guests can appreciate the extra effort.
A theme also helps set the mood for the evening and lets guests know what to expect. Will the dinner be fun or serious? Casual or formal? The theme can focus on a specific culture, decade, or cuisine. How about a dinner with games or specific attire? Those are great ways to keep the conversation flowing throughout the evening. Surprise your guests with a theme that will have everyone smiling and looking forward to your event.
DECORATE YOUR TABLE
Although they are pretty, leaving tables too uniform makes them boring. Normally when we see a dinner table everything matches and that makes it too impersonal, as if someone else were decorating the table for you, leaving out your personality and style. Give yourself a chance to use a lot of knick knacks on your tables. Things that have been given to you, inheritances from your mother or grandmother or some random thing that you have found in an antique store or that makes you smile.
Try mixing wine glasses, tablecloths and ornaments to give a much more special and personal look to your table rather than making it look like the cover of the Pottery Barn catalog. Imperfect is infallible, so dare to play with your table decoration.
FLOWERS
Incorporate fresh flowers to the table as they give a lot of life to a space. My advice would be to seek the help of a florist since it is a special occasion so your table has texture, depth and color, but if you do not want to make arrangements for this specific event, you can use planted flowers that give a very chic touch to the table.
TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR TABLE ACCESSORIES
Setting a table is like dressing up for a party, you have to consider the occasion and the guest list. Think about the menu, it will give you a lot of direction as to what to incorporate and what not to. For example, you wouldn't put out delicate Murano glasses for a barbecue, would you? So that's a great indicator. And then there's the theme factor. If you decide to order sushi, for example, clearly incorporate chopsticks and individual soy sauce dishes for each place setting. If you decide to serve pasta, make sure there are enough parmesan containers so your guests aren't stealing from the cheese plate (always think about making life easy for the dinner party members).
PERFECT NUMBER OF GUESTS?
While there is no set rule for a proper dinner party these days, my advice is to keep it at 16. While it may feel a bit overwhelming to have a specific plan to seat your guests, it's best to have some idea of how you plan to seat them. I personally love putting out place cards, but if you don't want to go through the hassle of seating people (my husband hates it), have a plan of sorts for how to seat them. I think the trick is to have a seating plan, but not be too serious about it. Unless the occasion calls for it (think of an engagement dinner or something of the sort).
MIXOLOGY
People lead very busy lives so it's a must to give them a break when they arrive at a dinner party so whatever their ailment, water or wine should be available upon arrival. Anything more than that is just showing off...which I LOVE (exotic cocktails, themed drinks you name it).
WHAT TO DO IF TABLE CONVERSATION SLOWS DOWN
This doesn't take much creativity: tequila. And married couples love to talk about people who are getting divorced. Plus, speculating about closeted celebrities makes for lively discussion. Scientology is another fun topic (and need we say 4T?)
PREPARE AFTER-DINNER SNACKS
OK. They've eaten, they've drank, and dessert is over...incorporate post-dinner snacks. Chances are, if your guests are drinking, they'll be a little hungrier. Think casual, that will make your guests feel comfortable. Consider serving gourmet chips or traditional candy you don't normally find, and serve it in decorative bowls - who doesn't love that?
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Want to surprise your guests? Try leaving a fun little something for them to take home with them. For example, you could leave a wine cork on a table that each guest can take home, or a fortune cookie with slightly inappropriate messages that they can open on the table (which will keep the conversation fun) or take home with them.
