A dinner party is a great time to entertain guests in a fun setting. It’s easy to be nervous about entertaining guests. Without the proper tips, planning an entertaining event may feel impossible. Following a few simple steps will ensure your next dinner party is a huge success. In this post, you will learn five steps to take the stress out of entertaining.
- Give Yourself Time to Prepare
You will want to begin party preparation as early as possible. The first thing to take care of is the theme of your party. Your theme could tie into the season you are having your party during. For example, the warmer months could call for a beach style party. No matter what party theme you decide on, you will need to start crunching a few numbers. You will want to have an idea of how guests you plan on inviting. Sending out too many invitations may have you feeling overwhelmed later on. It’s best to stick with a manageable number of guests. - Send Out Invitations Early
Once you have your guest list narrowed down, you will need to send out invitations. You don’t have to get too wild with invitations. The best invitations are ones that are to the point and easy to read. You will want to send out invitations at least a few months in advance. Guests may need time to take off of work, weekend workers will love that you thought ahead. - Ensure Food Remains at Proper Temperature Levels
You don’t want to set out chilled items too for in advance. Many cold dishes will stay safe for consumption for about four to six hours. It’s unlikely a dinner party goes much longer than the four hour mark. A crock pot is a perfect device for keeping dishes warm. You can find variations of this cooking classic made to accommodate multiple heated dishes. There are also buffet types dishes that are available for purchase. - Choosing the Right Dinnerware
You will need to find dinnerware sets for your party guests. Melamine dishes are a great dinnerware idea for a party. You will find that melamine dishes are inexpensive which makes it great in case any are broken. These dishes are easy to maintain and are completely dishwasher safe. The average dinner plate will measure between 10 to 11 inches wide. You will find that melamine dishes are made in wide variety of styles. The three main styles of dinnerware to look for will be modern, classic and romantic. - Don’t Fear Delegating Tasks to Others
You may find that in the middle of party planning you’ve taken on too much. There is nothing wrong with asking your friends for a little party planning help. Family members may be attending the party that will offer assistance. You can take a few steps out of party planning by opting for catered food. Larger parties will benefit from having food brought in. No party planner wants to tackles cooking food to feed upwards of 50 people.
In closing, there are several steps to follow that take the stress out of entertaining. The first step is to start planning your party early. It’s best to have invitations mailed out months in advance. Guests may find themselves in the middle of a busy time. Giving them plenty of notice ensures they have time to set aside for your event. You don’t want a guest to become ill which means ensuring food stays at optimal temperature levels. Cold foods including dips are usually safe to leave out at room temperature for about four hours. Having a food thermometer will ensure you have accurate temperature readings throughout the night. Melamine dishes make for a perfect low cost dinnerware choice. Don’t be afraid to purchase food if you don’t want to cook for a lot of guests. Following these tips will ensure your next event is stress free.