Dinner Party at 7…

Introduction

Dinner Parties are the best of all parties, when it comes to celebrating an occasion. Evenings are a time when generally everyone feels enthusiastic, high-spirited, all game for some fun! Hosting a dinner party sometimes is also the right way to catch up with friends and family.

How to Plan a dinner party

Dinner Party is an excellent way to celebrate the special occasions of life, be it a birthday, an engagement, a wedding anniversary, or a New Year bash… Find your own reason to party, and in the absence of any ;), call it a get together dinner!

• First think of a concept/theme for your party. Figure out what kind of a party do you want and work from there on.
• Without clarity on the kind of party you intend to throw and for whom (guests), it is impossible to create the perfect ambiance, music and food for it.
• Depending on the concept, design the invitation, choose the location, plan decorations, drinks, food, music and the extra little things that will make the party stand out and remembered for a long long time.
• As a host, you don the hat of a producer who is in charge of turning a vision into reality. This may mean taking care of all the things yourself, and/or hiring the right team of people to make the magic happen for you.
• You have to figure out exactly what all do you need to make your party a rocking one. The details that need attention could be many like lighting, decorations, music, menu, return gifts, games and tricks.
• If your party is outside, you need a backup plan in case it rains.
• In your mind or on paper just run through the party itinerary like what time it will start, what will be served in which serving dish/tray and in what sequence, what games will be played and when, how will the party end, what return gifts have to be given to whom (label if you have different return gifts for guests), and so on.
• Stick to your budget for the party and keep the itinerary manageable so that you too can enjoy the evening chatting and mingling with your friends. Share the plan with your hubby/wife or a friend to make sure you haven’t forgotten something.
• Hosting a party is not an easy job, but then nothing worthwhile is!

Set the mood for the evening / Decorate

• Choose colors and patterns that complement each other. Use a plain tablecloth and napkins with dishes that are patterned. With brightly colored dishes, use a subdued color for the tablecloth.
• Use flowers as the centerpiece of your decorating scheme.
• Bring out your best crockery to help set the mood for your dinner party. Lay the entire cutlery in a fashionable and uniform fashion. You can add a couple of candles on the table as well, to set it up for an elegant party.
• If you wish to have a cultural theme, you can choose from themes such as Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Thai and Italian. If you do not want to limit your food or decor by a particular theme, keep it simple and elegant.
• You can opt for elaborate decorations also like streamers, balloons, flower arrangements etc to jazz up the ambiance.
• Decorate the outdoors with luminaries and tree lights to create a perfect party venue.

Dress

If your invitation specified that the event was casual, then you can wear whatever you please. However, if the event was not clearly identified as a casual one you should dress nicely, elegantly, without overdoing the part. Slacks and a nice shirt or a relatively modest cocktail dress are appropriate. For men, a nice shirt or a collared t-shirt with a matching pair of trousers or jeans should be good.. If you have a dinner party with a theme, then dress up according to it.

Games

Burst balloon with belly
The Name Memory Game
Dancing Detectives
Pair Up Quick!

Gift Ideas

Guests can choose from a wide-range of gifts to choose just the right one for their host(s). Depending on the occasion, host(s) may want to give return gifts to their guests at the time of saying goodbye.