How to Plan a Dinner Party: A Step-by-Step Guide for Stress-Free Entertaining
This is a post teaches you how to host a dinner party that will create memories. How do you do it? The answer is simple: organize yourself ahead of time and create a plan that makes for stress-free entertaining.
There’s nothing better than when you host a dinner party. Creating memories with the ones you love makes all of the effort worth it. But should it be stressful?
No. Dinner party planning doesn’t need to be stressful. With some forethought, it can be a stress-free dinner party.
Learn how to host a party that makes everyone want to return for more.
Dinner Party Hosting Made Simple
Host a Dinner Party Everyone Remembers
Step 1. Set the Date and Time
I prefer weekend hosting so I have time to clean up afterward before the work week starts, but many don’t restrict themselves that way. Maybe for you, an ideal time for a dinner party is during the week. It’s more likely that your guests won’t stay late into the night.
You should also take into consideration how much time you will need to prep and clean up. The best time to host a dinner party varies depending on your schedule.
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Stop stressing about planning a dinner for your friends. Make it simple and organized with this FREE planner. Then, you can spend your evening enjoying your time with your friends.
Step 2. Creating a Guest List: Who to Invite?
I love having my favorite people around me so crafting my invite list is easy because everyone gets along, but what should you consider?
Guest list considerations:
- Personalities that blend well together make for a pretty smooth night. Good conversation helps make those fond memories.
- How big do you want your party? The quantity of people invited can be dictated by the amount of space you have or it can dictate what type of food you serve and how you serve it.
Step 3. Choose the Menu
What do you serve at a dinner party?
Food isn’t just food. It’s such a social component that brings people together. You should determine if you want to make it low-key or fancy. If you want to serve elevated food, it’s probably best for smaller parties.
Personally, I like dishes that can be made ahead of time, and all I need to do is put them in the oven. Room-temperature appetizers open up space in the oven, and allow you to set up a little before everyone arrives. A perfect option is creating a charcuterie board (learn how to assemble one here).
Dietary restrictions can come into play. My sister cannot eat tree nuts, so I make sure that I have food options that she can enjoy.
Easy dinner party recipes are the biggest suggestion I can make. I want to be part of the party. If I plan a dinner party menu with easy recipes, then I know that I won’t be stuck cooking the entire time.
Dessert should be simple. If everyone has been eating all night, there probably isn’t much room. Go to the bakery and grab something to make your life easier!
Step 4. Plan the Drinks
If you’re wondering what drinks to serve at your dinner party, I suggest keeping it simple. Non-alcoholic options should be included.
A rule of thumb for pairing wine with your dinner is white wines go well with lighter foods (like chicken and fish) and red wines go well with heartier foods (like red meat). While that’s true, I want my guests to be happy. I offer both types of wine and, if I know a guest loves a particular type of wine, I make sure to have it.
A signature cocktail is also really fun to add to your party. I wouldn’t make it more than three ingredients unless you can prepare most of the mix beforehand. My sister, for example, loves cosmopolitans and will mix everything but the vodka and leave it in a pitcher at the drink station so that she only has to add vodka and ice and shake it up.
If you are serving cocktails, plan on having enough ice for the night. My husband will keep dumping the ice from the ice maker into the ice bin for a whole week before we host a party to ensure that we have enough.
Step 5. Set the Table
Creating a perfect ambiance doesn’t mean it has to be very fancy. What vibe do you want to establish? Put out paper plates, plastic knives and forks, and napkins for larger dinner parties and proper plates when it's more intimate.
When I was younger, I would try to make each event nice with regular plates and silverware, but I now take into account how many people I’m feeding. All in all, they don’t care as much about whether it’s paper or not.
That said, if it’s a smaller party or one that I want to elevate the ambiance, I spend time making a station for drinks with a variety of wine glasses and setting the table with plates and actual silverware.
Dress up the table with simple decor that impresses but isn’t too much. Unscented candles placed in the center of the table with small vases of flowers can be accompanied by Alexa playing your favorite playlist.
Easy Ways to Elevate the Room
Step 6. Serve and Entertain
Before the night begins, chart out cooking times and the temperature of what you're serving and work backward from your desired serving time. This lets you know when you need to turn on the oven, when and what to put in first, and how to get it on the table by dinner time.
Planning this menu a week in advance gives you time to work all this out and see if you want to scrap a side because it will take too long to cook in relation to whatever else you’re serving.
Start with your main attraction, usually meat or fish. Then find a balance of what you want to serve. Keep to only two sides (one vegetable and one starch) and a salad. You don’t want to be cooking the entire time. You want to be out keeping the conversation going!
Step 7. Cleanup and Wrapping Up
End your party on a high note by being prepared for clean up. Before any party, I check my inventory of plastic bags, aluminum foil, and containers. I put them together so that I could pack up everything pretty fast.
Before the party, make sure you have everything you need to clean up after the party.
When the night is over and the goodbyes are done, I usually send a text thanking everyone for coming and push through any pictures that were taken. Then friends send pictures, too. This becomes a nice morning recap!
You see! It doesn’t have to be very overwhelming. I learned the hard way that I don’t need to serve ten different appetizers and make everything by hand. My friends and family are more excited about spending time together than anything else.
My biggest piece of advice is to start prepping the week before with these party hosting essentials:
I would love to hear about your favorite main dish to serve at your dinner party! If you're looking for a quick, easy planner, I've created one for you! Get yours with the link below.
Grab Your FREE Dinner Planner Printable
Stop stressing about planning a dinner for your friends. Make it simple and organized with this FREE planner. Then, you can spend your evening enjoying your time with your friends.
