The Art of Entertaining: Hosting Lavish Dinner Parties at Home

Whenever you throw a dinner party, one of the guests cancels at the last minute, there is an awkward conversation, and something always burns. You make a couple of lemon centerpieces and you drag out your grandmother’s silverware and hope that everyone thinks of your style as subtle and elegant.

Imagine sitting around a flawlessly decorated table, enjoying witty banter, and a delicious meal of gourmet foods. You may believe that this only happens in the movies. However, throwing a lavish dinner party at home is easier than you may think.

Learning how to throw the consummate dinner takes time and practice. However, there are a few tricks to hosting an elegant and memorable party.

The Main Ingredients of a Great Dinner Party

Ultimately, your dinner party will be a success if your dinner guest’s needs are met. If they are enjoying themselves, your party will be a hit.

You must first decide if your dinner party will be formal or informal. You should also decide who will be on the guest list. The decor and food will be different if you are hosting a dinner for your coworkers than if you are hosting a family dinner.

Where People Sit Matters

If you are a fan of Larry David, you know that it is important to select a person who will be a good “middle” at your dinner party. Mr. David believes that the person who sits in the middle must be able to tell a story that will interest all of the other guests. Pick someone who is capable of being articulate and funny without being offensive.

Make sure to think about who will sit next to whom. Personality clashes can ruin the vibe of a dinner party. If you know two people are friends, or if you think there is a good chance they may become friends, sit them together. Your dinner party is not the time to take any wild social chances.

The Food

If you want to create a memorable evening, you can hire a professional chef. Remember to consider people’s dietary restrictions. A professional chef can give your guests several options from which they can choose.

Catered meals are also a good idea. Many fine restaurants offer catering options. Better restaurants will be able to modify your order for the specific needs of your guests.

If you cannot afford a chef or simply want to prepare the meal yourself, it is best to keep things simple. There are a few dishes that are delicious, out of the ordinary, and easy to prepare.

Hors D'oeuvres

You can’t have a truly lavish dinner party without a few Hors D’oeuvres. A buttery cheese with pesto sauce and olives on a cracker makes a salty, rich, and tasty hor d'oeuvre. Mini cheese balls are also a great option. Use high-quality cheese and combine it with fresh spices.

Instead of just making a spinach dip served with crackers and vegetables, make this baked spinach and olive dip and serve it with a variety of veggies and bread from around the world. Olive tapenade on cosanti makes a simple and healthy amuse bouche.

Cocktails

It’s not a party without a little booze. You should select one special cocktail for the evening and have it available before and after dinner. The cocktail you select should be the same color as your decorations. Be sure to offer a nonalcoholic version of whatever cocktail you select. You can also have wine, beer, and shots available to your guests.

Main course

Selecting a main course for your party can be challenging. Even if you have a caterer or chef who can provide a couple of options, they will not be able to provide as many options as a restaurant would. It is best to select something that will work with most diets and be tasty and satisfying.

When you serve a vegan menu, everyone will be able to enjoy it. You will not have to worry about modifying the meal for one or two guests.

Some of the best chefs these days only make vegan food. It is a sustainable way for people to eat and it is a professional challenge for the chef to make crowd-pleasing fare without using any meat.

A party with vegan food will allow your guests to try a delicious and satisfying meal that they may not otherwise eat.

Several vegan and vegetarian main courses look beautiful on the plate and are certain to please the most discerning palettes. Surprisingly, they are very easy to prepare. They include:

• Grilled cauliflower steaks

• Kimchi wraps with smoked or grilled tofu

• Creamy vegan risotto

• Vegan stuffed peppers

• Armenian stuffed eggplants

• Pasta with Pesto

In some cases, you may know your guests very well. If you know that your guests all like a certain kind of food, you can base the menu on their tastes.

A hearty vegetable lasagna makes the perfect winter meal when served with salad and crusty bakery bread. A zesty gazpacho soup or a robust and traditional Caesar salad makes an elegant and light summer meal.

A Middle Eastern feast of assorted tapas and drinks with flavors from the Mediterranean region will make for a healthy and delicious dinner.

If you are hiring a chef or if you know what you are doing in the kitchen you can always serve Indian food. Nothing is more elegant than a succulent curry or a fiery vindaloo served with a variety of different breads from the eastern part of the world.

Dessert

It is never a good idea to throw a party and not to serve dessert. You want your party to be memorable in a good way. People expect to end the evening on a happy note. Several desserts look pretty, taste great, and are surprisingly easy on the waistline.

Strawberry shortcake is the perfect companion to a light champagne cocktail or a robust iced coffee in the summertime.

Berries with cream is a light and refreshing dessert for an afternoon party. Sponge cake with a scoop of top-quality ice cream is a rich and satisfying cap to a spring meal. If you are not sure what you want to serve, dessert tapas are an excellent idea. Serving small dishes allows your guests to control how much of a good thing is right for them.

If you are throwing a true celebration, you are probably not that concerned with calories, in which case, you should break out the chocolate. A rich chocolate torte or black forest cake will be appreciated by your guests. Vegan chocolate mousse is much richer and tastier than traditional mousse. A chocolate blackout cake served with coffee is a great way to end a winter meal.

A light, fruity, and creamy dessert always goes best with a fish or seafood meal. You will not go wrong if you serve key lime or lemon meringue pie

The Decor

If you want to stick to tradition, you can always use a white tablecloth and put candle centerpieces or flowers in the middle of the table. Flowers in empty wine bottles put a slight twist on this tradition.

If you watch a few TikTok videos, you will discover that there are many ways to fold a cheap cloth napkin. Each of your guests can arrive at their seat to find a napkin folded into a flower, fan, or tree. Flower terrariums make an unusual and colorful centerpiece as do mini globes.

If you are having a party at home, you should select colors that will go with the decor that you already have. Gold and black and red and black are trending for parties this year.

Black and white parties have never really gone out of style. They certainly make it easier for everyone to know what to wear. Black balloons with white led lights will give any space a sophisticated look. A vase with floating black and white pearls adds a touch of elegance to tables at an afternoon luncheon.

Party Favors

Remember when you were a kid and you came home from a birthday with a bag of plastic goodies and candies? It is always nice to have something to take home from a party. T-shirts and mugs are often given out at parties associated with a wedding such as bachelor parties, bachelorette parties, and rehearsal dinners.

Cigars, wine, and fancy chocolate make excellent party favors for adults. If you don't have much money to spend, you can give away bookmarks and mint tins with the name of the event on them.

A bag of artesian snacks with the name of the event on it is also an inexpensive party favor. People will remember your event fondly if they walk away with a bag of Gourmet cheese corn or potato chips.

Throwing a party can be a nerve-wracking experience. It is possible to forget to have a good time yourself. If you follow a few simple tips, you can relax and enjoy yourself.