Monday, November 15, 2010

HOW TO HOST A DINNER PARTY

Spending on a dinner party is no joke, and to get your money’s worth, you should prepare for it weeks in advance. Keep in mind that anything ordered rush is likely to add to your tab. You’ll have your own reasons for hosting one, as most people do.

Some don’t mind spending thousands of dollars on a one-night affair just to meet contacts for their business. Others simply want to be the talk of the town and try their best to beef up their guest list with society’s crème de la crème.How to Host a Murder: A Dinner Party Game for Eight

To come up with a successful event, secure the services of friends and family who’ve gone through the same thing and can guide you through the process, or hire a professional party planner. They just might be worth the added expense.

Check out lifestyle and society mags to have an idea about party themes, the hottest décor, and the latest on entertainment. Send out extraordinary invitations. You can even generate a lot of excitement over your dinner party days before the actual event by creating a website informing guests about the theme or giving teasers of what they can expect to experience on that day.

The secret to a successful dinner party is inviting the right kind of people. Include those who are gregarious and popular, those who can easily mingle, and guests who can enliven an otherwise lethargic crowd.

Whether you’re catering the entire shebang or preparing some dishes yourself, see to it that you’re free to entertain as soon as the guests start arriving. Without the help of professionals, expect to do everything from greeting people at the door to checking their coats to serving them postprandial coffee.

If you’re harried because of a lack of extra hands, guests would feel uneasy about arriving when they see that you’re running to and fro, even when they arrive on time. Leave the heating and the plating to someone else so you’ll be where you’re supposed to be – at the door, greeting your guests upon their arrival.

Introduce the new arrivals to other guests and get the conversations going. For instance, you can introduce your brother to a female guest and mention a hobby they have in common, just to jumpstart a conversation between them. Find some common ground for them to start with. This way, even guests who arrive alone won’t feel out of place.

As host of the dinner party, you have the prerogative of deciding on the seating arrangement. A memorable dinner would have men and women sitting alternately, with couples seated apart. This will allow for mingling and detracts from the usual conversations that groups of women and groups of men have.

After dinner, don’t jump into dish washing duty. You need to be visible as a host even after the meal, so recruit some help to do this job for you. Otherwise, wait until the last guest has left.Party Snacks!: 50 Simple, Stylish Recipes to Make You a Popular Party Host

One of your main objectives in hosting a dinner party is to impress. Take this opportunity to put your best foot forward. Hire professionals to clean your place up days before the event. Use the best dinnerware you can get your hands on. Keep the towels fresh in the washroom and have someone clean up after every guest. Get live entertainment if you must. If you do a good job, you’ll be the talk of the town until your next hosting gig.Esquire's Handbook for Hosts: A Time-Honored Guide to the Perfect Party

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