Pellicano Articles
The thought of planning a dinner party can be a cause of stress to lots of people. They want to make a good impression on those who they invite and are concerned about doing something ‘wrong‘. It does not have to be a stressful process though, so long as you follow a few guidelines…
Celebrate an occasion or event – The best dinner parties are normally those that are held to celebrate something, such as a birthday, promotion or graduation. By having something in particular to celebrate, it makes it easier to establish the theme and mood of the party. The event does not have to be something specific to you though, with Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Independence Day all being good reasons to celebrate too. Of course, you can still have a dinner party is there is nothing in particular to celebrate, it just increases your chances of success if there is.
Plan ahead – Organization is key to the success of your dinner party. The sooner you start getting things organized the better. Amongst other things, you will need to create a menu, choose the wines, polish the silverware, decide on the background music, buy some dinner candles and / or scented candles and work out a seating plan. None of these tasks are difficult, but if you leave them all to the last minute, and try to do them all at the same time, then they can become overwhelming. So, start getting at least some parts of your dinner party organized at least a week beforehand.
Let guests know as early as possible – If you are going to be putting in the time and effort to organize a dinner party then it would be shame if all those who you want to attend cannot make it. Therefore, you need to let them know about the event well in advance. You should send out written invitations a month or so beforehand and then follow up with a phone call a week later. If you only tell people about your dinner party a week before it is taking place then you should expect some people to have prior arrangements.
Create an ambiance – Establishing the style of a dinner party is one of the most crucial aspects of the planning process. It impacts on many aspects of the party, such as how many people you invite, the types of decor that you use, how long it will go on, etc. Decide whether a sit-down formal event would be best, or whether something more informal, such as a barbecue or buffet, would be better. There is no right or wrong style, but it is important that you make a decision so that you can plan appropriately.
Tags: dinner parties, family, parties, party planning
Posted in Christmas · June 16th, 2010 · Comments (0)
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