Top Tips For Throwing An Upmarket Dinner Party

A dinner party is an opportunity to show off your home, your hosting abilities, and your culinary skills – but it takes a lot of preparation to pull it off. The following are some pointers that can assist you in throwing an opulent high-end dinner party that will truly impress your guests.

Send out official invitations and request response confirmations

Sending your guests a formal paper invitation will give your party an opulent, formal atmosphere, and it will also offer you the opportunity to ask about any dietary restrictions or allergies that may exist ahead of time. Furthermore, having an exact understanding of who will be attending and what their dietary restrictions are will be vital when it comes to preparing a meal, so you will not want to miss this stage at all. To get started, choose a date, compile a guest list, and have some elegant, personalized invitations made, complete with contact information and an RSVP slip.

Create a menu that incorporates seasonal ingredients

Once you have an estimate of how many guests will be attending and whether or not they have any dietary restrictions, you can begin arranging a three-course meal for the event. The use of seasonal ingredients in your dishes will convey to your guests that you are well-versed in your craft and that you have taken great care to find the highest-quality ingredients possible.

You should always buy slightly more than you think you will need if you are in doubt about how much food to purchase. The majority of your visitors will be delighted to take an extra portion of dessert home with them, and whatever that is leftover can be eaten for supper the following day.

Don’t forget to think carefully about wine pairings as well. Choose a wine for each course, asking for advice from a professional sommelier if necessary. Make sure you have the correct type of glasses – you will want the best aerating wine glass possible if you want to really impress your guests.

Devise a seating plan

If you are merely arranging a small intimate meeting, and your guests are all familiar with one another, you probably do not need to worry too much about making a seating plan: everyone will be quite content to choose their own seats. However, if you will be having more than six guests, you will want to make a seating plan and leave a handwritten name card and perhaps a little gift at each spot where people will be sitting.

Attempt to balance the table by blending old friends with new acquaintances when planning a seating plan, as this will help to guarantee that everyone participates in the conversation. You could always place a few parlor games on the table to serve as an icebreaker and to give your guests something to do while you are in the kitchen preparing the meal. In addition, make sure your seating arrangement allows you to simply pop in and out as needed to restock the bar and serve the food station.