Quick and Simple Dinner Party Ideas that Will Make Your Guests Think You Are a Professional
keep it simple
It seems that every time a big dinner party rolls around whether it's a a birthday, a holiday, or just for fun, you find yourself feeling pretty overwhelmed. I agree! Dinner parties can be stressful, but they don't have to be. Here are a few quick and easy tips that will make your dinner parties stunning and easy at the same time.
Tip #1 - the decorations
I know that you might not know where to start your table decorations, but don't worry. A few days ago I planned a small Christmas Eve dinner party. For this party, I only used a table runner, candles holders. greenery, burlap placemats, two reindeers, and some small silver ornaments. I placed the table runner across the table and set up the burlap placements. Honestly, table runners and placemats are super easy to find. I purchased mine at my local Home Goods. For the center of the table, I arranged some small silver candles and surrounded them with greenery. You definitely need to invest in candles. They can add flair and elegance to pretty much any dinner party. The best part is that candle holders are reusable which means you can use them at all of your future dinner parties too, making them a great investment. Another one of my favorite tips is the greenery. I always use greenery from the plants I have growing in my backyard. Its super easy and you don't have to buy a thing. Just go outside and find some nice and green, leafy branches. They are the perfect addition to your dinner party. Not only do they look lovely, but they also add a nice earthy pop of color to your table décor. To finish up, I usually add a few other decorations. For this party I added two silver reindeer and arranged some ornaments across the table. For these decorations you add as finishing touches, they can really be whatever you want. As a reminder, you can always play decorations off of the holiday or event that you are celebrating. For this party in particular, you could also add some small Christmas trees.
Tip #2 - the appetizers
Do you want to seem like a professional host or hostess? Well, the best way to start is by making pretty and delicious appetizers. For this party, I made a charcuterie board with meats, cheeses, and fruits. I arranged my ingredients on a wooden chutney board. This board had different types of cheeses, peppered salami, prosciutto, tomatoes, grapes, crackers, slices of bread, chocolate covered pretzels raspberries, blackberries, and nuts. I also added some rosemary around the edges and in the center for a nice pop of color. Honestly, for your board you can pretty much add whatever you want, but I wanted to give you a few ideas. Also, presentation is everything, so try to arrange your desired ingredients in a creative way. I made some salami roses for my board, which is a fun and easy way to make your board look fancy and creative.
final notes
I am honestly so excited to share these tips with you! I hope they are helpful the next time you plan any sort of party or gathering. Here are some pictures of what I did to give you some ideas....
