Dinner parties seem so simple in scope. You invite someone, or perhaps a couple, to your home in order to enjoy an evening meal and some wine. You may even prepare a nice outfit ahead of time. Then you decide what to cook, after asking if your guests have any allergies or preferences ahead of time. Then, you clean and prepare the house, prepare some of the food, and then serve and enjoy it.

That sounds lovely, no? But of course, anyone who has curated a dinner party of their own, stress can come from every angle. This is especially true if the souffle’s don’t rise, the guests are someone you’re really trying to impress (like your boss and her husband), or maybe you’re just good at fretting about small things, adding up to larger anxieties.

3 Preparations To Make Before Your First Dinner Party

Pexels – CC0 License

Telling you ‘not to worry’ is probably not going to be helpful, but I can help you ahead of time by recommending three measures to plan for, so before you even ask the question you know you’re going in the right direction.

Let’s consider how to achieve that and more:

Preparing & Perfecting The Furniture

A worthwhile seating area, with enough room for everyone, is essential. But of course, when throwing a dinner party for the first time it’s essential to make sure the table is your friend and not your foe. Unfortunately, there’s a poor soul out there who has had their table collapse or fold on them based on the amount of delectable plates they placed around the surface, and it still keeps them awake until this today. With larger and appropriately shaped kitchen tables online, you can more easily prepare your dining provisions with care.

Make A Mini-Schedule

It’s also good to plan the evening with a mini schedule, even if it’s unlikely you’re going to give each person in attendance an itinerary for them to plan around. It’s just one evening, after all. But if they’re to arrive at about 8pm, you might plan for hosting and a couple of drinks until around 9pm, giving you time to finish off some of the final touches, prepare the dessert, and then serve.

Then when that final dessert is finished, you can more easily bring it out at the time you’ve finished. From there, you might break out some wine and a cheeseboard, allowing you to relax in one another’s company until 11pm, during that time welcoming someone who couldn’t make it to dinner but wanted to come and say hi. As you can see – having a plan can keep your dinner party structured and comfortable, and also grants you final preparation time for the great food you’ve planned out.

Air The House & Manage Pets

If you have pets, then the house can smell like pet. That’s not necessarily something you need to worry about, but it can be nice to air the house out properly in advance, by opening a few windows, blowing a fan, and operating an air purifier if you have one. Of course, this can also help if your home feels a little stuffy or if you wish to air out some of the intensive spice smells you’ve been cooking with before people arrive.

If you have dogs it can also be healthy to make sure they’re comfortable in another part of the house, so they don’t interfere with your guests or jump onto them.