How To Host A Dinner Party Even Nigella Lawson Would RSVP ‘Yes’ To

Don’t get us wrong, we love ourselves a relaxed dinner party. They’re an inexpensive way of catching up with friends in a chilled, less chaotic way than come-one-come-all Friday arvo drinks at the local. 
That being said, you’ve gotta admit there’s something admirable about the dinner parties of yore: the affairs that were less a last-minute congregation of people, and more of a well orchestrated occasion. Besides, executing a three-course meal served on a decadently decorated table without a hitch is probably the ultimate way to reaffirm your adulting skills to the masses. Why? Well, it takes a lot of skill and it’s certainly not for the feint hearted.
If you’re interested in flexing your ‘I’m a celebratory savant’ muscles, then keep on reading to find out how you can take your dinner party hosting skills to a whole new realm of impressive. 
NOTE: we mean that literally. Like, these are hardcore domestic god/ess tips and will be best used by those game on blowing the bloody socks off their guests. 
 

INVITATIONS 

Photo: Paperlust / Facebook.
Yep, as we mentioned, this isn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill dinner party. You’re wanting to take it to the next level and taking it to the next level means invites. Sure, you could design your own or even attempt to handwrite them, but if you’re really wanting to raise some eyebrows, then enlist the talent of a calligrapher or letterpress service. 
Before commissioning the invite, keep in mind that this could be a good time to lock in a colour palette for your evening. If you’re planning on it, have the invite’s palette coincide with your table setting’s and any other decor. Additionally, for larger dinners where thought is needed for seating arrangements to ease confusion, you can use whoever’s making your invites to create place-cards for you table as well. Hell, you can even get menus made up too. It’s the little things, ain’t it?
Photo: Paperlust / Facebook.
Given that you’re putting so much effort into invites to reflect that your dinner is more of a ~formal occasion~, there’s certain etiquette procedures you should consider following. They should be sent to guests via post at least six (but preferably eight) weeks prior to the event. In terms of how they’re written, a formal invite usually follows the process of: host’s name and title, invite message such as “request the pleasure of your company”, the guest/s name and title, address, date, arrival time, dress code and RSVP details. 

WHAT TO SERVE

Photo: Wedgwood / Facebook.
FOOD – ENTREE, MAIN & DESSERT
There’s a few things to keep in mind in regards to the food you’ll be serving during a more sophisticated dinner party. 
Firstly, serving food in an entree, main and dessert format will really blow everyone out of the water. Besides potentially bread, nothing should be placed down in a, “OI EVERYONE, DIG IN AY” fashion. Because of this, what you choose to present should keep individual servings in mind, as well as how those servings will translate when dishing up. Secondly, this shouldn’t be a dish’s maiden voyage – don’t cook something for the first time that evening. Sure, there’s always a chance you’ll botch up any meal, but you can mitigate this risk but sticking to something you know. 
Also, stick to dishes that can be mostly prepared ahead of time. When it’s time to eat, you should be able to sit down and enjoy your meal with your guests. No one’s a fan of a frantic host spending the whole night in the kitchen. 
Take into consideration dietary restrictions, but don’t plan the entire meal around it. Have a few options available but don’t let it detract from your hero meals.
Oh, and don’t feel bad for ordering in dessert. Odds are you’re not a pastry chef, and therefore not capable of casually whipping up a croquembouche. Alternatively, a cheeseboard is just as acceptable (if not more popular depending on your lust for cheese) to serve at the conclusion of the meal. 
DRINKS – COCKTAILS & WINE
Given there’s a lot more flexibility when it comes to fixing a cocktail, don’t feel as though you have to give it a road test beforehand (but then again, by all means do so). Choose three drinks you’re keen on serving and stock up on enough of their ingredients to make plenty of batches. 
Your best bet is to choose three that have different bases (e.g. one vodka-based, one gin-based and one whiskey-based). Generally this will cover all your bases and appease that one person who can’t drink a particular spirit because they hit it too hard when they were 18.  
As for wine, do yourself a favour and make sure they’re properly paired to the dishes your serving. Forcing your friends to stomach a Pinot Noir while eating swordfish won’t go down terribly well. 

TABLE SETTING

Photo: Hikari Photography / The Style Co.
If you’re like most people, you would’ve collected a range of plates, bowls and glasses as you’ve bounced around from house to house. If you have, we take our hats off to you. You go, Glen Coco. In light of that, odds are you don’t have formal tableware or cutlery (unless you’ve gotten hitched in recent memory). Hosting a dinner party is the perfect excuse to treat yo’self to all the elements of a table setting, most of which you’ll use for the rest of your life. 
TABLECLOTH
Tablecloths can be a great way to introduce colour or pattern to your dinner’s table setting – as times have progressed, the strict adherence to the white tablecloth has been tossed out the window. 

PLACE MATS
Once again, place mats are a great way to put your specific taste into your overall table setting. Given their usual price-point, it’s a lot cheaper to play around with these than dropping money on plates specific for that night.
DINNERWARE, FLATWARE & GLASSWARE
Look, there’s nothing wrong with using a more generic brand for your dinnerware, but if you’re game on investing in something you’ll have forever, then the cash will be well spent. 
We reckon Wegdwood‘s having a bloody massive revival of late. Their Intaglio range, for instance, pays its dues to the brand’s past, while striking the balance between sophisticated and modern. If you ain’t all about that traditional look then give some thought to something a bit left of centre like the Suite One Studio plates below.
Photo: Suite One Studio.
If you’re not wanting to make such an investment, you can always hire the dinnerware specifically for the evening. Heck, you could just hire it forever and pretend it’s your own.
In terms of flatware (AKA cutlery), your needs will change depending on the dishes you’re serving as well. At the most basic level, you’ll be wanting to find a set that has dinner forks, dinner knives, salad forks, salad knives and soup spoons. Oh, and if you’re keen to emulate Emily Post, then the cutlery should be arranged on the table in outside in order – as in, laid out so that the first dish’s utensils are the furthermost right and left. 
For glassware, you’ll be wanting traditional tumblers, white wine glasses and red wine glasses. Look, given how delicate these items are, only get the good stuff if you could sleep after seeing one of them smashed to smithereens. 
CENTREPIECES
Photo: Erin + Tara / The Style Co.
Centrepieces are another means to add the “omfg that looks nice” factor to your overall table setting. Just make sure it’s not too massive – no one wants to be having a conversation with an OTT flower arrangement rather than the obstructed person directly across from them. As mentioned, flowers are great as long as they’re short – or you could opt for a simple bowl of fruit. 
CANDLES
Sorry folks, but there’s no place for a scented Glasshouse candle at a dinner table. The smell will disrupt everyone’s taste. Get around two statement candles and have them sit on either side of your centrepiece. 
At the end of the day, you do you. It ain’t about the ~fancy~ table setting, it’s about getting your pals over for some decent grub. That being said, fuck it’s nice to feel like a bonafide adult. 

Photo: Wedgwood. 

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