Every good party starts with a good host. The more you prepare your home for the gathering, the more fun your friends and family will have. This post will explore the many small but significant steps you can take to make your home friendly and festive.
Prepare for a Dinner Party With Good Friends
1. Clean your home thoroughly
You don’t have to scrub the kitchen and bathrooms, but you do need to vacuum, dust, and clean up any clutter. You can’t have a good time with friends if you’re stressed about how well your house looks and kids behave. The same goes for the living room. Tidy up the coffee table, dust the plants, and gather books to read or games to play, or arrange the dimmer switches on your lamps, so they look nicer when lit.
2. Set the table
Before people start arriving, set out all the food you intend to serve—if it’s an appetizer spread, be sure that it’s laid out in bowls and containers. Set out serving dishes and clear plates as well. Arrange your table linens and napkins to rest evenly over the table. If you don’t have enough of one material to cover all the sides, use a mixture of patterns or colors to make it look nice. (Don’t forget to set out your candles!) Make sure the San Simeon Wine is at the perfect temperature.
3. Hang a menu
I like to hang an extensive menu on the wall below my breakfast bar. It has the main courses and side dishes listed, along with all the ingredients necessary to prepare each word, so that people will know what they’ll need before they get there. Menus don’t have to look perfect, so don’t fret if it seems as though you just scribbled your notes in pencil.
4. Decorate for fun
Nothing ruins a party like having everything looking severe and stark but inviting and inviting. Add some decorative touches of color here and there to make things feel more cheerful and festive. I like to put large decorative bowls on my coffee table and scatter a few poinsettias or floral arrangements around the room. Or hang some positive symbols, such as a small wreath or Santa, in a vintage frame from your mantelpiece.
5. Heap up your home with holiday cheer
If your party is at Christmas time, here’s some flair to add to this list with a few of my favorite things to do for the holiday. Hang string lights in your windows, buy inexpensive pine garlands, and hang them across your mantelpiece or over doorways.
Set up a small tree near the fireplace, hide gifts under it, or scatter flowers around the base. If you have an extra place at your table, set out a small Christmas tree topper that can serve as a gift by the night’s end.
6. Make it special
You don’t have to spend much money on your party supplies, but a few touches go a long way towards making things feel memorable for your guests. I love serving my guests in bed—I set up my breakfast bar with platters and bowls upon which I’ve placed all our savory foods and appetizers, along with plates and silverware.
Importance of Preparing Your Home for Dinner Parties
1. Preparation creates relaxation
A little preparation before the party will go a long way toward making your guests feel comfortable in your space. A dinner party is an opportunity to invite family and friends into your home and to show them that you genuinely care about having a good time with them.
2. Preparation helps you to enjoy yourself more
The more you do for your guests, the less you’ll have to worry about yourself—and the more fun you’ll also have! Having a clean house will keep things from feeling cluttered and chaotic during the party, but it will also give you peace of mind, knowing everything is organized and presentable.
3. Preparation helps your guests to have a good time
Remember that your guests’ experience will be influenced by the level of effort you put into making them feel welcome. They won’t have to worry about anything—they can sit back and relax. When you have a party, you behave differently than at home; you go out of your way to get everyone comfortable and make things fun rather than worrisome or stressful. Your preparations help relax everyone else, giving your guests the chance to enjoy themselves fully.
4. Preparation puts you in the party mood
By giving yourself plenty of time to prepare, you’ll be able to treat the party as more than a household chore. You’ll make room for creativity and fun, and this attitude will reflect on your guests.
5. Preparation helps you to keep things under control
Worrying about a party can lead to more worry and stress, but once you get in the habit of making preparations ahead of time, you’ll find that managing a party doesn’t have to be overwhelming. A little organization goes a long way towards ensuring everyone has an enjoyable time without any problems or inconveniences.
Home is where the heart is. That’s true for you and the people you care about most in your life. That’s why how well you prepare your home to share with them is so important. By doing so, you are preparing yourself to share with them in the way they deserve.
