As children, many of us liked to play pretend tea, treating the gathering of friends as a special event. As adults we tend to lose the focus on fun when planning a social gathering, and instead internalize our stress while still attempting to throw a great party. Having friends and family over for any type of party should be a time everyone enjoys, and throwing dinner parties should not cause panic attacks.
The most important rule in dinner party planning is picking a good group. Make sure that the people you have invited all have something to contribute to conversation, and that the attendees will get along. Compiling a list of culturally relevant discussion items before dinner is a good way to ensure that conversation will flow easily.
Here are some tips on throwing the easiest dinner party:
- Ask guests before planning a menu if anyone has allergies or special diets
- Make dishes that are in your wheelhouse, ones that you are comfortable with
- Check your glassware and serve ware inventory, so that you aren't forced to substitute a setting with paper plates
- Prep food beforehand
- Ask guests to bring desserts, so that you don't have to bake anything
- Plan music, create a play list days before
The most important tip is to let go and enjoy! If you are tense and anxious, that feeling will rub off on your guests.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tricky Table Manners Explained
The whole pass-to-the-right thing is really just to ensure that there is some type of order. Food is always passed in one direction to avoid having someone end up with two dishes at once. You can either hold the platter for the person you are passing to while she takes her food or, if the platter seems easy to hold and serve from, you may simply pass it to the guest next to you once you’ve taken your share. Remember to take a small enough portion so that there’s plenty left for everyone else. When you pass something with a handle, like a gravy boat, pass it with the handle side toward the person you are passing to, so that she can take it easily.
Ten Fun Dinner Party Themes
Dig your tajine out from the back of the cupboard, find a few Moroccan recipes and host an evening of exotic food and culture. Hang a few coloured glass lanterns and lay out your most colourful, patterned tablecloths, napkins and plates. If you can, borrow a low table and surround it with plush cushions for a more authentic spread.
Decorating Tips To Avoid
Visual Clutter. Unfortunately, this is another one of Matt’s pet peeves! But if there is one thing that really puts a damper on a beautiful room, it’s clutter. It’s the stuff that should just be put away, like magazines, books, projects and shoes. If you want these items in the room, create a storage piece for them.
Easy Tips For Spring Decorating
Even if you live in an area where seasons don't change much, it can still be a fun and worthwhile practice to decorate for upcoming season changes. Using pastel ribbons with your cloth napkins, or perhaps adding in-season flowers to the bigger rooms in your house can do a lot to improve your mood.
Add colorful pastel ribbons; roll the napkins in a water goblet and just fill the table with spring flowers and bunnies and your family will enjoy a heightened sense of the season.
Mother's Day Menu Ideas
This menu touches on many cuisines: Mexican enchiladas, French crepes and down-home American biscuits and gravy!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Top Ten Wedding Registry Tips
When you are creating a gift registry of any kind, it is difficult not to go over-board. Some people view the registering process as a free-for-all and click on every single item that mildly interests them, regardless of the cost. It is important to be considerate of your guests when setting up a registry. Here is an article that goes over very important tips for registering.
When a guest buys a gift for you, your registry should automatically update, allowing other guests to see what’s been purchased (and allowing you to see what’s on its way!). Make sure to revisit your registry often (trust us, you’ll be visiting several times a day once the wedding day nears), and update it with additional selections as products are purchased so that guests always have a variety of things to choose from. Aim to have at least twice as many items on your list as guests at your wedding.
Passover Centerpiece Ideas
Passover can be an intimate dinner with family or a large celebration with friends and loved ones. While there are definitely certain things that should always remain tradition for the sanctity of your heritage, it is also important to have a little fun when preparing for the event. Here are ten simple centerpiece idea for an impressive Passover by The Jewish Hostess.
Go through your storage closets and pull out stored wedding gifts that you haven’t used in years. You’d be surprised at the gorgeous display you can create by lining up assorted bud vases and filling them all in the same color scheme.
Basic Table Manners
When someone goes through the trouble of throwing a dinner party or hosting a holiday meal, they expect a minimum amount of etiquette from their guests. If you have never heard of Emily Post, now would be a good time to familiarize yourself with her lessons. The following list from Emily Post are the top ten table manners.
Avoid slurping, smacking, blowing your nose, or other gross noises. (If necessary, excuse yourself to take care of whatever it is you need to take care of.)
Tips For Hosting A Great Dinner Party
Hosting a dinner party is something that one does to show appreciation for loved ones, or to network professionally, or perhaps to upgrade a holiday dinner. Whatever the reason may be for the dinner party, it should not be a stressful experience for the host or hostess. This is a time for socializing and networking, so your focus should be on the guests more than anything else.
One way to break up the momentum and relieve stress on yourself is to serve different course in different rooms of the house. Not only will this create a chance for your guests to appreciate your home decor, it will also alleviate the stress of cleaning up the table in between courses. No one wants to sit there as the table is de-crumbed and tidied.
Some people choose to have their dinner parties catered, and that can be a huge stress relief, but you should still add a personal touch to the meal. Creating a special dessert or appetizer shows that you took the time out to create something unique and that you put some thought into the occasion. Perhaps you decide to create personalized place cards or place settings for your guests, or maybe curate individual gift bags to take home, whatever it is will make a huge difference in the comfort of your guests.
TisForTable
One way to break up the momentum and relieve stress on yourself is to serve different course in different rooms of the house. Not only will this create a chance for your guests to appreciate your home decor, it will also alleviate the stress of cleaning up the table in between courses. No one wants to sit there as the table is de-crumbed and tidied.
Some people choose to have their dinner parties catered, and that can be a huge stress relief, but you should still add a personal touch to the meal. Creating a special dessert or appetizer shows that you took the time out to create something unique and that you put some thought into the occasion. Perhaps you decide to create personalized place cards or place settings for your guests, or maybe curate individual gift bags to take home, whatever it is will make a huge difference in the comfort of your guests.
TisForTable
Designing On A Budget
Designing your home should not break your bank. If you have a few key pieces that accent each room, quality pieces, you can decorate the rest of your home on a budget and still have an upscale appeal. The following article goes over ways to design your home on a budget.
Not only is a "matchy-matchy" look boring, but buying entire suites of furniture tends to cost more than putting together a creative, eclectic look. Mix it up by opting for a couch and chairs upholstered in complementary fabrics, flanking a bed with unmatched nightstands and decorating with other diverse items unified by color, form, material and tone. Or try pairing a stately wood table with shiny aluminum or brightly colored plastic chairs. And don’t be afraid to mix high-end and low-end or modern and traditional.
Decorating Secrets
Decorating your home should be an exciting venture, not an overwhelming one. Having the knowledge of the latest trends for interior design creates an inviting home; one that you are actually excited to live in. Having a home decorated with your personal style in mind makes it easier to entertain, and guests will appreciate the details. This slide-show by HouseBeautiful highlights 20 decorating secrets.
Gold is back in a big way. A few accents will warm up a room, like this classic living room.
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