What kinds of food/how many options?
How many people do I invite?
Should I send out formal invitations?
What time of the day?
Etc.
2006-07-09 15:03:12 · 7 answers · asked by renaissance_amy 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
7 p.m. Have 6 people total including yourself. That way there will be enough people to keep the conversation going when you are going back and forth to and from the kitchen.
No invitations, just tell people and make sure they commit. (Ask them if they have any food allergies, dislikes, etc.)
Drinks and appetizers for one hour max. If you are serving alcohol, always have a nonalcoholic alternative for people who do not drink.
Dinner at 8.
Serve a cold soup (made in advance, like avocado soup with chicken broth, avocado, a tiny bit of garlic, run through the blender, served with a dollop of sour cream and a garnish)
Serve a green salad with a light vinagarette.
Serve as the main course baked salmon on a bed of risotto or couscous. Serve on the same plate broiled asparagus. (If salmon is too expensive, you could make another fish or chicken)
Control the alchohol by YOU pouring people wine etc, not letting them get their own from the kitchen etc.
For dessert, have sorbet and cookies. Coffee and tea. Make sure no one is too drunk to drive. If so, get a sober person to give them a ride home.
The main thing is to have it all prepared in advance (except the salmon and asparagus, which you will have to do in the 15 minutes before you eat) so that you can be relaxed and enjoy your guests. There is nothing worse than going to a dinner party and having the host or hostess frantic and unable to enjoy the event.
Good luck.
2006-07-09 18:11:06 · answer #1 · answered by Dakota 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Go to your local bookstore and look through the cookbooks that have dinner party ideas. But check out the book Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten. She has great dinner party ideas for food and etiquette. Plus her recipes are easy and usually most prepared the day before so you can enjoy your guests instead of being in the kitchen. Are you throwing a formal dinner party? If you see the people that you are wanting to invite on a daily basis hand deliver the invites or mail them. I rarely get anything fun in the mail anymore and it's fun to get a little surprise that you don't know about until you open the envelope. Invite the number of people you can seat comfortably around a table. Time? What day are you wanting to have the dinner party? If it is during the work week aim for 7 or 8 p.m. but give you and your guests enough time to get home from work. On a Friday or Saturday night try 8:30. Sunday shoot for 6 p.m. (Because we work on Monday) Food...Cocktails and appetizers, first course salad or soup, second course the entree and a fabulous dessert. But remember to make it easy on yourself because you want to enjoy the party too!!!
2006-07-09 18:50:31 · answer #2 · answered by deltazeta_mary 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can serve whatever kind of food you like; if the party has a theme, however, I'd recommend choosing the menu accordingly (e.g., Italian food for a Carnival of Venice party). Or, just cook whatever you're good at--your guests will be thrilled and flattered if you take the time to cook for them yourself! (Of course, if cooking an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert yourself doesn't sound like fun--and I can certainly understand why it might be too time-consuming--then you might consider just making dessert yourself. Your guests will love it!)
I'm assuming this is a formal dinner party from the wording of your question. Invite only as many people as you can seat; close elbow room is okay, but guests left standing would be a no-no. Use your nice china, polish the silverware, use a tablecloth instead of place mats, and make certain you have linen napkins (no paper!)... and yes, the formal invitations are a great idea.
The time of day you choose for your party largely depends on the type of dinner party you'd like to have. For example, if you planned to seat your guests outdoors, you might want to have the party around sunset (but make sure you have proper lighting for when the sun has gone down!); for a dinner-and-cocktails party, on the other hand, you might want to use a later time slot (8 pm until whenever).
Emily Post's Etiquette might be a useful resource. Best of luck and I hope this helps!
2006-07-09 15:20:19 · answer #3 · answered by Maggie P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have lots of appetizers, because dinner will never be done on time. But don't make appetizers that are filling like dip and such. Eight to 10 people is the maximum I would invite, but be sure you have COMFORTABLE seating for all your guests. That should determine your numbers. When I have parties, I usually send out an evite (evite.com), and have people arrive at 7pm for a dinner that starts at 8.30 or 9. However, if you are grilling, I would start a bit earlier like 6 pm in order for people to congregate in the back yard for some socializing. Also, beware; your guests will inevitably assemble in the kitchen so you might want to base your numbers on that as well!
2006-07-09 15:10:20 · answer #4 · answered by mosesqueenofegypt 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's all up to you. how formal do you want to have your dinner party? what kind of theme?
check out this website. very helpful!
2006-07-09 15:10:10 · answer #5 · answered by ChitChatBrat 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
make sure u have soda
2006-07-09 15:06:21 · answer #6 · answered by darkmagician_007 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LOBSTA
1
2
JUST CALL
NIGHT
2006-07-09 15:13:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋