Planing A-Z

Now that you've decided to have a dinner party, who will you invite, what will you serve and is there a theme? Not every dinner party is a sit-down dinner. There can be heavy hors d'oeuvres or a buffet where people can serve themselves and then sit down or mingle while standing. What you decide to serve depends on how many people you are having and how much cooking you want to do. We strongly suggest if you are cooking versus catered, prepare things ahead of time that can be heated, rather than cooking while your guests are with you. If you're having a party, you probably want to spend time with your guests? Our friends at Paperless Post have a full checklist you can use to prepare for your party.

Let A Grazing Board Help You Host

Everyone loves a cheese board and it’s a great way to keep your guests entertained while you greet other arrivals. It also takes the edge off if guests arrive hungry. LA based beauty executive and interior design expert Sarah Tallman loves incorporating an element of design into food for entertaining, noting that a good cheese board is as important as a flower arrangement. When creating the perfect grazing board, she considers textures, flavors and a broad rainbow of colors.
“Create sections based on flavors: try a soft cheese like brie next to bright fruits or a richly dark fig jam, or vibrant crudité next to hummus.”

Ambiance is Everything

Content creator Doug Marshall has an accidental outdoor dining room. “When we moved to Los Angeles our dining room table was too big for the dining room, and since the weather is mostly nice here we were able to put the table outside in the garden. I hung lights on the crawling rose bushes and strung bistro lights from the trees above. The result is a romantic outdoor dining space that’s perfect for dinner parties.”

Doug loves mixing and matching dishes from our Royal Doulton collections to make the table pop with color. To add in texture, he uses our placemats and napkins. For flowers he keeps it simple, maybe a primary arrangement and also uses our mugs for smaller buds to bring the table to life. “It’s fun to get creative and allow your table to have a personality.”

Don't Skimp on Desserts

After dinner is done, people inevitably crave something sweet. There are many routes you can go here, but not one dessert satisfies every sweet tooth. Southern Living suggests a variation of bite sized desserts, giving power of choice and quantity to your guests so you don’t have to figure out what someone means by “just a sliver of cake”. Also, a few candy dishes here and there or a fresh fruit plate allow your guests to indulge at any point before or after dinner.