5 Tips for hosting your first dinner party at home, a guide for beginners

When it comes to hosting dinner parties in your own home, some common things that stop people from even starting, is thinking that they need to go out and buy a load of new crockery, they think they need the skills to serve up an amazing 3 course meal and do it all in a spotless show home to even consider the idea of entertaining & inviting people over. Are any of these beliefs stopping you from hosting at the moment? 

If so, I totally get it, when we really want to do things our negative beliefs chime in and stop us. I don't know where they come from sometimes, I suppose the term 'Be the hostess with the mostess'  doesn't help, as it kinda puts the idea of hosting on a pedestal doesn't it? When in actual fact these things are far from the truth and it's not at all what hosting is about. 

The whole point of hosting is to gather together to create a deeper connection with each other, to strengthen bonds, create memories & celebrate, all over a shared meal at the table. It's not a chance show off what you have and what you can do. So with this in mind, and some experience under my belt, I wanted to share 5 of my greatest tips for helping you get started straight away with hosting your first dinner party. 

These tips will hopefully change the way you view hosting and inspire & encourage you to give it go if you have been putting it off. If you use these tips you'll get so much enjoyment out of the process, so let get straight into it, so you can get planning your first one!

Tip 1 

Raid your kitchen cupboards

So to get started straight away with hosting, you don't need to go out and buy a load of new stuff to do it. First, look in your own kitchen cupboards, you probably have a ton of items that you forgot about at the back the cupboard and in your kitchen drawers that you could be using to decorate your table with. The thing is with hosting is that you won't maybe know what you need until you start actually doing it, so I think it's better to hang fire with any random purchases, just until you've got a few dinners under your belt. You can use water jugs and old drinks bottles as vessels for flowers & foliage and I bet you have some candles laying around that were gifted that you could use to create a cosy atmosphere. I am always saving odds bits of ribbon from presents I receive to tie around napkins or glasses for a final flourish, so maybe try and get in the habit of saving items like this you can use for free. I bet you find a treasure trove of bits and pieces once you go on the hunt! You can always ask your family members too, if they have anything in their kitchen cupboards they don't want anymore, vintage crockery is back in fashion and a mix and match look can look amazing, so don't turn your nose up at old fashioned bits as you could give it a new lease of life. The aim here is to start hosting with what you have already and gets you thinking outside the box.

Tip 2 

Forage outside

You also don't need to rush off to your local super market or florist to buy a fresh bunch of flowers to help decorate the table. I am always nipping out into my own garden armed with my snips to have a forage. I grow herbs and evergreen shrubs that I can use all year round and I grow a cutting garden to have flowers to use through the spring & summer months. You may even notice foliage hanging over next doors fence which you could snip or you may live near a field where wild grasses are growing. Obviously always ask permission and forage responsibly if you're on someone else's land. If you're on a walk you may see some fallen twigs you can use. There is so much available to us for free outdoors, you just have to look for it. The beauty of dressing a table is that you really don't need much to style it, so only take what you need. If you don't have your own garden, ask your family, friends or neighbours if you can give something a prune ahead of your dinner, most flowers and foliage last a few days in water, so try to plan ahead.

Tip 3 

Use ready made templates

Get yourself some stationery templates for guests menus and place cards that you can edit & print off yourself at home when you need them. This is one sure way to make your guests feel welcome and considered, as when they sit down and see their personalised place setting they will know how much thought and trouble you've gone too. Plus making an effort for your favourite people is so much fun. Guests always remember how you made them feel, so make them feel special with these finishing touches. I sell a variety of menu and place card designs in several colour ways, that you can easily edit with your own text, then print and cut them out yourself, ahead of your dinner party. You can find them here. It's a big time saver having a pre made template, which will help you instantly elevate the experience and pull all your decor together nicely.

Bow Menu Template

Tip 4

Cook something simple

You don't have to become a Michelin star chef all of a sudden because you're having guests round. Stick to cooking something you already know how to do well. It's not the time to cook something you've never cooked before as this adds too much pressure on you. Cook something simple but tasty of course, but something you know they will like. I find it's better to cook something where all the prep is done ahead of time, then let the oven do the work. A crowd pleaser is best like a lasagne, a quiche, or a pie. This means you don't have to be stood cooking when your guests arrive as that's not what you want, you want to cook something which means you can relax and mingle with your guests. If you're completely new to inviting anyone over, a great suggestion is organising a dinner party where everyone invited brings a course of their own, which means it gets everyone involved & lightens the load for you, just until you feel you can handle more. If you want to get together regularly this is a great option, as it will keep the cost down each time.

Tip 5

Keep it small

My last tip for getting hosting straight away is to just invite a few people to start with. Don't feel just because it's a dinner party, you have to invite lots of people. Do not attempt to host for a big crowd if you only normally cook for two of you most of the time. You have to build up to it! When I started hosting I started with four around the table as I normally only cook for us two most of the time. Then I've worked up to 6 people. The more I've done this the more I grow in confidence and I now feel ready to add some more guests to the mix. It gives you great insight into how much food & drink you'll actually need for a certain number of guests.

I hope you have enjoyed the top tips I've shared, to help you get started with hosting straight away. I hope it's inspired & encouraged you to give it a go. If you would love to receive more hosting tips and inspiration for any upcoming events you're planning, you will love my free email list.  To join all you have to do is head to this link to sign up.