Hosting a successful and enjoyable dinner party requires adequate planning and preparation. Of course, when you plan, one of the crucial things you need is time. In order to make the most out of your remaining time before the dinner party day comes, here’s a guide about the things you need to do and prepare plotted in a specific timeline:
Two Weeks Before the Dinner Party
If you still have two weeks left to prepare, you’re lucky because that will be enough time to achieve a more flawless and fun-filled gathering. Two weeks will allow you to finish each task smoothly and help you resolve inevitable glitches that may arise. So, if today is the start of your two-week preparation, better to start off doing the following:
- List down all the guests’ names to ensure that you will not miss anyone.
- After figuring out who you’ll invite, set out your invitations.
- Then, think about what theme you’ll be having for the evening. Figure out what you’ll need for decor and make a list.
One Week Before the Dinner Party
Now that you’ve settled the guests, invitations, and theme on the first week of your planning, it’s time to go over other crucial details. Other crucial details will concern your guests’ food restrictions, menu, table set up, and such. For a more detailed list of the things you must do, here’s your checklist one week before the party:
- Review who among your guests has confirmed their attendance. Then, ask them if they have any dietary restrictions.
- Plan your menu. List down the ingredients you’ll be needing and what can be prepared a day before the party to lessen tasks during the actual day.
- Figure out how you’ll want your dishes to look when served and prepare the special tools, plates, or garnishes you’ll be needing.
- Prepare your candles and any other decorations as well, excluding flowers, to keep them fresh for the evening. It’s best to contact florists during this time to reserve the flowers you want.
Two Days Before the Dinner Party
One and a half weeks have passed, and it is now two days before the party. By this time, you must be able to see that all the significant details have been finalized. As much as possible, the things you’re taking care of by this time are only the minor ones, so if not, you need to act fast. Here are some minor things you need to do two days before the dinner party:
- Pick up all the ingredients for dinner.
- Shop for wines and other beverages you’ll be serving. Don’t forget to prepare your corkscrew during the event.
- Fill up your ice trays and pick up extra ice from the store.
- Make a playlist aligned with the theme.
The Day Before the Party
So, tomorrow will be a very special evening. To make your hosting experience exceptional for your guests, do these things the day before:
- Stock as much food as possible, including dessert.
- Clean your house and make it spotless. Make sure that the trash and dishwasher are empty when they arrive and make your house smell good.
- Pick up the flowers you reserved and put them in vases.
Party Day!
Finally, your much-awaited day is here. But it doesn’t mean that your task is done. On the day of the dinner party, make sure to:
- Prepare any last dishes.
- Finalize the table decorations.
- Arrange all the food beautifully.
- Set up a drink and snack station for your guests.
- Put pitchers or bottles of water on the table
- Get dressed.
- Light the candles and play your music
- Enjoy the company of your guests.
Conclusion
As you can see, hosting a dinner party requires a lot of work. There are a lot of details you need to prepare and think of. So, you might want to consider hiring a private chef to remove the cooking task from your list. Hiring a private chef will give you more time to focus on other things so that the event will be more manageable for you.
If you’re looking for a private chef in Asheville, Food Fire + Knives has got what you’re searching for! We strive to help everyone enjoy the perfect private chef experience. We also provide private chef catering to make your event less stressful. Reserve your private chef with us today!
