How do I prevent everyone from congregating in the kitchen when having a dinner party?
The answer to this question is simple, stay out of the kitchen yourself. Your guests are there to spend time with you and if you're in the kitchen, that's where your guests will be. Be sure to do most of your prep work before the guests arrive and always have enough appetizers and drinks set up in the area you've selected for the party. When you need to go to the kitchen to get the different courses, ensure with adequate preparation this will be a quick process and your guests will have no reason to follow you into the kitchen. The Clever Hostess always tends to her guests and she never lets them see her sweat.
I am hosting a dinner party for twelve people at my apartment and I
don't have the space to accommodate two tables or even one table that size. I don't want to cut the guestlist, what should do?
Instead of making it a sit-down formal dinner, create a less formal atmosphere by setting up a buffet or serving tapas. You can also utilize other furniture, like end tables and bookshelves, for cheese platters and crudite.
How long is too long to wait for tardy guests?
15-30 minutes is a considerate amount of time to wait to for late guests. If one or more of your guests arrive after that, start those guests on the course everyone else is eating. Also, if you know some of your guests have a tendency to be late, it wouldn't hurt to tell them a start time slightly earlier than the actual one.
I am hosting a dinner party just because but I would like to have a theme. I want it to be something simple but stylish. What would you suggest?
Basing a theme on something as simple as a color combination or
pattern is always a good idea. Take a look around your house and choose a color that complements your surroundings. For example, black and white is a simple, clean, and very modern combination. For something a little sexier, you may want to go with black and red. If you want a more elaborate theme, The Clever Hostess theme generator will create an easy and custom party for you and your guests.
My husband and I just moved into a house and want to host a housewarming party. Most of our friends have children but we do not, how can I make sure all my guests know this is an adults only party?
The easiest way to ensure that your guests will not bring their children is to tell them as much on the invitation. Something like, "hire a babysitter" is both playful and polite but will definitely get your point across.
The answer to this question is simple, stay out of the kitchen yourself. Your guests are there to spend time with you and if you're in the kitchen, that's where your guests will be. Be sure to do most of your prep work before the guests arrive and always have enough appetizers and drinks set up in the area you've selected for the party. When you need to go to the kitchen to get the different courses, ensure with adequate preparation this will be a quick process and your guests will have no reason to follow you into the kitchen. The Clever Hostess always tends to her guests and she never lets them see her sweat.
I am hosting a dinner party for twelve people at my apartment and I
don't have the space to accommodate two tables or even one table that size. I don't want to cut the guestlist, what should do?
Instead of making it a sit-down formal dinner, create a less formal atmosphere by setting up a buffet or serving tapas. You can also utilize other furniture, like end tables and bookshelves, for cheese platters and crudite.
How long is too long to wait for tardy guests?
15-30 minutes is a considerate amount of time to wait to for late guests. If one or more of your guests arrive after that, start those guests on the course everyone else is eating. Also, if you know some of your guests have a tendency to be late, it wouldn't hurt to tell them a start time slightly earlier than the actual one.
I am hosting a dinner party just because but I would like to have a theme. I want it to be something simple but stylish. What would you suggest?
Basing a theme on something as simple as a color combination or
pattern is always a good idea. Take a look around your house and choose a color that complements your surroundings. For example, black and white is a simple, clean, and very modern combination. For something a little sexier, you may want to go with black and red. If you want a more elaborate theme, The Clever Hostess theme generator will create an easy and custom party for you and your guests.
My husband and I just moved into a house and want to host a housewarming party. Most of our friends have children but we do not, how can I make sure all my guests know this is an adults only party?
The easiest way to ensure that your guests will not bring their children is to tell them as much on the invitation. Something like, "hire a babysitter" is both playful and polite but will definitely get your point across.
