Easy Dinner Party Ideas

If you're holding an informal dinner party, easy dinner party ideas include holding a themed party, asking your guests to bring a dish to pass and knowing how you will handle the serving of alcohol. Keeping it simple for yourself means you will have more time to mingle.

Themed Dinner Parties
If you plan on organizing a themed party, make sure you have enough time in advance for you and your guests to prepare. Give your guests a few weeks to respond to the invite, especially if they need to pick up outfits. Depending on the theme, always have extra favors, such as leis or cowboy hats, on hand for guests who forget to dress the part or who need help with their costume.

Dish to Pass
When asking guests to bring a dish to pass, make it abundantly clear which dish you expect them to bring.

Be specific:

• Bread. Bread dishes could be anything from rolls to muffins or sliced bread.
• Dessert. Dessert dishes would be anything from cookies to cakes.
• Vegetables. Did you want raw vegetables, or did you want something like a green bean casserole?
• Snacks. Again, this could be anything. Be as clear as possible. If you want potato chips, say you want potato chips. If you want brownies, request brownies. For a Mexican theme, you may want dips like salsa.

Most of the time, if you provide the meat dish and ask for vegetables, snacks or deserts, your guests will be happy to comply.

Personalize Your Dinner Party
Personalize your dinner party by including name tags at each place setting. Name tags can be as simple as note cards placed on each plate, or as fancy as helium balloons with guests' names on them tied to each corresponding chair.

Other ideas for personalization include:

• Napkins. Apply guests' names on napkins (paper or cloth).
• Plates. Use plates with specific designs or the date of the event, and let the guests take their plate home with them as a memento of the event.
• Place settings. It's also fun to use mismatched place settings for a kitschy kind of evening.
• Drink tags. Drink tags or charms for each wine glass will add to the fun.
• Photos. Take photos at each dinner party. Include names and dates and the reason for the get-together, and then place them in albums to be passed around at the next dinner party.
• Centerpieces. Nothing dresses up a table like a centerpiece. Make sure the centerpiece is not so tall that it makes it difficult to see across the table. Make sure, also, that the centerpiece matches the rest of your table.

Entertainment
Not all dinner parties include entertainment, but sometimes you will want to get your party going without interrupting the conversation. Board games are a good way to keep your guests entertained and still have time to catch up on what's going on in one another's lives. Card games work well, but not all guests may know the particular game you introduce to the group, so be prepared in the event you have to teach guests how to play a certain game.

Beverages, Alcoholic or Otherwise
As the hostess or host, it is up to you to make sure your guests are entertained and well-fed, and that they have been offered something to drink. But tipsy guests have been the ruination of many a good dinner party.

When serving alcoholic beverages the hostess should:

• Providesomething each of her guests will enjoy (ask beforehand if you are not certain).
• Offer something nonalcoholic for guests who do not indulge or who are driving.
• Serve guests herself, or hire a server.
• Allow two alcoholic drinks-at most-per guest. Never leave alcohol unattended, especially if children are invited.

When Guests Overstay Their Welcome
Make sure your invitation clearly states a time frame for your party. If your guests overstay their welcome, giving a gentle nudge by noting the time or getting their wraps ready is not out of line.