Everyone knows that there are rules and ethics to follow at any formal (or informal) dinner party. From making sure to send the invitations ahead of time to knowing where to set each fork, dinner parties can be tedious and just a little bit boring if you aren’t careful.
Are your dinner parties getting boring? Do you catch your guests yawning behind their hands? If you’re answering yes to any of these questions, then you need to spice things up a little. Here are a few things you can try the next time you have people over.
1. Have Dessert First
Forgo the stuffy five-course meal, which starts with appetizers and ends with coffee. Instead, serve your dessert first. In fact, go a step further and contact a reputable chocolate company to make your desserts all decadent chocolate. Whether you serve chocolate potato chips or gourmet bonbons, dark or milk chocolate, it’s never boring and it will certainly be different.
2. Give Your Dinner a Theme
Theme parties are all the rage at the moment, so why not have one for your dinner party? From good old-fashioned murder mystery dinners to hosting a game night or throwing a crafts dinner, there is something for everyone when it comes to themed dinner parties. Go all out and make sure everything from the invitations to the way your guests are required to dress for the night fit with the theme you have chosen.
You can even go a step further and send out emails that ask your possible dinner guests to vote on the theme they want, then tally the votes and plan the event together.
3. Go Seasonal Instead
There are always holidays and different seasons around which you can plan your dinner party. Try a Halloween party where the food is only in spooky shapes. Another good idea is a fall party with hay bales, scarecrows, and other autumn accessories. The foods can easily fit the season with homemade soups or cookies and other treats.
4. Have a Bring-Your-Own Dinner
While you certainly don’t want to have your guests bring their own dinner, having them bring something to add to the meal is a good idea and a way to sample different foods. Ask each guest to bring their favorite appetizers or foods from different cultures. It will certainly add some spice to your party and expose you to new foods as well.
5. Brush up on Your Conversation Starters
Employing the art of conversation is a good way to make your hum-drum parties not quite so hum-drum anymore. However, don’t just brush up on your own conversation starters. Instead, make a game out of it. Put a few topics in a bowl and have your guests choose one at random. Then take turns talking about the topic each has chosen. You might want to stay away from some topics, but most will just lead to a conversation that is lively and interesting.
6. Take it Outdoors
When most people think of a dinner party, they think stuffy, with everyone dressed to the nines, set in the dining room, using the best china. It doesn’t have to be that way at all! Instead, make it casual, and take your party outdoors. From shorts or jeans to throwing things on the grill, outdoors can be more fun than indoors if you think about it.
These are just a few ways that you can liven up your dull dinners with friends. Remember, dessert first and take it outdoors and soon your get-togethers will be the talk of the neighborhood.
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