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Giving a dinner party at home is a wonderful way to entertain. It is cozy, personal, and a great way to mix new and old friends. If you love to cook, it’s a perfect event.
If you’d prefer to order take-out, then focus on your table settings and seating.
Seating a dinner party may be the most challenging and important preparation for the evening. It requires lots of thought, so don’t leave it until the last minute. Your goals are to encourage conversation and connections.
Here are some tips to consider.
- I like using place cards. Write each guest’s full name on both sides so the people seated around them can see.
- I place myself closest to the kitchen for easy access and my husband at the far end so we cover more territory.
- If there are guests of honor, a male guest of honor is seated to my right. A female guest of honor is seated to my husband's right.
- I never, ever seat couples next to each other, but if there is more than one table, and many people do not know each other, I’ll put couples at the same table.
- Now the hard part - seating everyone else. Consider connections and common interests between guests. Consider opposing political views, and take personalities into account. Connections are good, opposing political views are bad, and the outgoing, charming guests can go anywhere.
- It’s helpful to tell guests who their dinner partners will be so they don’t spend the entire cocktail hour talking to them.
- I don’t worry about having an even number, having 13 guests, or alternating men and women if there are more of one gender than another.
- I try to seat people near someone they know well and someone they would enjoy getting to know better.
- If it’s a group that wants to catch up with each other, have guests switch places for dessert.
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