Planning a party, especially a large-scale one, can sometimes feeling like jumping over one hurdle after another. However, your party planning experience need not be one filled with stress and anxiety, if you are systematic and go about things in the right way. One aspect of any event that is bound to leave a lasting impression on your guests is the food and drinks that were provided, and the manner in which they were presented. So use these tips to prepare yourself well in advance to pull off a party that your guests will be talking about for ages.
Know Your Audience
There is no one-size-fits-all menu for any party and you should plan according to who’ve you invited to the event. For example, know any dietary restrictions, or plain dislikes, of all your attendees, so as to keep everyone happy. If you have children coming, beware that they may tend to be fussy or picky, and have simple finger-food options on hand for them just in case. If it’s too stressful to contact all your guests individually to check their preferences (this is especially the case for larger parties), use technology to your advantage and create a simple survey, where they can make notes of anything they are opposed to. This simple planning tool will help you plan accordingly, and your guests will thank you for it. Be remembered as a host who was thoughtful enough to consider everyone’s wants and needs before they even arrived.
Get Creative With Presentation And Serving Styles
Another major decision to make is how you are going to serve chosen food items. You could opt for a buffet-style where people serve themselves, a sit-down meal if it is a small gathering, or simply cater snacks, drinks and finger-food if it is only a simple get together. Whichever you choose will have a big impact on how you should arrange your furniture, in the dining room and living room, as you will want to do so in a way that will best accommodate the serving style. If you have a large number of attendees and choose to have a buffet, they are likely to drift into the living room after serving themselves. Thus, it is imperative that you have enough seats placed around for your guests, so no one is forced to stand or be uncomfortable.
Pre-Dinner Drinks Are A Necessity
Before worrying about food and how to serve it, it is essential that you have drinks on hand for when your guests begin to arrive at your house. You may want to have pre-poured your variety of drink options beforehand so that you are able to relax and mingle with your guests rather than manning your bar for the entire night. Intertain, an online marketplace offering effortless but affordable dining experiences, advises the following on their blog:
“One of the best ways to set the tone of the party is to serve drinks to your guests. The concept of pre-dinner drinks lends an air of personality and sophistication to your dinner party. The type of drinks served will establish the theme for dinner. For example, choosing a sake cocktail would be perfect for your Japanese dinner.”
So whether it’s wine, beer, cocktails or soda, make sure you’ve got your drinks prepped and ready for a spectacular evening. To get more ideas on throwing a fantastic party, check out Intertain on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Be Ahead Of The Game
In an ideal world, everything you need for the party would be prepped and ready in advance. However, this might not always be possible, especially for more extravagant events, and you might have to do a few things on the actual day. Try and do everything except the last-minute steps the day before. For example, have all the ingredients of a dish chopped up and on standby so that all you have to do is throw it together when cooking. For salads, have all your key components and your dressing ready, but avoid putting the dressing on until the last possible minute, to avoid wilted lettuce. Essentially, figure out everything you can possibly do beforehand without compromising the taste of the meal.
Now that you are armed with the knowledge of how to go about catering your party, get to work and be prepared for a stellar night with all your guests!
