Before you begin your dinner party planning you need to spend some time getting the basic framework of your party in place.
Before you start thinking about the music or the decorations, or which centerpiece will look good on your table, you need to look at the big picture, and decide what your party will look like.
Here are 5 questions that will get you thinking about the overall structure of your party.
Once that is in place the details of your dinner party planning will start to fall into place much more easily.
What Type of Dinner Party Are You Having? Are you thinking about a formal dinner party or are you more interested in a casual dinner.
The style of dinner party you have is based on what the purpose of the party is.
If this is a business affair, or you want to honor one of your guests a formal dinner may be what the right choice for you.
The problem with a formal dinner party is that they can tend to feel a little stiff and, well, formal.
If you are wanting to get people together to talk and to get to know each other a little better then a casual dinner party may be a better choice.
What is Your Budget? Before you get too far in your planning you are going to have to determine your budget.
It is a good idea to set a firm amount that you are willing to spend.
Dinner parties can cost a little or they can cost a lot.
If you do not have a clear idea of how much you are willing to spend the cost can begin to soar quickly.
The remaining decision you make regarding your party will be determined by how much money you have to spend.
It is also critically important that you track what you are spending.
You will find yourself buying little things here and there, and before long you will find that you've reached your budget limit and you still have a lot of things that you need.
The result is a dinner party that has gone way over budget.
How Many Guests? Are you throwing an intimate dinner party with a small group, or is this going to be a large affair? If you have a small budget, then fewer guests are definitely a better idea.
The more people you have at your party the less money you will have available to spend on each of your guests.
Smaller groups are easier to manage and prepare for.
Do It Yourself or Hire A Caterer? How comfortable are you doing all of the work by yourself? If you are throwing a smaller dinner party this might not be a daunting task, but a large dinner party may be more stressful than you care to deal with.
If that is the case you may want to consider hiring a personal chef or a caterer to do the cooking.
This largely depends on the budget you set.
Hiring someone else to do the work can get very expensive, but it will allow you to be more relaxed at the party, which will let you enjoy your guests more.
What is the Menu The final big piece of your dinner party planning framework is the menu.
By answering the previous questions you have already set the boundaries for your menu.
You know whether the food will be casual or fine dinning, you know how many people you are cooking for, and how much money you have to spend.
Now it is simply a matter of pulling together foods that you enjoy and would like to share with your guests.
If you are doing the work yourself you will need to keep your own cooking experience and talents in mind.
Do not get overly ambitious when you plan your party menu..
If you are hiring someone else to cook for you, talk to them as you plan the menu.
They may have some suggestions.
By looking at the big picture while doing your dinner party planning you set the framework for all of the smaller decisions that you will need to make later.
This will allow you to have a clearer vision of your party, and many of the other pieces will fall into place without you having to stress too much over them.