Skip To Content

    20 Foolproof Hacks For Throwing The Perfect Dinner Party

    Stress less, eat more.

    1. Replace ice cubes with frozen limes or lemons.

    2. Let guests fix their own drinks, and provide an array of garnishes.

    3. Supply ingredients for nonalcoholic drinks, too.

    4. Throw a lot of parties? Keep your bottles on a tray for easy transport to the table.

    5. Do fewer dishes and insist your guests stick with one glass all night with the help of some chalkboard paint.

    6. Part one: the literal menus. How about on paper bags?

    See how pretty they can be?

    7. Feeling like you have some extra time on your hands? (HAHAHA). Make cootie catcher menus.

    8. If you want to cook yourself, make the food ahead.

    9. OR you could make it easy on yourself and host a potluck.

    10. Tie colorful ribbons on the back of your chairs.

    11. Stack citrus on a platter for a double-duty centerpiece.

    12. Use washi tape for napkin rings.

    13. Write on fruit with a paint pen for pretty place cards.

    14. Two words: globe lights.

    15. Save a couple of weekends’ worth of wine bottles to use as candle holders.

    16. Bake cupcakes for dessert, then use the extra wrappers to make “flowers”

    17. Keep the flies at bay with lemons and cloves.

    18. Put all of your mismatched plates to work.

    19. Let other parents bring their kids over and feed them en masse.

    20. Make a bowl of mocktails.