Tips for a Successful Dinner Party

I can hardly believe how long it's been since I've posted, the Christmas party season has definitely been occupying a lot of my time! But my favourite kind of parties are the ones where you can actually sit down and have a good catch up with old friends, rather than screaming "SO HOW'S UNI" in a crowded club.

I held my first dinner party before Christmas and it was such a lovely evening I thought I'd share some tips and maybe some inspiration of you're thinking of holding a get together!

Decorating

Since I held it during the festive season, some of the decorations won't be relevant all year, but most of them work all year round!

1.) My essential for brightening up a table (quite literally!) is candles. Lots and lots of candles. They can transform your setting from drab to magical, and create a soft, magical glow in the room. Get cute jam jars, tea light holders or lanterns, the more mismatched the better, and dot them around the table and the room.

2.) To add some interest on the table I put a small amount of confetti and some Quality Street, which added a nice pop of colour against my charcoal tablecloth.

3.) Get the nicest glasses, cutlery and crockery you have out! I'm a sucker for these, and there's some really beautiful designs out. Since it likely won't be a crazy party, there's less anxiety about things getting broken, and they really look special on the table.

4.) I put place names on the table and these are something you can definitely play around with! I'm not the most creative person but it's fun finding your place and seeing who you're next to. 



Food and drink

My favourite way to start the evening is with champagne and canapés as it creates a lovely relaxed atmosphere and allows all the guests to mingle with each other. It also looks and sounds much more fancy than it is. I made smoked salmon blinis with cheaper off cuts and put a small dollop of olive tapenade on mini bruschetta, along with bowls of nuts, crips, and vegetable crisps, et voila! 

A simple but delicious starter is baked camembert stuffed with herbs, and served with warm crusty bread. It's unfussy and went down a treat.

I cooked a big roast for the main with lots of fresh vegetables, which again was easy to do, but seemed to meet people's approval. My best friend Lois helped me chop and peel all afternoon which is another tip - rope in a friend for much needed help!

This photo of us all slammed up is a far cry from us earlier in the day, weeping from chopping up far too many onions!

Style tips

I love a good theme, and this is a tip you can vary according to occasion or season. Mine was 'Black tie with a hint of Christmas' which could be interpreted in a variety of ways. I think a smart or black tie dress code makes the evening special and different from simply going out for dinner, and lets you use that dress you've been dying to wear for months!

My playsuit was from Topshop and is a beautiful dark green velvet. But my favourite thing about it is how it's cinched in at the waist, meaning that you can eat as much as you want and have a glorious food baby, but still feel comfortable and trim!

I hope you all had a lovely christmas and have a happy new year! 

Honor xxx