Thanksgiving and Christmas get most of the holiday attention. That’s fine, but why not give some attention to Easter? We think 2020 would be a great year to change things up by hosting a fantastic Easter dinner party capable of competing with anything you do in November and December.
As concierge providers, this sort of thing is right up our alley. Throwing a fantastic dinner party is all about organization. And guess what? Organization is something we excel at. With that in mind, we have put together step-by-step instructions for hosting a dinner Easter party your guests will remember for a long time.
Step #1: Send Out Formal Invitations
How you invite people to your dinner party will set the tone for everything that follows. If you want to make your Easter dinner party truly memorable, start by sending out formal invitations. Do not leave this to Facebook or e-mail. Rather, send out written invitations as though you were inviting friends to dinner with the president.
You can buy very nice invitations from most printers. If you are creative, you can hand-make the invitations yourself. Just make sure they are elegant and befitting of the occasion.
Step #2: Plan Your Menu and Theme
Time spent waiting for guests to RSVP is time you can spend planning your menu and theme. In terms of the menu, you do not need to know the number of guests right away. You can still choose what you want to serve for your appetizer, entrée, and desert. You might even plan for hors d’oeuvres as well.
As far as the theme, Easter is the general theme you are working with. But you may choose to focus on something more specific – like spring flowers, for example. Perhaps you would prefer a more whimsical theme based on the Easter Bunny and such. Start planning as early as you can.
Step #3: Enlist the Help of Key Guests
The best dinner parties are not pulled off without little bit of help. Thus, the third step is to enlist the help of key guests as invitation responses start filtering in. One of your guests might excel at decorating. Give her that job. Another might be an excellent cook. Have him prepare and bring the hors d’oeuvres.
You can enlist the help of guests for a variety of things. One can plan the entertainment, another can provide the wine, and so forth. Enlisting help takes some of the stress off you while also making your guests feel like they have had a chance to contribute.
Step #4: Go Shopping
Inside of a week or two is when you’ll do your shopping. Give yourself enough time to be able to run back to the store should you forget some things, but don’t go so early that you have trouble keeping food fresh.
Also give some consideration to what you buy. You might be a budget-minded shopper when it comes to your day-to-day menu. This Easter dinner party is a special event. It might be worth spending a little more at specialty shops rather than getting everything from the grocery store on the other side of town.
Step #5: Put Everything Together
The final step is to put everything together on the day of the party. This is often the most stressful part of the process, especially if you are the kind of person who is always afraid you have forgotten something.
Start early enough in the day to allow a relaxed and even pace. If you start too soon you might find yourself done early and sitting around the house bored. Start too late and you might find yourself up against the clock.
When the moment finally arrives, it is time to embrace your guests with your full attention. Put all of those preparations out of your mind. You cannot do anything about them anyway. Go with the moment and, if something does go wrong, don’t get worked up. It is better to enjoy time with your guests than worry about one little detail that isn’t quite perfect.