Entertaining 101: My Best Tips for Hosting Friends for Dinner

By Lauren Rose Correa, July 23, 2024

I truly enjoy having friends over for dinner parties at my house. I enjoy every aspect of it – from cooking and serving the food, to decorating the table, to the good conversations that are often had. My husband and I both enjoy hosting so much that we often fight over who gets to cook for our friends. A good compromise is that he makes dinner and I make dessert.

Entertaining is truly an art form, and you can really go all out to make your guests feel welcome and cared for. Here are a few simple tips to help you host a wonderful evening for your good friends!

Create a Beautiful Tablescape

A gorgeous set table is a great way to both impress and welcome your guests. It’s a thoughtful gesture to show your guests that you value them enough to prepare a table for them. Here’s a bit of inspiration for creating a beautiful tablescape. And don’t be afraid to use the good china! It’s better to put it to good use and incur a little wear than to leave it gathering dust in your china cabinet.

Buy Fresh Flowers

As part of your tablescape, be sure to include fresh flowers as a fun centerpiece. I will often place mine in a thrift store mason jar that fits in a car cupholder. That way I can offer them to my guest to take home with them!

Don’t Block the View with Your Centerpiece

Whatever you place in the center of your table, be sure that you don’t block the view. You want to be able to see across the table for easy conversation.

Select a Meal That’s Easy for You

When company is coming over, it’s not the ideal time to try out that new recipe. Pick a recipe that you have done a million times and could cook in your sleep. For me, that’s chicken parmesan. My husband usually cooks hibachi food on the griddle. If you aren’t interested in cooking, you can always order out or select an easy meal that can be whipped up quickly. The point is, pick something that will keep you feeling relaxed and able to enjoy your guests.

Offer a Variety of Beverages

It’s always nice to offer a selection of 3 or 4 different beverages. They don’t have to be fancy! You could offer ice water, seltzer, wine, and soda. For dessert, have coffee readily available (decaf if it’s getting late!).

Create Handcrafted Cocktails or Mocktails

Something that I find really fun is making handcrafted cocktails for my dinner guests. I used to keep a full selection of alcohol around, but lately I’ve whittled down my selection to the ingredients for a few favorite drinks that I know how to make well. Besides being fun, making cocktails at home is more cost effective than ordering them out. Plus, they often taste much better because you can use higher quality ingredients.