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IMage of a dinner party

Improve Your Party by Dividing the Night into Discrete Phases

Written by Sandra Hann on . Posted in party-flow.

Whether entertaining family or friends, your guests will find your dinner party more interesting when you divide the night into three parts instead of expecting people to mingle for 3 hours.

First Hour

The most gracious hosts and hostesses greet each guest. Introduce and connect as many people as possible. Remember to check that there is always enough food and drink.

When most people arrive at an event, they tend to feel awkward, anxious, and uncomfortable. So help them out by sharing where they should put their coats and bags, offering something to drink or foods to enjoy, and then introducing them to someone else in the room and providing a conversation starter. You can also set up an icebreaker game, especially if most people don’t know your other guests.

Second Hour

This is the ideal time to serve food and initiate entertainment or activities. Often, this is when people will be engaged in deep conversation. Although, there will be some people who want to leave.

  • Consider serving food in multiple courses. Your guests will pay more attention to the food, and each change will allow a new topic of conversation to be introduced.
  • Make your dinner parties more interesting by moving the food to different rooms or areas.
    • For example, start with appetizers and drinks on your patio, then serve dinner at the dining table, and finish by serving a simple dessert in your living room.

Third Hour

In the final hour, wrap up the evening with dessert.

  • A fun idea is to allow guests to create their own desserts. Consider an ice-cream bar where guests can create their own sundaes. Set out a variety of toppings, such as fresh fruit, whipped cream, nuts, and candy.
  • Another ideas is to serve foods like s’mores or fondues, which encourage everyone to gather and do the same activity at the same time.

Bonus Hour

People may linger a little to continue their conversations. For those who remain, you may want to offer late-night or midnight snacks.

After dessert and more intimate conversations, most people will be ready to leave.

  • When guests are leaving, walk them to the door and let them know how much you appreciated them sharing their evening with you and your guests.
  • Handing out parting gifts or party favors works really well because receiving a gift is a pleasant thing your guests will remember in the days to follow.