How to throw a special occasion dinner party in style

Now that dining in is the new eating out.

Thanks to the credit crunch, entertaining at home has become super fashionable again and what better and more personal way to celebrate a special occasion dinner party than in your own home?

If you’re not sure your cooking is up to the task then do yourself a favour and look up some easy yet impressive recipes online at sites such as BBCGoodFood.com. Here we’ll provide you with some skilled dinner party know-how and inspire you to ‘go to town’ (without even having to leave your house!) to make a special occasion look and feel just as special as if you’d gone out to a swanky restaurant!

It’s all in the planning

Making your dinner party a success is all in the planning. You’ll need to plan well enough ahead to ensure: you give your guests enough notice; you know how many are coming; whether there are any foods your guests don’t eat and; whether you can get hold of all your ingredients for the day. Consider vegetarian options for non-meat eating guests and child-friendly foods for family occasions. Plan your courses and wine so that they compliment each other and ensure you have soft drinks for drivers or non-drinkers available too. If you’re planning a themed dinner party then consider accessorising accordingly. You may also want to put on some entertainment or give each of your guests a special gift to remind them of the occasion and to thank them for coming.

Invitations

You’ll need to invite your guests so why not do so in style by sending out either printed or hand-made invitations. If your dinner party is informal then a phone call or an email will suffice but nothing beats sending out a proper invitation. For a themed event it’s great to set the tone for the celebration ahead by sending a suitably fitting invitation. For a fun Hawaiian themed hen night for example you could send invitations in the shape of an Hawaiian flower and ask everyone to come in fancy dress.

Creating a ‘wow’ factor

Decorating your table or dining room will really set the scene for your special celebration. Simple stylish accessories will transform a plain space into a sumptuous or fun setting, depending on the occasion.

The key aspects to consider when planning your dinner party décor are:

• Your centerpiece to create an interesting focal point without blocking anyone’s view.
• Low lighting by candles or fairy lights to put everyone at their ease.
• Background music, ice breakers or entertainment to get people talking.
• Place cards, table confetti and small gifts (or favours) for each guest will make it special.
• Theming your party.

Special occasions

There are plenty of opportunities for special occasion dinner parties, from wedding rehearsal dinners, where your parents might meet your fiancé’s parents for the first time; wedding anniversaries; family Christmas lunch or fabulous New Year’s Eve parties. Stag and hen weekends are also prime celebration occasions as is a romantic Valentine’s Day meal in for two.

The following are just a few ideas to inspire you.

1. Stag/Hen themed meal ideas – lots of fun with friends

Going away for a hen or stag weekend with your best friends has all but replaced the traditional ‘last night of freedom’ held the evening before the wedding. Hiring a cottage for you and a handful of your best friends is the most amazing way to party! If you travel down on Friday evening after work you could spend Friday night in partying and then go clubbing on Saturday night and wake up late for brunch on Sunday before heading back to reality. A stag or hen weekend away throws up (if you’ll pardon the pun) a couple of obvious eating in opportunities – you could either cook up a boozy feast for the Friday night and perhaps go out for dinner the following night when you paint the town red; or cook up a fabulous Sunday brunch or roast dinner together to save your pennies once they’ve all been spent the night before. Getting everyone to join in is fun so a sharing fondue, a barbeque or a picnic all work well.

Here’s just one idea for an Italian meal in:

Drinks: Pink champagne/sparkling wine or make a vodka water melon and just grab a straw each!
Pre-starter nibbles: Cheese sticks, bread sticks, olives, crisps and nuts.
Starter: Garlic flatbread or artichoke, Parma ham and rocket salad.
Main: Easy home-made pizzas, perhaps formed into suggestive shapes! Either make your own pizza base dough or buy a pre-mixed one from the supermarket and then get creative! Don’t forget to take a picture of your masterpiece. Add a simple green salad to the table and enjoy!
Dessert: Choose from traditional boozy Tiramisu or a cheeky chocolate fondue or go to town with a classic Knickerbocker Glory and top it off with a sparkler for that extra special touch!

Accessories: Use place cards with nicknames on for each of your friends and don’t forget your Hen Night Trivia pack, fun, sparkly table confetti, those essential disposable cameras for the weekend and lovely keepsake favours for all your best friends. Surprise the bride (or your chicks) with a personalised hen night album to stick all your photos in and keep forever.

Suggested table decoration theme: Sweet Heaven

2. Valentines Day dinner - some aphrodisiacs to get you in the mood for love!

Valentines Day is the perfect opportunity to get close and have a romantic meal together, just the two of you. Don’t eat too late as you may want to carry on the party upstairs as the aphrodisiacs on the menu do their work! Surprise him by taking the initiative and suggesting a romantic meal in, but let him know before he books a restaurant, just in case.

Here’s one menu idea for a romantic meal in:

Drinks: Champagne or a fine, crisp white wine.
Pre-starter nibbles: Strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar.
Starter: Oysters Rockerfeller or muscles in a white wine sauce.
Main: Prawn and asparagus risotto with a rocket salad. You can stir the risotto together or take turns.
Dessert: A chocolate fondue with strawberries and anything else you fancy dipping in chocolate sauce (steady, it’s hot, remember!).

Accessories: Candles for romantic low lighting and low gentle music so you can talk and be heard. Give this sweet ‘Words to Say I Love You’ book to get you in the mood. Get a heart shaped wine stopper for your bottle and for that extra special touch sprinkle some unique heart-shaped personalised photo confetti onto the table for a meal to remember. And for those with a keen sense of humour get your loved one’s name printed on this personalised ‘I love…’ t-shirt and make him smile before he takes it off you!

Suggested table decoration theme: Rose Heart

3. Family Christmas lunch - with your extended family

Christmas is the perfect time to get all the family together and create a wonderful special occasion feast. It’s a time to share the cooking with your loved ones and splash out on some extra special food and drink to celebrate together.

Here’s the traditional Christmas day lunch menu:

Drinks: Bucks Fizz or Champagne.
Pre-starter nibbles: Canapés such as traditional ‘pigs in blankets’ and ‘devils on horseback!’
Starter: Smoked salmon and avocado terrine.
Main: Traditional roast turkey or goose with all the trimmings.
Dessert: Christmas pudding with Brandy butter and cream or Sherry trifle.
Cheese course: A selection of cheeses served with crackers and red grapes.

Accessories: Place cards and favours will help to make your table more formal, as will a dazzling centrepiece or some simple lighting such as this classic mirrored tea light holder. Gorgeous Crystal mini jewels or Diamante table gems complete the look by adding just that extra sparkle. Kids will love to take home a sweetie jar favour too!

Suggested table decoration theme: Burgundy star

4. New Year's Eve dinner – the ideal way to see in the New Year with the ones you love

After all the Christmas turkey has been finished you’ll probably find yourself pining for something different. Inviting a few close friends or family over to see in the New Year over dinner and a few drinks is one of the nicest ways of celebrating. A New Year’s Eve menu works best with fish or red meat if you’ve had a traditional Christmas celebration the week before.

Here’s a New Year’s Eve menu suggestion:

Drinks: Champagne cocktails or a glass of sparkling wine with a whole strawberry at the bottom.
Pre-starter nibbles: Canapés, bread sticks and olives.
Starter: Smoked salmon, avocado and rocket salad.
Main: Five spice roast duck breast with savoy cabbage, creamy mashed potato and parsnip chips.
Dessert: Baked raspberry cheesecake or Pavlova.

Accessories: Place cards and favours will help to make your table more formal, as will a dazzling centrepiece or some simple lighting such as this classic mirrored tea light holder. Gorgeous Crystal mini jewels or Diamante table gems complete the look by adding just that extra sparkle. To add some drama and make it a real event, why not bring your guests outside and light some floating Chinese lanterns or set off some fireworks!

Suggested table decoration theme: Diamonds

The best thing about celebrating in your own home is that you get to do things your way and your guests will appreciate all the trouble you have gone to, to make it a special occasion for them.