Entertaining Basics: How To Host Your First Dinner Party
Entertaining friends at your home can seem overwhelming, but you shouldn’t let that stop you. All you need are the basics of hosting your first dinner party.
Who doesn’t love gathering at a friend’s home to enjoy a wholesome meal with loved ones? There are many reasons to host a dinner party at your home, but you might not know where to start if you haven’t hosted before.

The Basics of Hosting Your First Dinner Party
Thankfully, hosting your first dinner party is easier than you think. All you have to do is stick to the basics.
Keep Food Simple
You can take many avenues for serving food at your dinner party. However, remember that certain serving styles and foods can be quite challenging, especially if you are hosting for the first time.
Consider a tapas or buffet-style dinner since you can easily and quickly make a wide variety of foods. These types of serving styles also provide a more casual dinner setting, allowing your guests to feel more comfortable mingling with others and host a dinner party like a pro.
Cleanliness Is Key
Cleaning your home is one aspect of hosting you cannot neglect. A clean home does 90 percent of the job of making your guests feel comfortable and at ease.
You can imagine how unpleasant it would be to visit a friend’s house and notice dirty, unkempt living and bathroom areas.
If the idea of cleaning seems overwhelming, then one of the best tips for cleaning your home for a party is to zone off the areas your guests will see. Then, you can focus on cleaning just those areas and avoid getting sidetracked.
Prepare in Advance
Of course, you are the host of your dinner party, which requires some work throughout the night, but you should be able to enjoy it too. As such, one of the basics of hosting your first dinner party is to prepare as much as possible.
Cut your vegetables and fruits; have your drinks ready, and set your dishware up at least a couple of days before.
You might even consider purchasing some frozen appetizers as a backup just in case you need a little more food for your guests.
Recipes To Try:
- Baked Gouda and Pear Compote Appetizer Recipe
- Easy Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon Recipe
- How to Make Prosciutto Calabrian Wood Fired Pizza Recipe

Stacey is a Southern girl with a taste for travel, thriving on the discovery of the world through food. After spending many years traveling and living overseas, she’s now back home in her beloved deep south enjoying life with her three little ones and loving the adventure. She’s a food stylist and food photographer, as well as, the creative behind Little Figgy Food, where she loves to inspire others to try new flavors and foodie techniques.