Whether you scheduled a dinner party at your place weeks ago with your colleagues but forgot about it until now. Or you’ve come to your brother’s rescue whose oven has broken and offered to host a dinner party in your home. You’re most likely panicking about how you will fix up a dinner party last minute! But there’s no need to worry; this mini-guide has you covered and can help you set up a successful party under just one hour.

Tackle the Areas Guests Will See

Spend 10 minutes sprucing up the rooms that your guests are most likely to see. Such as the dining area, living area, and don’t forget the toilet! 

Grab a box or bag and start putting clutter, washing, and so forth into it. Store it away in another room upstairs to deal with later on. And don’t forget to wipe down the dining table!

Dress The Table

After removing clutter and wiping the table, find and add dinner party features to the table. Such as a pretty table cloth or placemats. 

Plus, if you have and real or faux flowers in other parts of your home, use them! Alternatively, you could add a bowl of fruit to the center. 

Lit candles on the table can also help to set the atmosphere too. Moreover, if you have unique dinnerware you use on special occasions, quickly set it out for your guests across the table. And wallah! Your tidying and table regime is done. Now its time to move onto dinner.

The Food

Picture by Jason Briscoe from Unsplash – CC0 Licence

Perhaps the most important part of your last-minute dinner party is the food. The pressures on and your guests will be arriving shortly, so it’s time to act fast. Here are a few delicious recipes you can complete in under 20 minutes flat; sheet pan chicken, creamy broccoli gnocchi, chicken noodle soup, and sesame chicken. What are you waiting for? It’s time to get cooking.

Entertainment

Adding some music on low in the background can help set the mood and fill any awkward silences. 

Other entertainment you may want to consider to ensure your guests enjoy their stay is to use one of your talents! If you’re a singer or talented musician, it’s time for you to shine by hosting an after-dinner show. 

Otherwise, you could instigate a game, such as charades, to get everyone laughing. And if all else fails, you can always fall back on wine!

Host With The Most

You’ve been put under a lot of pressure, but all of your hard work is about to pay off. However, before you answer the door, do a quick mirror check to make sure you’ve not accidentally put food in your hair while cooking in a rush. And comb your fingers through your hair too, to spruce up a little.

With your guests waiting at the door, it’s time to put your last-minute party set-up into action; good luck!

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This is a contributed post