Although the tone of the invitation should convey the formality of the dinner, the farther out you invite, the more your guests will expect. Keep this in mind when planning and budgeting for your event.

The Guest List

Because of a finite number of seats and the effort and expense necessary to prepare a meal for each person, dinner parties require an exact number of confirmed guests. 

Your dinner party’s success depends largely on the interaction, charm and interest of your chosen guests.  In addition to each individual, you must also carefully consider the mixture of personalities.

Begin by making a list, in order of importance, of everyone you would like to invite.  If you have a guest of honor, add any of their close friends you feel should be included.  Be sure to list some alternates, in case your top picks are unable to attend.

Include one or more fun and entertaining conversationalists, ideally one for every four persons at a dinner party. These guests will have a large impact on how others will remember your party, so choose positive, bubbly, vivacious, confident, intelligent characters.

In fact, everyone you invite will reflect directly on you with your other guests. Be selective and invite good guests that add to the party and make you look good. Eliminate anyone that is negative, depressing, or just always seems to see the bad side of things.

Also remember that the secret to fantastic parties are (good) surprises, so whenever possible create a mix of people where everyone does not know each other.

No children.