Plan For Unexpected Guests When Hosting A Dinner Party

From planning menus to accommodating dietary restrictions, hosting a dinner party can seem like an overwhelming affair. Laying out the logistics of how many ingredients to buy, when to start cooking, and how to serve courses that are fresh and hot can resemble an art form. Yet, if there are a few dinner party hosting rules to keep in mind when planning your dinner affair, ensuring there is enough food and drink for all of your guests should be situated at the top of the list. 

As a helpful guideline, plan your food and drink menus as if a few extra guests will be in attendance. As a general rule of thumb, it's smart to opt for extra when it comes to serving food and drink, so calculating an extra mouth or two to feed can help you accommodate both exceptionally hungry eaters and unexpected guests. Then, regardless of whether an invitee brings a friend or a guest has a hearty appetite, you'll be able to serve with confidence and ensure everyone at the party is well-fed and plied with drinks to keep festivities jovial.

Though an extra attendee might send an unprepared host into a sudden frenzy, anticipating extra bodies at the party can help keep anxieties at bay. To further increase your chances of hosting a successful dinner party, consider the space in which you are organizing and what will allow for easy movement throughout the room. Placing yourself at the head of the table allows you to swiftly greet latecomers and can help maintain a breezy atmosphere throughout the evening, particularly when those unexpected guests arrive. 

If you do happen to have an excess of appetizers at the end of the evening or found that you have prepared more sides than what your guests can comfortably enjoy, send friends home with snacks for the next day or use leftovers to incorporate into a fresh meal for tomorrow's lunch. Your planning will not go to waste, and your above-and-beyond efforts as a well-prepared host will be appreciated by all those in attendance.