Entertainment Tip: Indiscretion

When first introduced in Charles Dubrow’s Indiscretion, Maddy (our heroine) is in the thick of hosting a dinner party. We took a few of her ideas along with entertaining tips from the author himself to develop this list party planning advice.

Send Invitations

Send out paper invitations or use an online e-vite website to invite and track RSVPs. When asked about his entertaining tips, Dubow indicated that the most important thing for him is, “to remember what my friends like to drink and do my best to have a bottle of their favorite on hand.” Having your guests RSVP is an easy way to track how many drinks and accompaniments to provide, as Dubrow reminds us, “after a certain age in one’s life, there is no excuse for running out of ice, mixers or vodka.”

Play Matchmaker

As host, it is your job to make people feel comfortable. You don’t have to set anyone up with their future spouse, but do introduce guests to each other that have common interests. For example, two people who attended the same college, have the same taste in wine, are reading the same book, or root for the same sports team may be able to hold a conversation long into the evening!

Get to Mingling

Parties are meant to be enjoyed and having the hostess get up every few minutes to refill another person’s drink can take away from the mood. A few tips to be able to maximize your time with guests:

• Keep your food simple

No one can eat mini sliders off of a napkin while standing and holding a conversation! Try and keep your menu simple and appropriate to the setting. If it’s a cocktail dinner try serving bite sized tarts and save the more extravagant plates for a sit-down affair.

• Have a self-serve bar

Try having a few different drink options readily available for anyone to top-off their beverage whenever they desire – without interrupting the flow of your party. Charles Dubrow places particular emphasis on having a variety of drink options available for guests, “I have very few rules about entertaining but the only inviolate one is to make sure the bar is well-stocked. That means having a good selection of beer, wine and spirits.”

With these simple tips you’ll be known as the ideal host! Do you have any entertaining rules of your own Let us know below!