I love Cup of Jo. The aesthetic of that site reminds me of a Nancy Meyers film. I always feel like a bakery owner with a beautiful display case in her bakery, a sun-filled loft apartment, and a desire to fall in love is going to jump out of my screen when I read this or that post. Some months back, I really enjoyed these rules for how to be a good dinner party host.
Debbie and I love entertaining. I am, generally, the cook. She sets a beautiful table and is a wonderful sous-chef and prepares a sexy charcuterie situation. I try to have most of the cooking done before guests arrive but rarely succeed in that. It’s fine! My only hard and fast rule is that guests will not be put to work in our kitchen. I also don’t expect guests to bring anything but themselves. Let’s not do that whole thing of looking through our re-gifting box or pulling a random bottle of wine from the rack, just to bring something. It’s very unnecessary. The pleasure of your company is gift enough.
What are your “rules” for being a good dinner party host? And what do you think makes for a good dinner party guest?
I have found that even when it’s a simple meal with family members, bringing out the pretty china and the silver, which I polish in advance, seems to make people happy. And it makes me happy too because I really love my sterling silver pieces, which I’ve bought one at a time over the years at antique shows.
Happy host, happy guests 😀
My new approach to hosting dinner parties is all about simplicity: less is more. I focus on what truly matters—friendship, connection, and laughter. In the past, I’d get caught up in the wrong details: scrubbing the house spotless, preparing everything from scratch, and exhausting myself before anyone even arrived. Now, I tidy up, prepare the main dish, and embrace the convenience of buying the rest from the amazing local markets, delis, and bakeries nearby. More relaxed gatherings, more often, with all the joy and none of the stress. And I completely agree that my guests just need to bring their beautiful selves.