Hosting a dinner party is easier than ever before. You can leverage the internet for everything from planning to ordering food and drinks to sending out invites and managing every step of the way. You can even hire a cleanup crew using the internet so you can simply enjoy the time with your family and friends.
Create a Trello Board for Planning
Want to stay super organized to make sure you don’t forget anything for your dinner party? Then use something like a Trello board or other task management app. Here you’ll be able to list everything you need to do to make sure that your dinner party dreams come to life. As you complete each task, the board lets you mark it as done so you can visually see what’s left to do. You can make it as detailed or broad as necessary and even track how many people say yes to coming.
Research Ideas Online
You can use a virtual assistant that you can find on Upwork to research for you, or you can do it yourself. Look for ideas on everything from themes to foods to where to rent extra tables and chairs if you need them. The internet has a wealth of resources that are critical for helping you plan and organize your party. You can figure out how to craft gorgeous decorations, make new drinks, and so much more.
Send Out EVites
Once you choose a date that you think will work for the majority of your guests, send out electronic invitations. It’s one way to use technology as part of your event planning. If you’d prefer to send out paper invitations, there are programs like Crello, Adobe Gift Certificates and Canva that allow you to design and print invitations you can send to your guests. Whether you’re inviting family members or friends from your office, make sure they know about the event by sending out digital invites via email or text. You can even use something informal for a save-the-date if you want.
Order Food and Alcohol Online
The nice thing is that you can buy almost any kind of food or drink online. You can buy premium rum online. You can buy pre-made meals. You can buy desserts and so much more. Whether you want to simply buy the ingredients to have delivered to your door or you’d prefer to get catering from a local restaurant, you can do it all online to create the perfect dinner party for your guests. Plus, you can get all the ingredients you need for alcoholic drinks without running from location to location.
Buy Dinnerware
Did you know that you can buy plates, bowls, utensils, napkins, and serving ware online? Now that you’ve planned your dinner party, it’s time to get the supplies. If you’re using a paper goods company or a local caterer, they’ll likely provide these items for you. Otherwise, there are plenty of online retailers that sell everything from plates and utensils to napkins and tablecloths—and they can ship overnight so that everything arrives in time for your event.
Online Party Supply Rentals
Rent extra tables, chairs, tablecloths, chafing dishes, and other dinner party equipment you might need from a party rental service that also provides delivery and pickup. If you don’t have the space to store items long-term or don’t want to commit to purchasing the equipment, renting it is a great option. Many companies offer delivery and pickup of your rental items, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of where they are or how to get them back. Renting is often less expensive than buying because it allows you to take advantage of high-end materials for a fraction of the cost.
Don’t Forget the Entertainment
Whether you plan to keep it simple with a music playlist from Spotify or a game night, or you want to hire a live entertainer, make sure you are prepared for your dinner party. You should consider adding in some dinner party entertainment if you want to make your dinner even more special. Consider finding local entertainment like a comedian or a singer, or for a formal dinner, a string quartet to play music throughout the evening.
