PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE
Do as much as you can in advance.  
Stick to what you know will work when cooking for company.
Have a rehearsal dinner with your family if you plan on trying something new.
 
Atmosphere creates the mood
Use candles, dim your lights if possible to set the mood.
 
Music
Choose your music in advanced and have it ready for your party.
 
Napkins
Go for the material kind, they are more than just functional and can create some spectacular design pieces for your table layout. Learn some new folding techniques.
Click here to learn them…
 
Relax, stay calm and enjoy yourself. If you are enjoying yourself, your guests are likely to enjoy themselves too.
 
For a smaller gathering, send your guests home with a memento from the evening.
 
Print the menu out and place on each plate, translate the menu into a different language, this will make for an humorous guessing game amongst your guests as to what will be served.
 
It’s the little things that count, place mints and hand creams in your bathrooms for your guests.
 
Hand out disposable cameras to your guests when they arrive and invite them to take festive snaps during the evening. You can develop these later and frame them as gifts.
 
KEEP IT SIMPLE, SMILE & ENJOY!!!