By Casa de Suna
Published Oct 25
There’s hardly a more perfect time to get into dinner party hosting mode than the fall.
People might have some leftover social energy from the summer–but not so much that travels and parties are top of the agenda, which means spending a lovely evening at a friend or family member’s home is the perfect compromise. But we also know that hosting a dinner party can be a bit intimidating–there’s always lots to prepare, even for the most seasoned pros among us.
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To make things easier, we’ve prepared a checklist for your perfect fall dinner party, beginning one month out (we know, we know, but trust us when we say advance planning will make your life much easier).
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That’s it for our comprehensive fall dinner party guide. Did you use any of our planning tips? Tag us on social media @casa.de.suna or using #casadesuna
Four Weeks Out: Nail Down a Date & Build Your Guest List & Invite
It’s no secret we’re obsessed with decor, but hear us out: your guest list is THE single most important aspect of your dinner party (after nailing down your date, of course)! Here are a few tips for ensuring your guest list is one for the ages:
- Don’t feel pressured to have an even number of men and women
- Don’t worry about the balance of singles and couples.
- Instead, focus on who you think will get along.
- Unexpected combinations can be the best (i.e. don’t just invite people of the same age and demographic).
- Have a friend that’s a history buff? Have an uncle that’s a history professor? Great! Invite them both.
Three Weeks Out: Collect Final RSVPs
Once you’ve planned out your perfect guest list (again: mix and match, and don’t be afraid to be creative), do a quick tally on who can and can’t come. Three weeks out, people should have a good handle on their schedule, and hopefully be able to secure childcare, so, last-minute emergencies aside, the guest list should look fairly locked in.
Two Weeks Out: Check for Dietary Restrictions
Once you’ve determined a final headcount, reach out to everyone to find out whether there are any dietary restrictions you need to be mindful of. Diets, and even preferences, change all the time, and making your guests comfortable is most important–so whether or not you agree that your friend needs to be on a grain-free diet, you’ll want to accommodate for them so they don’t feel awkward and uncomfortable when the evening comes around–nothing kills a jovial dinner party vibe faster.
Two Weeks Out: Build Your Vision
You’ve got the guests, you understand what they can and can’t eat, and you’ve nailed down a date. Now: it’s time to plan the menu and then the decor. Why? Because it’s our opinion that they should complement each other–they don’t live separately!
Our Fall Dinner Menu
Hors d’oeuvre: Warm Marinated Castelvetrano Olives
Have these sitting on a coffee table when your guests arrive–we always like sitting with cocktails for 30-45 minutes (but no longer than an hour!) before dinner.
Appetizer: Kale Ribbon Salad with Orange-Thyme Dressing
This hearty salad is our go-to fall dinner party starter, because it’s kosher, vegan and gluten-free, meaning it covers off on most dietary restrictions, and filling enough to sate your guests that don’t eat meat. We recommend making a lot for this very reason.
Main: Porchetta
If your guest list is largely vegetarian or kosher, you can opt for something simple but still delicious like our vegan pasta alla trapanese, but if that’s not a concern, go all in on our stunning porchetta, a fatty, moist pork dish comprised of tenderloin and pork belly. Trust us when we say it’ll be the star of the show.
Side: Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Garlicky Yogurt
It simply isn’t a fall dinner party without sweet potatoes! Adding the garlicky yogurt gives their sweetness the perfect savory balance; this is the type of dinner side we’ll eat again and again, at any time.
Dessert: Plant-Based Cacao Cake with Hibiscus Glaze
Gorgeous, nourishing, and–yes–vegan, this is the autumnal cake to end all cakes. Keep the recipe at the ready, because your guests will ask.
Cocktail: Paper Plane
The fun fizz of the Aperol, the autumnal smoke of the bourbon; the zest of the lemon juice–we’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect dinner party cocktail.
Our Fall Dinner Decor Picks
If our menu had a color palette, from the cocktail to the cakes, it’d have to be pink and orange. These vibrant sunset hues suit a more neutral shade in the fall, so we like to keep our linens and plating fairly subdued. Our shop picks: Casafina’s white oval platter, Il Buco Vita’s simple dinner plates, Ferm Living’s liqueur glasses, Mepra’s turtle dove flatware, and, in one concession to the color palette, Atelier Saucier’s rainbow burlap napkins, atop Hawkins’ Ivory placemats, and a tablecloth to match.
One Week Out: Shop for Non-Perishables
We’re almost there! A week out, shop for any non-perishable (or less-perishable) items (pastas, olives, so that you don’t need to worry about forgetting them when you’re shopping for the rest of your items closer to the day of. (And yes, keep a running list in your kitchen and check things off as you buy them or if you already have them).
Four Days Out: Wash Your Linens & Dinnerware
Another big oops: unveiling your tablecloth the day of your dinner party only to find it’s stained. Be sure to check at least four days out so you can wash or swap if needed.
If you’re not using your everyday flatware, wash that too. If you are, wash it the night before!
Five Days Out: Buy Your Wines & Liquor
Is there anything worse than realizing you need to do a liquor run the minute your guests are about to arrive? Once you’ve planned your cocktails, stock up on the appropriate liquor, and be sure to buy wines and non-alcoholic options for those that don’t drink.
Three Days Out: Shop for Perishables
Lettuce and other salad items, meats, and more–we like to keep all of that as fresh as possible, while allowing ourselves time to prepare. Shopping three days out generally does it.
