Ina Garten's Tips For Organizing A Perfect Dinner Party

When it comes to planning a dinner party, what usually starts as an exciting build-up to a fun night can easily become a stressful nightmare. Luckily you can avoid unnecessary headaches just by thinking ahead and staying organized. One of the best ways to do that is by getting advice from professionals. When it comes to the dinner party category, perhaps no one is as qualified for the job as celebrity chef Ina Garten. 

One major organizational aspect for planning the perfect dinner party, according to Garten, is being proactive with the seating arrangement. Garten recommends using a round table or making a seating chart so you can place the chattiest guests opposite each other. This keeps the conversation flowing evenly throughout the whole table. Creating an organized environment where people feel open to interacting is an essential part of a good party. Along with fostering sociability, Garten has plenty more tips for a well-organized evening.

Planning is key to setting yourself up for success when hosting a dinner party. Ina Garten shared a simple, yet extremely clever tip with with Food & Wine when it comes to serving the food at your get-together. "[...] I always pick something I can make in advance, something you can put in the oven and forget about it, something that goes on top of the stove, and something that's served at room temperature," says Garten. This way there's no competing for oven space, plus less pressure to make and serve several dishes at once. 

Although Garten has admitted that hosting in the kitchen makes for the coziest possible dinner party, you may not have the space, or perhaps you're serving a summer meal on your patio. In this case, to spend less time running back and forth from the kitchen, Garten keeps her default dinner party dishes out on platters all night so guests can serve themselves whenever they wish.

Another essential element of planning a dinner party is to make sure the space is set up right. Setting the table in advance can help to alleviate stress the night of your dinner party. For Ina Garten, the best dinner parties are a combination of sophistication and comfort, and the space should reflect that. As she previously shared with CNN, instead of fancy dancing rooms, augmenting familiar spaces like the kitchen makes for a perfect balance of familiarity and comfort rather than one of intimidation.

As Garten shared with Food & Wine, her vision for a truly accomplished dinner party is when the host is happy and relaxed throughout the whole affair. "I think the most important thing at a dinner party is that the host is having fun," she said. When you're well-organized, you'll have more fun hosting. And at the end of the day, dinner parties are an opportunity to get together with people you love. If you're someone prone to stress, don't be afraid to ask friends to help you set up or break down, or pitch in on planning.