Everything You Should Know About Throwing a Themed Dinner Party
Fact Checked By Skin Formulations
| Oct 13, 2021
Introduction
There has always been this element of themed dinner parties being a bit cliché!
Thankfully, we are happy to report that themed dinner parties have never been more popular than they are in the second half of 2021! There is something exceptional about dinner parties where everyone in small and large groups, couples or just a group of friends, all sit together at a table, eat together, enjoy each other’s company, the beautiful food made by the host, and soak up the atmosphere of togetherness.
Eating together is a social aspect that has been forgotten in recent years due to the pandemic. When some people had to, unfortunately, eat alone for many months. This might still be the case in certain parts of the world where restrictions exist to remain in place.
So, where those restrictions have been somewhat relaxed, it’s often better to eat with friends in a safe environment instead of going into a large establishment full of lots of strangers. Hence, dinner parties are the perfect solution to stay safe and enjoy the company of friends!
So what makes an excellent theme for a dinner party, and what can you do to pull it off? Let’s have a look at the most popular themes and their critical points of execution!
1. The Hollywood Theme!
Can you imagine attending a dinner party dressed as your favorite Hollywood celeb, walking the red carpet, and eating the finest food available?
Hollywood is the dinner party theme for that experience!
This is the dinner party to go all-out for, no expense spared! You are looking to recreate the experience of a Hollywood filmstar, so here are some pointers towards what to offer your guests:
Hollywood Decor
You will be looking to hire the most refined dinnerware, glassware, and cutlery for this dinner party decor. Having velvet as a heavy feature on chairs, tables, and drapes, soft but glitzy lighting with drop-pendant shades, and potentially even a waiter!
Hollywood Food and Drink
There is nothing more Hollywood than any food that is entirely in fashion at the time of the dinner party, but for full-out luxury dining. Think along the lines of those special foods you rarely have, such as lobster, steak, gourmet soups, and salads with a small touch of luxury, as well as refined and delicate palette cleansers and desserts that are small but pack a punch, such as truffles or gelato bombes.
For the ultimate Hollywood experience, the drink that should be served with this dinner party should be the finest champagne and wines available in your budget. Remember those who may not drink alcohol and offer alcohol-free alternatives.
Coffee and after-dinner aperitifs are super important here, so grab a super-rich coffee bean blend and make fresh coffee, and also some specialty tea blends for those who cannot have coffee.
Hollywood Style
A Hollywood dinner party is better suited to a sit-down affair, so everyone can mingle, be sociable, as well as eat all at the same time! A formal route is a way forward with a Hollywood theme!
Hollywood Dinner Party Top Tips:
- Hire the experience from a party planning company! Do not go and buy the best of everything just for one party, unless you want to! It’s more efficient to hire the experience!
- Dressing to impress is the request you should make to your guests as this will make the dinner party experience more authentic!
- Check for allergies and dietary requirements before serving a menu that may not suit everyone and offer alternatives (Top allergens: Nuts, Shellfish, and Caffeine. Top Dietary Requirements: Vegan, Vegetarian, and Pescatarian).
- Ensure there is a non-alcoholic alternative for every drink you serve for those who are teetotal, designated drivers or have health conditions that prevent them from drinking alcohol.
2. The Superhero Theme!
Superheroes are the fun theme for a dinner party! Going to eat disguised as your favorite Superhero is top of the agenda if you love a bit of comic-book craziness!
This is the dinner party to go all-out color and boldness! You are looking to recreate the comic-book style of a dinner party with lots of fun and doused in a bunch of humor!
Superhero Decor
For this dinner party decor, you will be looking to go all out with bold colors and designs for that Superhero feel, so think bold reds, blues, yellows, and greens with capes for curtains, “POW” or “BANG” table settings and a comic book table cloth!
Superhero Food and Drink
There is nothing more Superhero than food that has that something “POW” about it, so it’s possible that you can include some humorous elements in your food and drink, such as popping candy in desserts, melt-in-the-middle chicken dishes for a surprise, or even dishes that do not look the way they taste!
For the ultimate Superhero experience, the drinks served with this theme can be themed beers, wines, and even “Super-Shakes” to keep the wannabe superheroes healthy! Or superfood juices to you and me!
Superhero Style
A Superhero dinner party is best suited to an informal sit-down style but maybe with a twist of superhero pairings! So you can only sit beside the Superhero that matches yours! Batgirl may become very popular!
Superhero Dinner Party Top Tips:
- You can DIY this superhero dinner party experience with some clever printable designs that you can transfer to cardboard, or if you are handy with a paintbrush and pens, you can get really creative with old comics and some flair!
- Dressing to match your favorite Superhero is an absolute must for a superhero dinner party, but maybe think about allocating a superhero per guest to limit the amount of Spiderman sitting at your table!
- As always, check for allergies and dietary requirements before serving a menu that may not suit everyone and offer alternatives (Top allergens: Nuts, Shellfish, and Food Coloring. Top Dietary Requirements: Vegan, Vegetarian, and Pescatarian).
- Ensure there is a non-alcoholic alternative for every drink you serve for those who are teetotal, designated drivers or have health conditions that prevent them from drinking alcohol.
- You can, of course, organize this experience yourself as a host, but it may seem like a lot of work! You can hire companies that will come in and give the experience for you, including planning the setting to allocating roles and directions of your guests, so this may be a more time-efficient option that will allow you the time to enjoy your dinner party!
- Dressing up is a must to provide the right atmosphere!
- As always, check for allergies and dietary requirements before serving a menu that may not suit everyone and offer alternatives (Top allergens: Nuts, Shellfish, and Food Coloring. Top Dietary Requirements: Vegan, Vegetarian, and Pescatarian).
- Ensure there is a non-alcoholic alternative for every drink you serve for those who are teetotal, designated drivers or have health conditions that prevent them from drinking alcohol.
- This is a super easy dinner to organize, and if you need the ultimate party with no effort, outside caterers and pre-bought are entirely acceptable here!
- Pajamas are a must to provide the right atmosphere! Encourage guests to bring their favorite blankets too!
- As always, check for allergies and dietary requirements before serving a menu that may not suit everyone and offer alternatives (Top allergens: Nuts, Shellfish, and Food Coloring. Top Dietary Requirements: Vegan, Vegetarian, and Pescatarian).
- Ensure there is a non-alcoholic alternative for every drink you serve for those who are teetotal, designated drivers or have health conditions that prevent them from drinking alcohol.
3. The Murder Mystery Theme!
Murder Mystery is a dinner party designed for the curious mind and the darker of the soul!
As much as a themed dinner party here, you are aiming to find the culprit of a non-murder murder that takes place during the dinner. So it is uber important to make sure you are super organized when planning your dinner, the event, and your guests – especially the victim and the culprit!
Murder Mystery Decor
Murder mystery-themed dinner parties are ordinarily set in the 1940s or 1950s’ theme. So think the most delicate china, crystal glassware, tailcoats, and fancy headdresses!
Murder Mystery Food and Drink
Murder mystery-themed dinner parties benefit from a lot of short courses of smaller portions of fine food, mainly to accommodate the acting and the murder, and following mystery throughout the evening as to who did it!
A starter of soup, an intermediate cheese or vegetable entreé followed by a palette cleansing sorbet before the main event of a rich roast will certainly get things moving!
For the ultimate murder mystery experience, the drinks should be plentiful and varied but not necessarily alcoholic, so fresh juices such as cranberry and orange, carbonated tonic waters, and spritzers all look to complete the feel of a murder mystery dinner.
Murder Mystery Style
The one thing you must do is make sure the guests you invite are willing to play along! And that includes roles, outfits, and setting of the event – because this one is an event, with dinner included!
Murder Mystery Dinner Party Top Tips:
4. The Pyjama Theme!
A pajama party is a dinner party designed for the chilled group of people who loved the old sleepover ritual as children!
Pyjama Dinner Decor
This decor is straightforward! Think curtains closed, blankets, lots of pillows, all in pastel colors, or favorite cartoon character designs!
Pyjama Dinner Food and Drink
Pyjama parties usually entail lots of fast food and sugar, so we can change this up for a dinner party by creating some gourmet sliders, hand-made gourmet pizzas, and lots of snacks, such as vegetable crisps, Grissinni, and dips and snack bowls or pretzels and corn-nuts.
For the ultimate pajama dinner experience, the drinks should be carbon fuelled and the colors of soda you remember as a child, so lots of blues, reds, and cloudy lemonades! Milkshakes are a must here too, as is ice cream and sugared do-nuts!
Pajama Dinner Style
This dinner style is to be the ultimate in comfort, so encourage floor sitting among big bowls and serving platters of your snacks and meals altogether, sharing the food as it comes, and wearing your best pajamas and gowns. Fluffy slippers should be essential!
Pyjama Dinner Party Top Tips:
Conclusion
All in all, dinner parties are becoming the most fashionable and sought-after parties to be attending!
If you are hosting a themed dinner party, make sure you pick a theme that suits you and will give your guests the most enjoyment. If you need some help in getting everything together, then definitely seek professional assistance who will provide everything you need to make a roaring success!!
Your atmosphere and surroundings will make or break a themed dinner party, as will your guests! So make sure you invite those who are not afraid to get stuck in, dress up, and try new things! Someone out of place could spoil the whole thing!
Most of all, have fun! A dinner party has a theme, so it’s not the run-of-the-mill experience, but something memorable and exceptional!
