The Singles Dinner Party

Round up your single friends and hold a dinner party in their honour. Learn how you can keep the mood light whilst keeping a sparkle in the air. Read our short guide and make love or at least a very good night in, happen!

The A List

A singles dinner party requires one key ingredient – singles! Those smug marrieds may have to sit this one out. Invite a select group with equal weighting given to both sexes. If you have a last minute male shortfall do your best to round up some eligible bachelors to restore balance.

Think carefully about personalities. You know your friends and their romantic preferences so try and tailor the invite list to accommodate such likes. You are effectively assuming the role of matchmaker tonight so strive to do the job well. Of course, don’t beat yourself up if all does not go to plan. If all the females vie for the same man and ignore the others, there is very little you can do. The unpredictability of a dinner party like this is just part of its charm.

Once you have chosen your guests, send out the invites. As well as containing the essential date, time and location details, the invites must specify the theme of the evening, What you don’t want is people turning up without being in on the fact that the party is for singles.

Specify a dress code. Go with a “dress to impress” theme. That translates as "make an effort". A smart dress code will go far to shape the evening – everyone feels their best when they have put on their glad rags and they are more likely to feel the self-confidence needed to get the girl or guy.

Background Details

Just to make it clear, here is what to avoid:

• Loud, obtrusive music
• Austere, bright lighting
• A room temperature - akin to the North Pole.

Keep the music and lights dimmed low and keep the heating at a comfortable level. Think about lighting scented candles so that a delicate aroma circulates the room.

Set the table in advance of your guest’s arrival. Keep the setting intimate – group your guests close enough so that they fit snugly around the table. The order should be boy-girl-boy-girl and don’t be afraid of drawing up a seating plan. In fact this is highly recommended as otherwise the people that know each other and are of the same sex may simply sit together.

The Food

Chocolate, lobster, asparagus and oysters are all rumoured to be aphrodisiacs. By all means include them in your meal plan but be aware that you may impliedly add pressure to the night. If your guests are faced with an obviously romantic setting and obviously romantic dishes, they may feel an obligation to meet your expectations and some may feel slightly uncomfortable about that.

What you should also remember is that eating should not be a messy business. Avoid embarrassing situations and exclude items like spaghetti from the menu.

Cheers!

Although not all of your guests will want to, many of them will want to have a drink to rid of those dinner party nerves. Make sure you are prepared for this. Have a good red and white available, as well as some alternatives like beer and a few spirits and mixers. Think about quantities. If you know that there are some keen red wine drinkers in the party, get enough bottles to satisfy both their and everyone else’s appetites.

The Big Night

A good dinner party is often one that lasts all night and leaves everyone with fond memories. Get your guests to arrive at 7-7.30pm and have a drink for them as soon as they step though the door.

The chances are that your guests will not know each other. As host you assume responsibility for introductions so sharpen your etiquette skills. Introduce guests to each other with their names and perhaps a fact about them. For example: “Adam, this is Jenny. She is as passionate about travelling as you and has just got back from Thailand”. This sets up the conversation, which makes it easy for the guests to establish a connection.

When you start serving dinner, at about 8pm, keep the conversation flowing. Talk about anything from current affairs to gossip! After each course you could get all the men or women to rotate to ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to meet the entire party. However, this is only really necessary for a large group. If you have under 10 people around your table it will be easy enough for them to familiarise themselves and group conversations will be accessible for all.

Once dinner has been served, assess the mood. If there are any silences then assume that you need to step in to lighten the mood. You might want to get your guests to take part in an informal game. Even something as tried and as tested as Truth or Dare will work.

If the conversation is flowing and your guests are all happy and smiling, hold the intervention. As a host you cannot want anything more than satisfied guests.

A singles party is actually no different from any other dinner party. The host still has to assess the guest list carefully and the same pressure to deliver the goods still rests on the hosts’ shoulders. Of course, in this case there is one difference! You can take the credit for any romantic get togethers.