A dinner party can be very fun, but at the same time it can be quite some work for the host as well.
However, you can throw away a great dinner party without any glitches or last-minute problems if you plan it all out before hand and have everything you want written down.
Trust me, it is no use planning one in your head, there will always be something or the other that you may forget and that one thing might just spoil away all the fun.
First of all, take a pen and a paper or your mobile phone and decide on the menu, how many main dishes you want to have?, what kinds of meat?, making sure you have something for vegetarians as well, and also for people who are on a diet.
It really depends on the people you are inviting, if you know them well enough then you should make what they like best, otherwise you should just make what you make the best and be sure to include a couple of salads.
If you are ordering out, make sure you order well beforehand just so that there are no unexpected delays with the food, if you keep your guests hungry for a long time they won't have a good time.
Once the main dishes are finalized, decide on the appetizers, and the deserts, they should compliment the main dishes and this is why you should decide on them after you are done with the main dishes.
Make a list of all the things you would need, grocery items and everything else you would need to prepare the food.
Drinks are the second most important thing and make sure you have plenty in stock; you can make your own cocktails or let your guests decide on what to have.
Once food and drinks are all accounted for, move on to the entertainment bits, music is very important to create the mood and the right atmosphere, and since it's your party you get to decide upon the genre.
You can get the latest top charts or you can select your favorites and play them through the night.
You can add some fun to the party by having games, karaoke is usually a good option or any thing light, even playing multi-player games on an Xbox 360 or a PS3 works, but it depends on what type of dinner party you want and what kind of people will be attending it.
Make a list of people you want to invite just to make sure you don't miss any one out, and be sure to tell them about it at least a week before so they can clear out their schedule.
For some final touches, light up some scented candles around the house, or just take out the special china or cutlery just to add something different to the experience of your home, these little extras will make a big difference and I'm sure your dinner parties will turn out to be just fabulous!