We all love a great party! But let’s face it—if you’re the hostess, planning and entertaining can often feel overwhelming. To help you enjoy a more relaxed and joyful celebration, we’re sharing a list of tips and must-have products for stress-free entertaining. From smart planning strategies to must-have serving pieces, these recommendations will ensure your gatherings are filled with warmth, cheer, and zero stress. Let’s dive in and make your next party your most enjoyable yet!
Our Tips for Stress-Free Entertaining
Take the guess work out of buying drinks:
- 1 bottle of wine per 2 guests
- 3 beers per each guest
- 3 servings of cocktail per guest
- 3 servings of non-alcoholic drink per guest
- Check out this drink calculator from Evite.
- Don’t forget the ice!
For the best tablecloth size, ChatGPT has all the guidelines:
- Standard Overhang: A typical overhang is about 6 to 12 inches on each side.
- Table Size:
- For a round table: Measure the diameter and add twice the desired overhang. For example, for a 60-inch table with a 10-inch overhang, you’ll need a 80-inch round tablecloth.
- For a rectangular table: Measure the length and width, then add twice the desired overhang. For a 72-inch long table that’s 36 inches wide, with a 10-inch overhang, you’d need a tablecloth that’s 92 inches long and 56 inches wide.
The timing of your party invitation depends on the type of party you are hosting. We turned to Paperless Post, our favorite online invitation service, for tips:
- Plan on sending invitations 6-8 weeks in advance if the event requires guests to travel, has a formal dress code, requires a head count for a caterer, or takes place during the holiday season.
- Plan on sending invitations 2-4 weeks in advance if your event has a casual or cocktail attire dress code, most guests live locally, you don’t need a formal headcount, and the guest list is small (under 30 people).
How much turkey do I need per person? Bon Appetite online is our trusted advisor of this topic. Although their suggestions may seem high (1-1 1/2 lbs per person) remember that a lot of the turkey is bones and organs.
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds of turkey (uncooked) per person if hosting more than 6 people.
- 2 pound per person if hosting 4-6. Bon Appetite recommends an 11-13 lbs bird for 4-6 people, this covers everyone and leaves you a enough left overs for a turkey sammie on Friday.
We turned to the folks at Southern Living to educate us on how to insure the perfect amount of mashed potatoes for our feast.
- plan for 1/2 a pound of potatoes per person, one russet weighs about a pound.
- we buy the 5 lbs bag of potatoes and the grocery and that easily feeds 10 people.
Leftovers. After spending two days cooking your holiday feast chances are you don’t want to look at another plate of turkey. Don’t forget to send the leftovers home with your guests. We like to use disposable muffin tins with lids (like a retro TV dinner), but Amazon has lots of choices from small to large. Order now so you’ll have them on the day of, think of it as your party favor.
Christa’s Must-Haves for Stress-Free Entertaining
A Beverage Tub
A beverage tub is a simple and stylish way to display drinks. However, many budget options tend to “sweat,” creating a watery mess. This Frontgate tub is a splurge, but it’s built to last, keeps drinks cold throughout the night, looks stylish and won’t leak onto your table. It’s worth every penny, and we use ours frequently. You can also purchase an optional stand to elevate it, plus there’s a matching ice bucket available.
A White Tablecloth
A white tablecloth can be a blank canvas for any season or occasion. I’m a big fan of white when I’m serving food, so I have white dishes, white platters and white serving bowls, so a white tablecloth is also a must-have for me. This one from Amazon has a pretty embroidered detail and is wrinkle-free…making it stress-free.
Size tip: I prefer my tablecloth to have at least a 6″ overhang on each side, but for a buffet style party, I prefer the tablecloth to be longer.
A Beautiful Centerpiece
We’ve shared this before, and if you haven’t picked one up yet, consider this your sign! This acrylic vase makes the easiest professional looking centerpieces – you just need two bouquets from Trader Joe’s to fill it.
Pro tip: This makes a great gift for your friends, hostess, mother-in-law, or anyone that loves fresh flowers.
A Versatile Serving Platter
Serving a charcuterie board of tasty treats is one of the easiest ways to host (I shared mine here). I love this platter for mine and use it all the time. It’s 20×14.5″ making it big enough to fit an assortment of cheese, nuts, meats and fruit. And, it’s white so food stands out making for a beautiful visual presentation. (Need a smaller one? Try this rectangular version, 15.5″x11″.)
Flameless Candles
I use these flameless candles all year long, but especially around the holidays. Once a year I replace all the batteries. I love having the remote to turn them all on. Fill all your hurricanes and candles holders with these for effortless entertaining and a beautiful natural candlelight feel.
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Megan’s Must-Haves for Stress-Free Entertaining
Menu Planner
We love a good list here at SAF and this Dinner Party Planner is perfect to help you stay on top of your hostess game. Keep your notes all in one place; who’s coming, what they’re bringing, the theme, what you’re serving and bonus you can create your shopping list right on the bottom. Keeping a list ensures nothing falls through the cracks and you don’t have a game time panic attack.
Cloth Napkins
Nothing says good manners quite like crisply ironed table linens. I’m a huge fan of cloth napkins especially for formal dinners and holidays. I have this set from Anthropologie and I love their “non matchy”, eclectic vibe. Bonus points: they wash up like a dream.
Warming Tray
This one’s from my MIL, Julie. She LOVED a warming tray and used hers to its fullest potential. From warming the plates on it before meals to keeping the “refills” warm on the sideboard and again to heat everything up for “leftover make your own sandwiches” the day after.
Extra Chairs
My dining table is round (expandable) with four chairs. When you’re hosting 12 for dinner you need eight more chairs. I ordered these from Amazon a few years ago and we use them (and loan them to friends) at least once a month. They fold up and store behind the door in my basement storage room. Best investment for entertaining. No one has to sit awkwardly on a bar stool anymore.
Catering Box – Dishes and Wine Glasses
When I got married the William Sonoma “Catering Box” was a thing that everyone registered for. Now I keep a set of plain white dishes and multi purpose glasses in a tub in my storage area and bring them up for parties. Nothings ever missing, they always match.
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