Weeknight Dinner Parties: Why We Love Them

Look no further for a new habit to embrace

You’d think that throwing a dinner party in the middle of the week would be a stressful affair, but I’m here to tell you that they’re one of our favorite times to have them.

They’re relaxed. The fact that they’re held during the week immediately takes the pressure off. You aren’t competing with Saturday night and your guests likely won’t expect you to pull out all of the stops because they know you haven’t had all day to prepare. With the right entertaining arsenal in place, it’s easy to wow since the bar is set lower on, say, a Wednesday night.

Check out our pieces on easy weekend brunch entertaining, what we always keep in the pantry for last-minute entertaining, and some of my fridge essentials.

We served sweet tea for one of our *Southern Charm* viewing parties complete with lemon wedges and these perfect napkins by Caspari.

Our friend, Allie’s, fabulous deviled eggs. You can find the recipe for our pink deviled eggs here. Allie was also in this webisode of Magnolia in the Kitchen.

Leftovers make the rest of the week easier. You’re bound to have leftovers no matter how big or small your dinner party is, which means lunch is taken care of for the next day – and maybe even dinner, too. It also means that you’ll have beautiful blooms from your centerpiece to grace your table, powder room, and living space.

My favorite thing to do after a dinner party is to break up the large centerpiece arrangement into smaller bouquets to sprinkle throughout the house. With a few bud vases, you can ensure happy blossoms in your master bedroom and bathroom, on windowsills, and even beside the kitchen sink.

Planning ahead of time for your weeknight dinner party is always a good idea. Take a few tips from our party planning post.

We love serving Josephine Sauvignon Blanc from one of our favorite Napa vineyards, Turnbull. You can purchase it here.

“School night” means an early night. Don’t get me wrong here. We love it when our weekend dinner parties last into the early morning. It sounds absolutely insane, but my favorite tablescape is the one leftover at one or two o’clock in the morning with blossoms and napkins scattered. It makes me so happy to know that our guests had as fabulous a time as we did.

But, it is super nice to have your cake and eat it, too. Weeknight dinner parties allow you to have the joy of having people over without sacrificing sleep. It’s a win for everyone!

I love ending an evening with hot tea. Our friend, Courtney, has us head over heels for this Yogi tea.

It’s an easy and instant mood boost. I can’t think of a better way to beat the “Monday blues” or the “Hump Day slumps” than to spend time breaking bread with friends. It’s truly the best and gives you something to look forward to on a Sunday night.