Do you host a Friendsgiving dinner for your gal pals or dear friends? I saw the idea a few years ago and love the idea of getting together with dear friends for the holidays. Especially if you’re like me and live far away from your family. I’ve partnered with Michaels and Martha Stewart to give you some tips for how to host a Friendsgiving Dinner.

HOW TO HOST A FRIENDSGIVING DINNER

Make your guest list and send out your invites! I like to send out invites at least two weeks in advance. You can send an evite, text an invitation or go old-fashion and mail a formal invitation. Make sure you get an RSVP so you know how many place-settings to set.
Plan a menu. I like to plan out my menu a week or two before the dinner party so that I make sure to pick up all the ingredients I need. I also try to make as many dishes before-hand that I can so the actual party-day is not as stressful. And depending on how formal your event is, you can always go pot-luck style to reduce stress. You can also purchase everything from your favorite restaurant to rid yourself of all food-stress altogether.

Pick a color scheme. Determine the mood/vibe you are going for and choose a color scheme around it. This year I want to plan a casual, yet classy Friendsgiving Dinner. I chose black, gold and white as a color scheme and started pulling together items for the table. I decided to use the Martha Stewart Gold Celebrations Collection and pair it with a formal black and white table runner. I love he idea of it looking nice, but having the ease of paper plates.

Set your table. I like to set the table a day or two before the actual dinner to ensure I’m not missing anything. It gives me some time to run to the store if I still need to. Like all my tables, I REALLY, REALLY like to add a fresh element to the scape. For Thanksgiving I think it’s fun to add fresh mini white pumpkins. They are elegant, festive and make for a fun party favor after. For my Friendsgiving Table, I added the white pumpkins and created a fall floral centerpiece with florals from Michaels.

Set the tone! Create an Apple playlist and play it just loud enough for your guests to hear, but not so loud that it’s overpowering.

Make and capture memories! Even thought hosting can take up a lot of your energy and focus during a dinner party, don’t forget to drive the conversation with fun questions and games. And if there is a memorable or funny moment, capture it with your phone or camera.

And lastly, enjoy the moment! Things or preparations for your Friendsgiving Dinner might not go as planned. The turkey might be overdone or someone may have brought an unexpected guest you weren’t planning on, but go with the flow and enjoy the moment. Make sure you don’t let the stress of hosting overwhelm your ability to enjoy the dinner.