The dinner party is having its moment. And honestly? We’re so here for it. Any dinner party is the perfect mix of cozy and classy—part social reset, part main-character evening. It’s not about pulling off a five-course meal that could impress Bobby Flay, but about gathering your favorite people, lighting a candle (or five), and turning a random weeknight into something that we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives. At least for me, I can’t wait to see what themes Dinner with Isabelle (@isabelleheikens), Our Table’s Company (@ourtablescompany), and Saff Michaelis (@saff_michaelis) come up with for this month’s dinner party. And besides, who doesn’t like getting all dressed up to spend the evening with friends, talking until the early hours of the morning?
Imagine this: it’s a crisp November evening, and the smell of cinnamon and roasted garlic is drifting through your apartment (or dorm kitchen). The table is glowing, not under the harsh fluorescent lights I swear Brown puts everywhere, but under the soft glow of candles and gently swooping string lights stuck on your walls. There’s laughter echoing through the kitchen, thunderous footsteps on the stairs as more guests have just arrived, and someone has queued up that perfect “Sweater Weather” or Thanksgiving Jazz playlist on Apple Music or Spotify. Outside, the air is just cool enough for gloves and thermal tights (and with that dreadful New England wind and rain, of course), but inside, everything feels golden and warm.
November is the month for coziness. When takeout nights from Chipotle turn into dinner parties, when the mismatched ceramic or disposable dishes feel intentional, and when gathering around a table with the people you know and love becomes a little act of joy, we’re right between the high stress of midterms and finals but about to wind down for Thanksgiving break for that little boost of motivation that we all need. So whether you’re craving something playful (to distract from the hundreds of pages of readings we need to catch up on), comforting (to drive away the Sunday scaries AND the awful, awful Daylight Savings darkness), or a little bit elegant, here are three adorable November dinner party ideas—complete with simple activities, easily adaptable mocktail pairings, and full menus—that’ll make your dining table, whether you’re hosting or just attending, feel straight out of a Pinterest board.
1. AUTUMNAL ELEGANCE
This is the quintessential autumnal dinner party: the dressing-up, candle-lit, and textured-linen version. For the Autumnal Elegance dinner party, think an LBD with kitty heels (perfect, since you’re not running around campus’ uneven sidewalks!), crisp white plates, gold accents, a bit of velvet for the napkins, and a menu that fully embraces the season without going full ham or turkey. Autumnal Elegance is the perfect choice for when you want something elevated but not overdone.
Decorations: Linen table runner in a rich, deep colour like burgundy or forest green layered over a white tablecloth; warm metallic accents everywhere; sprigs of rosemary, eucalyptus, small pumpkins or gourds as centrepieces, taper candles for height on the table.
Menu:
Drinks: A non-alcoholic sangria with loads of fruit and spices!
Appetizers: I’m feeling like bruschetta or tartlets: try a warm goat-cheese crostini with fig jam + thyme or roasted butternut squash & sage tartlets.
Entrée: Herb-roasted chicken with root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, baby potatoes), or if you prefer vegetarian: mushroom & sage lasagna.
Dessert: White chocolate, raspberry & cardamom panna cotta with figs. Or, for an elegant and not too heavy touch, caramelized pears with vanilla ice cream.
Williams Sonoma has the perfect guide to hosting an Autumn Dinner Party, see the article here!
2. HARVEST FEAST (A Mini-Thanksgiving)
Before the big event when everyone goes home for the week, the Harvest Feast is supposed to be a mini-Thanksgiving, or Friendsgiving if you will, that leans into the convivial harvest vibes with big plates, warm flavors, and a turkey or roast, depending on your preferences. Harvest Feast is supposed to encompass everything we love about Thanksgiving, minus the stress of preparing to feel half your family (and the extended relatives) in one evening. This is definitely the next dinner party I’m hoping to host!
Decorations: The last mini pumpkins of the season; a table runner made of burlap, plus lots of autumn leaves, squashes, and pinecones; place-cards and little name tags made from craft paper (bonus points if someone owns a gold calligraphy pen) and tied with twine to give them a homemade feel.
Menu:
Drinks: Wassail or Mulled Apple Cider, both recipes come from The Pioneer Woman. (When I was younger, my mom, sister, and I would follow The Pioneer Woman’s recipes religiously! The memories are literally flooding back as I write this article).
Appetizers: Mixed greens salad with apples, cranberries, walnuts or candied pecans, and goat cheese. If you’re feeling extra festive, make a charcuterie board with seasonal accoutrements: think Bosc pears, figs, walnuts, cheeses, and honeycomb. If you’re pressed for time and don’t want to arrange one, consider supporting a local small business, The Rind in Barrington, for all your cheese board needs!
Entrée: Herb-roast turkey breast or roasted pork tenderloin (Whole Foods has a great selection of pork tenderloin!) with mustard-apple dressing. The evening’s sides could be air-fryer roasted sweet potatoes, roasted green beans with almond slivers (if anyone has a nut allergy, omit the almonds), and a side of cranberry-apple-orange peel sauce (and no, I’m not sharing my mom’s recipe…).
Dessert: Classic pumpkin or apple pies! Again, Whole Foods is my go-to for any Thanksgiving pie need.
For more inspiration, look to Farmview Market’s post on the Farm-to-Table Thanksgiving feast.
3. SOUPS & SWEATERS
And finally, Soups & Sweaters is the super-cozy version of the November Dinner Party. For this dinner, it’s all about staying cozy and warm, with the most comforting (and steaming) bowls of soup in front of us. Maybe everyone wears their favourite soft sweater and brings the fluffiest slippers they own! Soups & Sweaters is the kind of night where you bring out the oversized mugs, pile all the bowls you can find in your cupboards, go heavy on the bread baskets, and pile blankets on every corner of the room. It’s warm, it’s comforting, and it’s perfect for a chilly November night in with friends. According to Marjory Pilley (whose blog post I drew a lot of inspiration from for this idea!), the soup-swap has been around for a hot minute, as cited in an article from the Seattle Times, where it has become a yearly tradition since 1998!
Decorations: Think the fluffiest throws or blankets on chairs; rustic bowls, linen napkins, wooden serving boards; low lighting, lots of candles, maybe firelight (or a fireplace-video on TV if your apartment or common area doesn’t have an actual fireplace!).
Menu:
Drinks: Warm mulled apple cider (Whole Foods has the best one!) with a cinnamon stick and an orange slice.
Appetizers: Spinach-artichoke dip or antipasti skewers.
Entrée: Choose a few soups like a butternut squash, white chicken chili or turkey tortilla soup, then each guest can bring sides in a potluck style, including (but not limited to) garlic bread, roasted Brussels sprouts, or even maybe a simple salad. These are all crowd-pleasers and 100% low-stress for the gals who are super busy!
Dessert: Mini apple tarts from Trader Joe’s or oatmeal raisin cookies from Whole Foods. Warm autumn flavours, no heavy lifting.
And as the night winds down and the dining table candles melt into blobs of wax, there’s something almost sacred about that post-dinner quiet, the hum of conversation fading into soft laughter, and half-empty glasses on the table still catching the light. In the midst of running from library to library and feeling like time has passed much too quickly, November reminds us to slow down and be present. It slows time just enough for us to realize how special these in-between moments really are.
Maybe this is the last dinner party of the season before everyone scatters before exams, the flights home, the chaos of winter break. Maybe it’s the final time we’ll all crowd around that too-small table, stealing bites from each other’s plates and arguing over who gets the last piece of pie. Or maybe it’s just another night together that we’ll remember someday as Brown alumnae when we’re miles away, missing this version of our lives—the one where everything feels possible and everyone we know and love is just down the street or even the hall.
And that right there is the magic of the November dinner party. I argue that November is one of the best months of the year precisely because it asks us to slow down between the hustle and bustle of Halloweekend and Christmas. November is more than just food; it’s the in-between of things. The in-between of semesters, of seasons, of growing up. It’s proof that even in the busiest, chilliest, most uncertain (and dreadfully cold) months, we all can carve out a little space for warmth, for laughter, for connection.
So take those pictures. Post them to your heart’s content. Pour one more drink. Let the night linger a little longer. Because years from now, when autumn rolls around again, we’ll think back to these nights—and realize they were the golden ones all along.