One of the best parts about living on my own in Boston in my 20s is being able to host parties and get-togethers with friends whenever I want.
Whether it’s a random Monday night dinner party or a preplanned Saturday night function, I can host whatever, whenever! No more coordinating with parents or roommates, just freedom to be the hostess with the mostest!
Of course, no good dinner party is complete without a theme for guests to participate in. Themed dinner parties feel like they’re straight out of a movie. From the food to the dress code, every detail helps create the perfect party atmosphere.
Thankfully, years of curating Pinterest boards have helped me plan some unique themed dinner parties over the past year, and it continues to help me with future ones! Here are just some of the many themed dinner parties I plan on hosting in the upcoming year.
- Whimsical Garden Party
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Decor: The decor for this dinner party would be full of life — lots and lots of assorted bright colored taper candles (pinks, purples, blues, yellows, etc.), and white lace tablecloths paired with vivid spring floral arrangements at the center of the table. Throughout the dining room would be warm fairy lights to create a serene atmosphere. Food and drinks would be served on whimsical dinnerware, so think floral-patterned plates and multi-colored glasses.
Food: For food, I would serve light, spring food; assortments of salads, finger sandwiches, charcuterie boards, and grilled tenders. Less of a formal sit-down and more of a grazing style dinner with options for everyone to dine on while they mingle.
Dress Code: For this Whimsical Garden Party, the dress code would be light and bright colors, florals, and frills. Imagine Easter attire, but more whimsical and full of life and fun.
- Winter Solstice Social
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Decor: This party will be decorated for sophisticated and formal holiday joy — a Christmas tree covered in vintage bulb Christmas lights and shiny ornaments, and lots of garland and mistletoe. The table will be decorated with a dark green tablecloth, and guests’ names will be stitched in at their seats in red thread. Many candles will complete the intimate vibe. Food and drink will be served on holiday-themed dinnerware.
Food: For food, I would serve a traditional holiday feast. Meats would consist of an herb-roasted chicken and a pot roast. This would be served with oven-roasted potatoes and assorted vegetables, all followed up with some warm homemade bread and whipped butter.
Dress Code: Think formal holidays — fancy dresses, colored in red and green, velvet fabric, and sophisticated holiday patterns. Channel your inner Martha May Whovier.
- Murder Mystery: Mob Wife Edition
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Decor: The decor for this party would turn my apartment into a high-end, luxurious space — dark reds, blacks, and lots of sleek animal print will fill the space. Gold and silver beads will hang from the ceiling, and tables will be set with fancy gold dinnerware for guests to eat and drink off of.
Food: For this party, I would serve tons of Italian food. I’m talking about spaghetti, alfredo, garlic bread, mozzarella sticks — basically an Italian restaurant coming to life in my dining room. Guests would be able to fill up on all of their favorite Italian delicacies before a shocking night of Murder Mystery.
Dress Code: Bold patterns and dark colors. Come wearing your finest cheetah print jacket and dark red lips. We’re going for a sense of bold and powerful elegance with this dress code, just like the Mob Wife aesthetic calls for.
- Fancy Nancy Feast
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Decor: This party would be filled with a ton of color! The whole house would be covered with multicolored paper streamers and stars. There would be lots of colorful ambient light: sunset lamps, multicolored candles, etc. The table would be set with a pink tablecloth and covered in bright confetti and chunky glitter. Food and drink would be served on multicolored glassware.
Food: For food, I would serve tea party-style options: Finger sandwiches, chicken tenders, cheese and crackers, fruit and veggies with dip, scones, cookies, and cupcakes. Every food that you could imagine at a fancy tea party, you can have at this Fancy Nancy Feast.
Dress Code: This dress code entails channeling your younger diva-self (Fancy Nancy Attire is REQUIRED). Come dressed in your frilliest pinks and purples. Adorn yourself with colorful boas, tutus, sunglasses, and crowns — anything that makes you feel like you’re a little kid again!
- Out of this World Extraterrestrial Extravaganza
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Decor: The decor for this dinner party would be celestial and extraterrestrial — lots of metallic star streamers and balloons, minimal overhead lighting, but a ton of warm ambient lighting, and maybe even a black light to drive home that extraterrestrial mood. There would also be lots of blue and green on the table, with silver plates and cups to serve food and drink. For the decor, imagine if an alien threw a party… but they were rich and also channeling their inner Gatsby.
Food: This party is where I would get super creative with the food. The goal is to make all edible food that looks like it’s not from this planet. I would serve deviled eggs, but make the filling green and alien-looking, pasta, but dye the sauce black and the noodles blue. All yummy, tasty food that still makes the guests squeamish when they eat it!
Dress Code: “Area 51 chic.” Lots of metallics and chromes. Shiny blues, greens, and purples with out-of-this-world accessories and hairstyles. Basically, give me Alien but make it glam and sexy.
I absolutely cannot wait to have the opportunity to host these dinner parties in my apartment soon, and I hope it inspires all of you to invite your friends over for your very own themed dinner parties.
After all, your 20s are meant for celebrating with friends!
Writer’s Note: (HCBU girlies hit me up for an invite to any of these! #alwaysinvited)
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