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Potluck Dinner in Style

Article

By Yelena Johnson
Staff Writer

Comments (0) | Rating (5.5)

White serving dishes keep the look simple, clean and cohesive.

Hosting a potluck dinner is an easy, low-stress way to entertain your friends and family. Potlucks create a communal spirit and encourage casual conversation among your guests. But with everyone bringing their own food, the party can sometimes lack for style. Not to worry: we have a guaranteed plan for turning your next casual gathering into a stylish happening.

Follow our simple steps and throw a potluck dinner to impress.

Tips

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Pick a Menu Theme

The downside to many potlucks is that there isn't any forethought about the menu. This results in diverse dishes that often don't mesh together well as a meal. To avoid this trap, try picking a theme for the menu. Here are some we recommend:

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Make it An Elegant Affair

Plan your party with the best-looking invitations on the web!

France: perfect for appetizers and buttery desserts

Italy: ideal for the main course (can you say pizza and pasta?!)

England: not known for their food but they have great traditional meals like fish and chips or bangers and mash

Spain: possibilities like seafood paella are delish

China: great for appetizers (wontons, dim sum, pot stickers) and main course dishes

Japan: check out our article on Sushi and Sake for inspiration

Thailand: noodles and rice dishes make excellent sides

Mexico: crowd pleasers include tacos and tequila

Norway: fresh fish abounds in this Nordic country

Brazil: cook up organic meat and veggies Brazilian Barbeque style

Belgium: the world's finest chocolate makes for tantalizing desserts

Tags: Asian Theme, Menu, Potluck, Around The World, Italian, French, Spanish, Mexican

Assign Dishes To Guests

Once you've chosen your menu theme for the evening, assign each guest what type of dish they should bring. Don't tell them what to bring: simply tell them the theme of the menu and ask them to bring one of the following:

An appetizer
An entrée
Two side dishes
Drinks
Dessert

Tags: Menu, Dishes, Potluck

Decorations

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Potluck Dinner Party: Create a Stylish Setting

Since the guests are taking care of the food, it's up to the host to create a stylish setting for the potluck party. The basics you'll need to cover include:

Stylish Dishes

Pick a theme for your dishes as well. For instance: A modern, clean theme requires simple white or black dishes with clean lines.
When guests arrive with their dish, transfer the meal from their container into an attractive serving dish.
Label each dish by placing a wooden skewer with a label on top in the center of the dish.

Tablescape

Set an elegant table for your dinner guests.
Create place cards for each guest that follow the theme for the evening.
Decorate the table with candles and one or two floral arrangements.

Seasonal Decor

Summer: Host your party outdoors with round hanging lanterns and tiki torches. Use bright colors for a tablecloth or accent pieces.
Spring: Extra flowers placed around your home will go a long way toward brightening up the space. Pastels are the way to go for a springtime look.
Fall: Use acorns and fall leaves as part of the table decor. Reds, browns and orange tones are a great pick for accent colors.
Winter: Place a large bowl of Christmas ornaments on the table in place of a floral arrangement. Or, create a white and light blue tablescape with crystal and snowflake accents to celebrate the season.