Summer! I’ll be singing a bit of Olaf’s summer song every time we set the table to entertain guests. Summer is such a fun time to host friends and family and I find that many stray from it. Maybe it’s the heat or the vacation mode, but summer is such a great time to host a gathering! This year we’ve embarked on a minimalist approach (hello millennials) and we’ve allowed that to flow into all aspects of life including entertaining guests. Not sure you could host guests with a minimalist mentality? I’m sharing a few ways to host a minimalist summer wine dinner party with ease. Grab the details below and host with less stress and more functionality than ever before!
Food
For dinner parties focused around wine pairings you don’t have to go wild with the food. You can simply incorporate a summer inspired fruit as I’ve done here at each place setting to get guests in the seasonal mood while they wait for the meal to officially begin. Often we put out large appetizer and pairing trays and I find that I get full before dinner is actually served. This summer consider keeping the appetizers minimal with pineapples or watermelon and your guests will have room for dinner (and dessert).
Wine
A variety of wines are ideal to please everyone in attendance, but consider asking guests which wine they prefer instead of buying several bottles at once. Get your decanter ready in advance with the preferred wine and have an additional bottle on hand for serving if needed. An electric wine bottle opener is a must have. Why not have one that’s both functional AND stylish? The copper detail on this wine opener will add a metallic accent to your tablescape. The best part? It comes in a set, so you can have one at each end of the table!
Stylish Servingware
Products that are of great quality are products worth investing in. With minimalism it isn’t necessarily about not buying at all, but buying smartly. If you entertain often I recommend buying items that coordinate with your entertaining style. A set of white dishes that you can use each gathering is a smart purchase as well. The season and occasion can set the tone for the table while you have trusted crips white plates on hand to use each time. These Wolfgang Puck spice mills also provide a stylish solution to servingware that will bring some color to your table.
Decor
While decorating the table is truly fun sometimes we can allow the settings and tablecloth to do the work for us. Let’s give focus to the guests and less to the actual table this summer. Allow the fruit, the wine, and the bold tablecloth to do all the work for us. Incorporate store bought items such as a small flower arrangement and dessert to add a bit of pizzaz to the table as well.
There you have it! A few ways to entertain with a less is more approach this summer. Be sure to put quality over quantity, give all your attention to the guests at the table, and enjoy the colorful season at hand.