When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Mary Hollis Huddleston Setting a perfectly laid table is an essential part of hosting.

When you set a table, you don't want the visuals to steal the entire spotlight from the conversation. The point of a dinner party is to have good food with people you want to be with and talk to, and ...

More tips from the innkeepers: * Invite a crowd. Have people who know each other and people who don't. Mix age groups. It will make for more interesting dinner conversation. * Set up your music in ...

We’ve all been there, we head over to a friend’s for dinner and staring up at us are what appears to be a dozen pieces of cutlery and no less than five wine glasses. So, how can you manage the formal ...

This story is part of The New Rules of Dinner Parties, a new collection of advice, recipes, and perspectives on one of the things we’ve missed the most. Read all the stories here. Maybe it’s time to ...