FRIENDSGIVING À LA FRANÇAISE

A French Friendsgiving

This fall, do Friendsgiving the French way. From an ultra-cool playlist to a delicious menu, a French dinner party is all about tending to small but precious details. In this 5-step guide, we’re highlighting the essential components that will make your Friendsgiving a memorable experience long after the last wine bottle is empty.

1. Create the mood.

The best dinner parties share one thing in common: an inviting and consistent mood from start to finish. Before you begin your menu, plan a cohesive guest list, a color theme, and a cool playlist to set the tone of the party. When in doubt, let these core components be your guide.

2. Set the table.

A beautifully laid table is not overrated, in fact, it’s the centerpiece of a French dinner party. Review the traditional table setting rules – forks to the left, knife and spoons to the right, drinking glass at the tip of the knife, etc. – and set each place accordingly. After all, if you don’t use your placemats and fine china now, then when will you? We also like to add in a personalized place card for each setting. Make your own by folding a piece of 5in x 3in cardstock in half. Write your guest’s name on the outside, and sweet note of gratitude to them on the inside. It’s a piece of your creativity that each guest can take home with them.

3. Stir the drinks.

When guests arrive, take their drink order. Custom cocktails should be available in the beginning as the guest’s aperitif. When dinner rolls around, you can switch your guests over to a white or red wine (more details here). A nice touch to any dinner party is to offer them a unique, party-exclusive drink. Need ideas? Check out our top three favorite cocktails here.

4. Serve the food.

Food – the pièce de résistance. For a Friendsgiving dinner party, we like to whip up a few Thanksgiving-inspired dishes here As for serving, for Friendsgiving, we prefer to recommend to put everything on the table. Less time in the kitchen means more time enjoying your friends. Oui, please!

5. Don’t forget the details.

Think through your guest’s experience before they even arrive. Some of our favorite little details include nice soap, hand towels and mints in the powder room, and personalized drink tags to keep everyone’s glass differentiated. Consider confetti poppers for a dinner table fun, or a little box of chocolates at the door to say au revoir!