5 Important Overlooked Pieces Your Dinner Guests Notice but You Don’t

Summer is rapidly approaching which seems to be the biggest season for hosting dinner parties, especially barbecues. Even though summer is a more laid-back season for entertaining, there are still important dinnerware pieces you’re guests will notice but you will most likely miss. In order to keep up your fab style at your next party, I’m letting you in on some hosting secrets to make sure your dinner table looks as chic as you do (even if it’s just the patio picnic table!)

The 5 Most Missed Dinnerware Pieces You’re Guests Notice:

1. The Napkin (or lack thereof!) I’ll fess up to this right now, I’m an incredibly messy eater, and not just when I’m eating spaghetti. I need a napkin for whatever I’m eating, especially if it’s a sloppy grilled veggie burger! When I’m eating at a dinner party, If there isn’t a napkin by my plate, I’m in an instant panic because I know food is going to be all over my face soon! Don’t miss this step when serving guests at your next dinner party. If you’re eating outdoors a paper napkin is fine, but if the party is indoors, make sure your guests have a pretty cloth napkin that will be soft and gentle on their skin as well. Tip: I love a color-popping, bright, printed statement-making napkin as my dinnerware tends to be on the neutral side. This adds some instant style to your table with ease!

2. The Salad Bowl. This, unfortunately, is one of those things many of us don’t think twice about. We just hurry and grab our usual salad bowl and toss the salad in it quickly, in order to get on with the dinner prep. Investing in a nice salad bowl will help your dinner table look much more put together. It doesn’t necessarily need to match your dinnerware but make sure that it is either eye-catching or looks very smooth and polished. Whatever you do, please do not serve salad in Tupperware to your guests, even if you’re eating outdoors! That is just a bit too laid back!

3. The Water Glass. We often are more concerned with the drinking glasses and wine glasses, and don’t pay much attention to the water glass or may forget to even set them at the table! Make sure your guests always have the option to drink water, no matter what other drinks are being served at dinner. Make sure glasses are not chipped and feel nice and sturdy, and somewhat weighted in the hand, as this conveys the quality of the glass. Tip: Drinking beer with your outdoor barbecue? Serve it up in pilsner or tall water glasses for a little more elegance!

4. The Serving Spoon. This is another one of those small things many of us overlook when setting the table. We quickly grab a big spoon from our silverware drawer and toss it in the potato salad. But like the salad bowl, when guests dish up their plate they will not only notice how helpful or not the serving spoon was (be sure to make sure you’re using the best serving ware to get the job done!) but also if it looks up to par with your table setting or it if looks like you did indeed put absolutely no extra thought into it. A nice serving piece can go a long way for adding instant style to your dinner table. While you can certainly go a bit more casual here for outdoor entertaining, don’t just use the basic plastic spoons, forks and paper plates you picked up at the local supermarket. Spend a few extra bucks finding some beautiful new updated premium disposable dinnerware that looks more like your fancy china, but without the worry of breaking nice plates outdoors!

5. The Salt and Pepper Shaker. How often do we not even think twice about them?! Yet, they are some of the most used things at your table! Nearly every one of your guests is going to want at least one of them if not both, for one or more of the foods on their plate! A basic salt and pepper shaker is boring and has become old fashioned. Treat your guests to some real flavor by investing in a salt and pepper grinder set that will give their taste buds a real treat! (The right spices full of flavor make a great disguise when grinded freshly over your food, and are a big help for even mediocre cooking – if you tend to have less than stellar cooking skills like myself).  You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a nice set either. I love this Beautiful brushed stainless steel set from Cucina Moderna I found on Amazon. Like the name states, this set looks ultra modern and its a nice handy size that doesn’t take up too much room on the table or on your spice rack either. I love adding peppercorn and sea salt to my salt and pepper grinders, but you can play around with different salts to really add something fun and exotic to your dinner table.

This gorgeous design of this minimalist set looks beautiful on any table and will add some lovely style to your dinner party. The steel set feels sturdy and weighted in the hand, conveying its luxurious high quality. It is easy to use by pushing down the top button to grind and dispense the spice, so it won’t overwhelm or confuse guests like so many other grinder sets out there. The blades are sharp too so you get the perfect amount of spice quickly and easily! This set also comes with an impressive lifetime warranty so you never have to worry about replacing your salt and pepper set ever again! They also come beautifully packaged and in a nice gift box too – if you happen to be looking for gift ideas for upcoming Mother and/or Father’s Day!

While the plates, silverware and table centerpiece seem to be what most of us find ourselves most focused on when serving guests a meal, be sure to pay attention to the small details, and you will be sure to wow your guests and want them coming back for more, even if that mushroom risotto was not your best work.

Happy Hosting!

*This is a sponsored post. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are solely my own. I only share reviews with my readers, I feel will be beneficial or informative in some way.