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Last Updated on February 11, 2025
Valentine’s Day is often seen as a celebration of romantic love, but why not expand that celebration? Celebrate all forms of love — like the love between your best friends and family — by hosting an incredible dinner party.
Find out how you can create a fine dining experience for this special holiday.
Cater Your Dinner
Bring a restaurant-style experience to your dining room with the help of a top-quality catering company. A perfect fit for this party would be McEwan Catering, which has a stellar Valentine’s menu.
With the Valentine’s menu, you can start off the night with appetizers like wagyu dumplings and deviled cod cakes. Follow those small bites with stunning entrees like Asian glazed black cod with a coconut lemongrass broth or a Surf & Turf dinner, featuring beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce and lobster tails with vermouth butter. End with a decadent dessert, like coconut panacotta or chocolate torta.
You can find excellent options beyond the Valentine’s menu. Maybe you’d prefer the Rustic Italian dinner menu, which includes ricotta gnocchi, roasted orate and Fabbrica meatballs. Or maybe you’d like the French Bistro dinner menu, featuring Chicken Supreme, pan-seared European sea bass and French beans almandine. Explore all of the menus to find courses that you think your guests will adore.
Plan Drink Pairings
Now that you have the food covered, you need to think about the drinks! Every fine dining establishment offers wine pairings to go with tasting menus, so you should have some wine bottles available for your dinner party. To stick with the Valentine’s Day theme, choose rich red wines and delicate roses.
Your catering company will have great wine offerings, like Francis Coppola’s Sofia Rosé and Caves d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé. You can save yourself a shopping trip and order your bottles from them.
You can also set up a bar cart with the components for Valentine’s Day cocktails. By having the ingredients present, you can craft these cocktails on demand. Go above and beyond with delicate glassware, high-quality liquor and beautiful garnishes. Your guests will be so impressed they’ll want to raise a toast the moment that they get their cocktail.
Set the Scene
A beautiful meal deserves a beautiful setting. To really enhance the feel of a fine dining experience, transform your dining space with Valentine’s décor. These are some ideas to consider:
- Flowers: What’s a Valentine’s Day without flowers? Add flower arrangements of red and pink roses, peonies, snapdragons and dahlias. If you have limited table space, have one large arrangement as a centerpiece and then have an assortment of bud vases with flower clippings. You can also sprinkle flower petals across the table.
- Lights: Enhance the ambiance by dimming the overhead lights. Use a mix of unscented white pillar candles and tea lights to create an intimate atmosphere.
- Table Settings: Set the table with your best plates, silverware, glassware and napkins. For an added touch, print out menus of the food and drinks available and place them on each table setting. These can be taken home as lovely souvenirs for the night.
Create a Dress Code
Many fine dining establishments have dress codes. Guests can’t walk into the restaurant wearing gym shorts and flip-flops — they need to dress up.
Take inspiration from this and ask your guests to follow a “dress code.” You can ask them to wear cocktail attire or to embrace the Valentine’s theme with red and pink clothing. The dress code will elevate the dining experience and make for some excellent photo opportunities.
Hosting an impressive dinner party is easier than you think. Follow these tips and stun your guests with an unforgettable evening.
