Tips for Hosting a Dinner Party for 20 Guests and Up

When faced with hosting a large (more like huge) family dinner for the holidays, lifestyle blogger Monika Hibbs made some unexpected choices that totally paid off. And to make the holidays even more festive, she joined forces with her interior designer cousin, Stephanie Giesbrecht, to make sure her home was merry in bright. See how their 70-person family affair was made to feel warm and intimate in Monika’s gorgeous home.

Instead of cramming guests into her dining room (which inevitably spills over into the kitchen. Who here hasn’t been relegated to the kid’s table in the kitchen?), Monika moved her holiday table to her basement. While not typically the scene of festive gatherings, basements usually offer lots of room for multiple tables and serving stations.

Monika relies on benches for additional seating, which allows for a few extra guests to be squeeze in (we’re all family here, right?). Layered with luxurious materials, like sheepskin or velvet throws, the benches take on a whimsical place at the table.

Monika and Stephanie chose to mix natural elements with classic winter decor. They paired black and white tartan tableware with metallic silverware, all found at Homesense, and to keep the sight lines open, for easy dinner conversation, Monika and Stephanie opted for a cedar garland to run the length of the table. They personalized the tablescape with family keepsakes, as well as personalized ornaments for guests to take home as party favours!

With such a large party, it was important for Monika and Stephanie to ensure their dinner still felt personal and welcoming. They designed place cards in calligraphy, and set them against festive pears tied with ribbon.

Hosting a dinner party of any size can be stressful, so Monika encourages setting the table well in advance, along with creating a seating plan. This will allow you to make thoughtful decisions about who should sit where.

A signature cocktail is a surefire way to inject a little festive cheer into your soiree. Go all out and source drinkware for your bevvy of choice. Monika Hibbs suggests fresh apple cider for the kids, and Moscow mules, served in classic copper, for the adults. For festive drinkware that won’t break the bank, Monika recommends hitting up your local Homesense.

When it came to decor, Stephanie used Monika’s bare white basement to her advantage and created a winter wonderland. She used wood tree figurines and pre-lit birch trees to draw in the outdoors, and draped the floor in sheepskin to create the look of freshly fallen snow.

Not only does a holiday vignette add to the festive spirit of your home, it comes in handy as a beautiful backdrop for family photos!

To maintain their winter wonderland theme, Monika and Stephanie dressed their birch trees in all-white ornaments.

Monika found this sweet little ornament at Homesense, which has a huge range of holiday ornaments, from woodland themed, to vintage and sparkly, and everything in between.

With all the excitement of hosting a holiday dinner, it’s easy to put off gift wrapping until the eleventh hour, but if you can manage to, Monika suggests wrapping presents well before the holidays. A tree dressed with gorgeously wrapped gifts will only add to your festive decor!

Take wrapping cues from Monika, who opts for a simple base of Kraft paper tied with velvet ribbon, and personalizes gifts with natural sprigs and a hand written gift tag. This is the surest way to create a designer worthy holiday tree.