3 Easy Ambience Tips For The Perfect Dinner Party Mood

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Ever wondered why even the best-executed home-cooked dinners don’t quite taste as good as restaurant meals? It’s probably the ambience.

From the dimly lit nooks to the classy playlists, restaurants have mastered the art of moody meals. Luckily, you don’t have to spend hundreds on a night out to experience the same je-ne-sai-quoi feeling around your own dinner table.

Here are five accessible tips that you can customize to create the perfect dinner party ambience from the comfort of home. 

Beginner and advanced options are provided for each!

Create A Soundscape for Connection

With all the streaming services available on the internet, music is undoubtedly the most accessible ambience element.

It’s a powerful tool for connection and getting your guests on the same wavelength. Music sets the tone for your entire evening, so choosing the right playlist is important.

A Playlist for Each Vibe

Think about creating different playlists for different parts of the night—perhaps something a bit more upbeat for cocktail hour, something mellow for dinner service, and a full-blown dance party near the end!

Consider your theme, too—classical music for more classy, black tie events, or 1920s music for a prohibition-themed party.

Beginner Option:

• Start with one quality speaker and the Spotify app. 
• Start building your playlist as soon as you decide on a theme. 
• Test different areas of your space to see where the acoustics work best for optimal speaker placement.

Advanced Option:

• For the best listening experience, create a multi-zone audio setup across the communal spaces in your home
• Think outdoor speakers for the backyard, ceiling speakers in the dining room, and mobile speakers for flexibility.
• Invest in these gradually, starting with the spaces you gather in most
• Invite a musician guest to play some musical instruments to showcase their skills and latest work

Lighten The Mood

Lighting literally shapes perception, which is why it’s just as important as music. 

In general, you want to avoid harsh overhead lighting or fluorescent brightness, which are instant ambience killers.

One of our dinner party ambience non-negotiables is freshly lit candles at the table for every event.

Candles are the ancient technology that just keep on giving. They create warmth, movement, sophistication, and an intimate atmosphere.

Most importantly, they are pretty inexpensive and easy to procure, no matter where you are.

Beginner Option

• Scatter some tea lights around your dinner table. 
• Consider investing in a few small candle holders and some longer 4-9” candles to scatter around your common areas.

Advanced Option: Layer Your Lighting

• Play around with combining candlelight with soft overhead lighting or dimmer switches.
• Seek out an elegant candelabra to create a focal point.

At her Supper Club, Elva Alushi had a ritual where all the guests would blow out the candelabra candles together at the end of the night, which we absolutely loved!

A Sensory Experience Through Scent

The next level of ambience we typically invest in, for say, more meaningful or larger gatherings, would be flowers & aroma.

Fresh flowers are a symbol of care and intentionality, signalling to our guests that their presence is something worth celebrating. 

If fresh flowers are not available to you year-round, consider investing in a faux flower arrangement and an essential oil diffuser or reed diffusers. Scent diffusers are a great way to keep busy areas like the foyer and bathrooms feeling welcoming and fresh.

Play Around With These Dinner Party-Friendly Ambience Scents:

• Ylang Ylang
• Rose
• Bergamot
• Vanilla
• Sweet orange
• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Lemongrass

Beginner Option

• Invest in a nice vase that you save for special occasions.
• On the day of or the day before your dinner party, go out to your local market for an in-season bouquet. 
• Position it in a palace where it won’t get in the way of connection (not right in the middle of your dinner table).

Advanced Option

• Select a faux floral centerpiece that’s flexible enough to use for casual to mid-level dinner parties. 
• Invest in various small to medium-sized vases.
• On the day of your dinner party, divide 1-2 bouquets into smaller arrangements to place around the house where you know guests will congregate—living room, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, foyer, etc.
• Invest in an essential oil diffuser and 2-3 of your favorite, warm, inviting scents. 

What’s Your Signature Dinner Party Ambience?

Congrats! You officially have everything you need to transform your dining room into an intimate space for Saturday night memories—all without the reservation fee or restaurant price tag.

When you combine thoughtful ambience with delicious food and intentional table settings, you create an experience that rivals your favorite coffee shop or supper club.

If you’re ready to make gathering a ritual instead of a once-in-a-blue-moon treat, download the Gourmet Host app. It’s the only app that streamlines your entire hosting journey—from invites to menu planning to the moment your guests arrive. 

Or, get the full run-down of our party planning process, refined over the course of 15+ years and hundreds of dinner parties, by reading our article on how to host a dinner party.

If timing is your concern, check out our time-stamped dinner party planning checklist here.

For more hosting inspiration, insider tips, and real stories from our community, join the Dinner Notes newsletter.

Your next memorable night is just a few clicks away.

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