Nothing is more relaxing during the week than having a great dinner and wine with my friends to unwind after work.  Springtime in Charleston is perfect to do that outside before the summer heat keeps you in the air conditioning, so we grabbed the necessities and had a great dinner on a Thursday night at a friend’s house!

Here are a few tips to quickly put together your own week night dinner party after a long day at work.  Trust me, only minimal effort is required to pull off cute table and enjoy a night with the girls!

Order Take Out

The least stressful kind of dinner party is one that you aren’t cooking, so call your favorite restaurant and grab some take out to share instead.  Five Loaves Cafe has been my favorite lunch & dinner spot in Charleston since freshman year at College of Charleston.  They have a huge variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees for all types of eaters plus amazing desserts.

We shared their beet salad, egg plant fritters salad, chicken caesar salad as well as roasted turkey sandwich,  chicken salad club and rueben sandwiches for dinner.  Cut the sandwiches into smaller pieces, throw the salads in bowls with serving spoons and you’re ready to serve!

The lemon blueberry mascarpone cake, peanut butter pie and brownie caramel cheesecake were the perfect to finish to our meal.

Variety of Wine

Try to have a variety of wine to please everyone that’s coming or just have everyone bring a bottle they like to share!  Rhône Valley Wines have reds, whites, and even roses that will pair with any type of food.  We drank Domaine de la Bastide Côtes du Rhône Villages Visan (red) , Cuvée Domaine Ventoux Rosé, and Vieilles Vignes Vacqueyras (white).  The Visan was our favorite and went down so smooth and the white was a great complement with dessert!

Add Fresh Flowers

I don’t know why, but adding a vase or two of fresh flowers just makes everything seem nicer.  You don’t have to spend a fortune on flowers either – I grabbed 2 types of white flowers from the grocery store for a few bucks and just put them in a vase and mason jars.  The tall vase adds a little height to the table and the flowers just automatically class things up.

Use Your China

Just like the flowers, there’s something about serving food on platters, and not just using disposable plates, that makes the meal seem fancier.  Yes, you’ll wash the dishes later, but you didn’t register for that serving platter not to use it, right? Another perk, if people don’t know you picked up the food, they’ll guess you made it since it looks great on a plate or in a wooden bowl. 😉

Now enjoy the fun night with your friends and enjoy these types of dinners more – Cheers!

Wine: Rhône Wines | Food: Five Loaves Cafe |Photos: Michelle O | Decor: Coastal Kelder

This post was sponsored by Rhône Wines, but all opinions and text are all mine.