Let’s start with the wine. Buy a bottle. Drink a glass or two. Relax and plan your dinner party. Whether it’s a casual dinner with friends or a holiday dinner with family, the essentials remain the same if you want to have them clamoring for more from the delightful diva of dinner parties. Of course, you can always get away with the least amount of effort, and your guests will go home happily fed. But will they talk about your party the next day—at all? In a complimentary way? Will they rave to everyone they see? If you want their praise, you’ll have to amaze. Just remember, simple things make the difference.

· Invitations

Sure, telephone and email are perfectly acceptable ways to invite guests to your dinner party, but you have to go that extra mile to make the event extraordinary. Buy or create cool invitations, hand-write them and mail them. It doesn’t take a lot of time, effort or money to delight people when they find something other than bills and advertisements in their mail.

· Ambience

Make your guests feel like they’ve never been to your home before. Illuminate with a minimum of lamplight. Use candles wherever you can. Set the mood with music—jazz, easy listening, rock and roll--whatever fits the company. You might want to use reed diffusers and scented oil to create a pleasing fragrance throughout the house. Have a bar set up where guests can help themselves, which makes it easier on you. If it really is your guests’ first time in your home, they’ll feel incredibly welcome and touched that you’ve truly gone out of your way for them.

· Centerpiece

Even if you have a small table that will be filled with place settings and platters of food, make sure to leave some space for a centerpiece. The centerpiece doesn’t have to be large or elaborate—just proportional to the size of the table. Flowers are always a good choice, as are pillar candles or floating candles. If you’re celebrating a birthday, an anniversary or a holiday, create a centerpiece that reflects the occasion.

· Cuisine

After you’ve determined your menu, put some thought into how you might garnish each dish. If you’ve ever watched the Food Network, you’ve already learned that presentation is everything. Turn to the Internet to learn how to make carrot curls, cherry tomato roses, radish roses, lemon twists, fennel or dill sprigs, green-onion brushes, fluted cucumbers or mushrooms. Don’t be surprised if you enjoy the creativity!

· Thank-You Gift

Your guests will likely bring a customary hostess gift, and you can return the thoughtful gesture with unique party favors — affordable, memorable and the icing on the cake when it comes to dazzling dinner parties. You can always tie the party favor to a theme, whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, a specific season, a holiday or some other celebration. If your dinner is just a get-together with your favorite people, the favor can be a wine-bottle stopper, a candle, a cute photo frame or a favor box that matches the colors of your tabletop. Make these five essentials part of your next dinner party, and you can be sure your guests will leave wanting more!