Inviting guests round for dinner

[Bigoystershell]

DH as invited his family round for dinner this eve, all good as we were busy this morning and I said I'd bake with DD this aft. Then DH says he's invited them to arrive at 5.

AIBU to think this is early for Sat eve dinner. I was imagining they'd arrive 6.30ish for a Sat eve together, not what is really late afternoon. They're a few miles away btw.

YANBU. As they’re local tell him to ask them to come an hour or so later if that would help.

Yes, way too early.

Dude, this is a conversation you should have had earlier, with each other!

5 seems perfect to me. A glass of pre dinner fizz or two and nibbles, for a meal at 630/7 ish.

Are you ready though?

Why isn't he cooking? I don't think 5 is too bad.

I think family is a bit different. Mine would happily amuse themselves or help out. It’s not the same with friends.

I think 5 is fine. He's not saying you need food on the table at 5, is he?

Round these parts, dinner party guests would arrive about 7/7.30 on Saturday evening. 5 is just teatime. That said, they're close family so probably not a dinner party as such.

If I was having a 'dinner party' then I would expect guests to arrive about 7pm and start serving dinner at about 7.30pm.

If my family were coming for dinner then I would expect them from 4pm onwards and I would serve dinner whenever it was cooked.

And I would expect husband to be fully participating in either cleaning or cooking.

We have a tiny kitchen, so can't all hang out during cooking. We haven't started cooking yet, were busy all afternoon.

They don’t have to hang out in the kitchen. They can spend time with the children in the living room while you/your dh cooks.

If I were having local family over for the meal we have in the evening, then yes, on a non-work day I'd invite them for 5, a we would normally eat what we would call our tea by about 6.

If I were having some kind of formal dinner party, for adults, then I'd expect the invitation to be 7 for 7.30 maybe. However, I wouldn't consider my / my dh's family coming round as a formal dinner party situation.

Surely they can spend time with the dc whilst the adults crack on with the cooking?

If we get together with dh's family, then it is always a 'from 3/3.30' invitation, to spend time together before eating around 5.30. Then those with little ones can get them off to bed by 8ish.

this will depend so much on the make up of your family and what their own traditions / expectations are. No-one is 'wrong' here.

Are they elderly? That’s very early for supper. I guess if it’s family it’s going to be less formal so less of an issue but at 5pm I’d maybe have laid the table but not have dressed.

I don’t think they’re expecting to eat at 5pm.

My family can call to my home anytime they want, clearly your husband takes the same view and I don't see anything wrong with that.

5 doesn't seem that early to me, especially for family. When my parents or inlaws come for dinner they normally arrive around 3:30ish, with us eating around 7pm.

Today we have friends (well dh's work friend and partner,) coming for dinner. They will arrive around 6pm, maybe a little earlier. We will sit down to eat around 7:30pm.

With closer friends they'd come a bit earlier - I would just need to be careful not to drink too much with them when chatting if I am cooking ;)

It depends what time you usually eat. If you usually eat at 6/6:30 then 5 seems reasonable but if you usually eat closer to 7/8:00 then that leaves too much time to be entertaining before dinner.

Probably eat around the 7.30. They've arrived, already guzzling wine fast. They'll be blotto by 6

We don't have DC as such for them to play with, DD is a teenager.