My 'wish list' for a dinner night is lengthy!
A 7.30 start at the earliest so everyone can get home from work and get changed/feed kids etc
On a Friday night for a change so we can actually have a drink without being hanging all the next day at work.
No themes!
Relax the dress code a little so we can wear what we want (within reason, I'm not suggesting jeans and t-shirts but the choice of a knee length cocktail-ish dress and not having to find something creative to cover the shoulders would be nice!)
Cold G&T and white wine rather than the traditional luke warm offerings.
Seat me in the same continent as my husband. I don't see him that often!
Mix up the subbies with the old and bold.
Leave the wine on the table. Please!! Or make sure you've plenty of staff to keep topping up.
Place cards with 'guest of Maj X' are just rude. If you've got the name of the guest, use it!
Make the starter more interesting than the standard goats cheese tart with 3 bits of limp rocket. Leave the gravy/sauce on the table too.
Have the speeches last no more than 15 minutes. Not each, all together! And do it during the cheese.
Let me keep my glass of wine during the toasts so I don't have to drink the port. Bad things happen when I'm left alone with port.
Keep the bar open past midnight and have a decent Bluetooth speaker in the bar so when all the formal bits are done with you can have some real fun. Nothing like seeing what music's on someone's iPhone to find out who they are!
Does that help?!