From My Table to Yours: A DIY Guide to the Hosting A Seasonal Gathering

You're Invited to Our First Gathering - The Focal Point

Through my work I connect with plenty of empaths and introverts, a ton of people who adore their community—but really despise small talk.

To many of us, the idea of a relaxed dinner party sounds perfect in theory. A less overstimulating way to fill our social batteries and cultivate the types of friendships we KNOW we can have. The thought of actually hosting it? That’s a different story. 

What will I serve? What will all these rando friends I’ve gathered from my different phases and chapters of life even talk about? Will they judge my space? Does my home have a weird smell and I don’t realize? Do I have a weird smell??

I can’t vouch for your pheromones, but I do understand why the thought of a dinner party can feel as intimidating.

It’s intimate. Hosting is exposing. You’re showing off your space, your home, your little world. Your dust. Your clutter. Your LIFE to people. I want you to understand that showing that—showing the imperfectness of it all—is actually sacred.

3 Reasons to Consider This Dinner Party Your Opening Ceremony For Our Season 

Deep Conversations Feel Safe in Intimate Spaces: A cozy dinner party strips away the noise of big gatherings and invites richer, more meaningful connections. This isn’t small talk—it’s soul talk. The winter season calls us inward, and in this case, inside your own home. 

Your Space, Your Rules, Your Energy: Hosting at home gives you the reins to create something that feels unmistakably you.

Presence Is the Real Gift: When you pour intention into the details you create a space where everyone (yourself included) can fully drop in.

Not to toot my own horn, but I know a thing or two about hosting events. When I was the co-owner and co-creator of The GOOD Fest, my team and I would plan 1-day festivals for hundreds of wellness-obsessed people complete with stages, speakers, and brand sponsorships. I grew accustomed to juggling spreadsheets on a clipboard as I zoomed up, down, and around a venue juggling 501 details in my brain on event day…

& I still believe a dinner party is a unique skill and takes intention and (almost) just as much thought as a larger gathering. If you’re curious, you can click through this, this, and this link - consider them my informal event planning resume for now. 

Today, I’m your host. 

Settle in as I share this step-by-step guide to a DIY Dinner Party. I want you to literally pretend you’re walking into a party I’ve thrown just for YOU. And you don’t have to feel obligated to bring a hostess gift. 

After you take part as a virtual guest here, you’ll know exactly how to host your own seasonal soiree.

I’m about to hook you up with the ultimate hosting blueprint. From how to set the mood with a delectable tablescape (plus: recipe links for the dishes to be served!) to a plan for the intentional practices and conversations you’ll lead.

Hosting Groups + Intuitive Living = Mirrored (Magnified) Joy. 

I often remind my clients, “it’s time to live the life you healed for.”

And if they asked, I’d take it even further and apply it to their communities.  “It’s time to gather people who also want to see you live the life you healed for.”

If the idea of acquiring, writing, stamping, mailing invitations sounds like way too many steps, make your life easy (please) and just send a cute group text. 

Sometimes I create a Canva graphic and copy and paste it into the message. Your friends will be thrilled that the often discussed (then delayed) get-together is finally making it out of the group chat.

Maybe it feels more like more like you to send an evite. Or a voice note. Or a carrier pigeon.

No matter the form of messenger, you’ve elected yourself as host, so you’re gonna follow through. And I believe in you. 

But for now, you can be my guest.

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THE GATHERING & GROUP:

This is an evening to invite friends who are READY. 

Ready to make themselves a priority. Ready to prioritize their joy, their pleasure, their purpose. Ready to take up space, be seen, and be celebrated. Ready to ground down into a sustainable but bold pace, path, and vision for the year. The friends who are ready to declare a brave new beginning.

The friends who will let other friends be the focal point. The friends who will share the spotlight without dimming their light at all. 

THE EVENING’S INTENTION:

This isn’t just a dinner, it's an intentional experience where every guest is appreciated and supported in stepping into her power.

The menu, inspired by the richness of winter, nourishes both body and spirit, grounding you in possibility and strength. With decor in regal reds and earthy purples, the table will reflect abundance and beauty, and the dishes will highlight flavors and produce available during the winter season. 

Through moments of reflection and shared support, this evening invites you to focus your energy, gain clarity, and embrace the boldness of being you.

THE MOOD BOARD:

If you’re a visual person, feast your eyes on the ~ vibe ~ below:

Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you to figure this all out on your own with just a digital collage and a dream. I’m about to break down every. single. bit of this imaginary evening so you can make it a reality. Your friends will love that this night feels thoughtful but human, improvised, and still spontaneous. Not orchestrated or contrived - we’re not setting all this up for an IG reel.

If you can already feel a bit of tension building in your chest thinking about being the hostess-with-the-mostess, stop. Pause and breathe, you’re taking the fun out before the party even begins!

REMINDER: You are worthy of a life filled with meaning, connection, and full of moments spent with wine-stained lips and people you care about. Your name might not be Martha, and Snoop might not be on the guest list, but you can still host a beautiful dinner. 

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THE (OPTIONAL) DRESS CODE:

If your friends are anything like mine, they’ll lean right on in to any theme. I am a big believer in setting a fun (but always optional) “dress code” that gives everyone not only a loose idea of what to wear, but also an opportunity to make their night feel more special and exciting. 

For THE FOCAL POINT, tell your guests to choose a statement piece and flaunt it. They can achieve this through a fantastic piece of jewelry, a bold print, a bright color, or an exaggerated silhouette. Think Leo energy. This is a night to wear a fur coat over your shoulders at the table, rock your thigh high boots, make that stunning broach the main character, or slip on the silk scarf from an estate sale you simply had to have. Which I guess could mean you are bringing a +1, yourself and whoever may or may not be haunting that stunning garment…

The point of the evening is to take up s  p  a  c  e  with bold intentions & discuss courageous ways to focus on (and nourish) yourselves in the process. So dress the part. 

THE TABLE SETTING:

I look at a dining table as an altar.

And from my feng shui study I’ve learned that intention and energy flows where we tell it to. So by making a centerpiece THE focal point, in this case you are metaphorically grounding the table as an altar for spiritual shifts and impactful energetic upgrades. We’re here to worship ourselves and each other. 

Roll out white butcher paper directly on your table or as a runner across a white tablecloth (confession: I’ve used a clean top sheet as a tablecloth plenty of times)

Use simple white plates, everyday flatware thrift some napkins in a bold pattern or pop of complimentary color. Fold them and place them on top of the plate. 

I like to focus on edible and natural elements on my table. Scatter fruit — I recommend large pomegranates and dark purple grapes. 

This a) feels less wasteful, since you can end up eating the produce you chose later. Like, I can imagine your guests will nibble on the grapes later in the evening as everyone lingers to talk, or you’ll use the pomegranate aerials over your oatmeal the next morning. And b) because it celebrates earth’s bounty and natural beauty. It brings the outdoors, in. Which in feng shui is considered high-vibe and therefore a hell yes. 

Add some tall and medium height pillar candles or candle sticks. Or votives - whatever you have! I feel strongly that tablescapes shouldn’t be overly cluttered, so stick to 3 candles per foot. Votives work well here, too, because they’re easier to see over than stunning but super tall candelabras. 

Don’t worry if it feels sparse right now. Tonight’s meal will be served communally, so that will take up a great deal of the table real estate anyway. 

ARRIVALS:

Your guests arrive. You hug them. You offer to take their coat (unless it’s part of the ‘fit of course) but you know all this. 

I suggest you lead them to the pre-set table and suggest they find and MARK their space. With thick markers or crayons in purples, reds, or orange hues, they grab a color of their choice and scribble or sketch their name over their plate. 

There, within the first few moments you’ve already encouraged them to take up room and see themselves as an integral of this experience. 

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THE LIBATIONS:

We’re going with bold and funky flavors so it’s all about natural fermented wines and full-bodied reds later in the evening. 

I love orange wines (skin-contact) that have a bit of effervescence. They’re definitely distinct (almost Kombucha-like) in flavor. Then, transition to a bottle of red throughout the meal. 

If your group is more into mocktails, Curious Elixirs makes great bottled mocktails. And honestly, some sparkling water with a splash of pomegranate juice never fails either. 

THE MENU & FLAVORS:

This menu is a choose your own adventure, highlighting seasonal flavors and produce that do most of the impressive work for you as the host. I’ve gathered various recipes I would actually make in my own kitchen. Think salty-sweet nibbles to start, vibrant mains that pack a punch, and sides so good you’ll be definitely sharing links to the recipe when guests part ways. For dessert, we’re keeping it fun and unfussy. Who needs to bake when you’ve got a chic drizzle of olive oil available or room on the table for a nostalgic candy free-for-all?

Here’s what I’ve virtually cooked up for ya…

The remainder of this post is for paid subscribers. It includes 8 recipe links, dessert ideas and instructions, plus conversation starters + group practices to lead around the table that bring focus, clarity, and grounding to everyone in attendance.