Written by Ross Mumford, Reviewed by Avery Stone
Throwing a turn-back-the-time dinner party is like the ultimate costume party—one where everyone gets to be their most glamorous and genteel selves. It begins with the atmosphere and builds from there. This kind of soirée recaptures the elegance of a bygone era and gives everyone a moment to dream. Sound like fun? Here’s how to make it happen.
Setting The Stage
The Setting: It’s April 1912. You and your guests are among the rich, famous, and fashionable first-class passengers on board the maiden voyage of the world’s largest and luxurious Ship, Titanic.
The Invitation: Formal invitations, of course (bonus points for cursive!). Include requested attire, a reply card, and a stamped envelope for RSVPs (or a modern alternative, like an email or website).
The Style: This is a formal affair, so dress to impress! The dress code can be either white-tie or black-tie, with men in suits with tails and women in long evening gowns. Everyone should come dressed in their Edwardian fashions for Titanic’s First Class Dining Saloon—ready to sparkle, gossip, and turn heads.
Boarding: As RSVPs arrive, prepare a “boarding pass” for each guest. Get creative. Who will be your Margaret (Molly) Brown, John Jacob Astor IV, or Countess of Rothes? You can assign roles or let guests choose and research their passengers. Bonus: include a brief bio or fun fact about each character in your invitations or at the table.
Seating Arrangements: Your table should feel like the Captain’s Table on Titanic. The host sits either at the center or head of the table. Use place cards with each guest’s “passenger name.”
Set the Table
The centerpiece of your evening is the dining table. Titanic’s first-class dinner was famously 11-courses. Each dish required its own set of utensils, plates, and glasses. While you don’t have to serve all 11 courses, recreate the atmosphere with:
- A white tablecloth
- Fresh flowers
- Orchestral classical music or ragtime
- Candles or soft lighting for an amber glow
If you’d like authentic touches, replica “Wisteria” china used in Titanic’s First Class Dining Saloon would be the perfect addition to your table, painted in brown and turquoise and featuring the White Star Line logo. They are available at RMS Titanic Inc.’s online store.
The Menu
You can serve as many or as few courses as you like. While an 11-course meal might be ambitious, here are some highlights we recommend:
- Aperitif: Champagne
- Glassware: Champagne flutes (or coupe glasses)
- Soup: Cream or consommé
- Dishware: Soup bowls (with underplates)
- Silverware: Soup spoons
- Glassware: Water goblets, white wine glasses
- Fish: Poached salmon
- Dishware: Fish plates (slightly smaller than dinner plates)
- Silverware: Fish knife and fork (if available, otherwise standard fork and knife)
- Glassware: Water goblets, white wine glasses
- Palate Cleanser: Sorbet
- Dishware: Sorbet glass (wide-rimmed or coupe-style stemmed glass)
- Silverware: Small dessert spoon
- Glassware: Water goblets, no wine is refilled during this course
- Roast: Chicken or beef with roasted potatoes and creamed carrots
- Dishware: Dinner plates (main course)
- Silverware: Dinner knife and fork
- Glassware: Water goblets, red wine glasses
- Salad: Macédoine de fruits (recipe below)
- Dishware: Salad plates (or small dessert plates)
- Silverware: Salad fork (or dessert fork if using fruit salad as a palate refresher)
- Glassware: Water goblets, champagne flutes, or dessert wine glasses
- Sweets: French vanilla ice cream or Waldorf pudding
- Dishware: Dessert bowls or plates
- Silverware: Dessert spoon
- Glassware: Dessert wine glasses
- Coffee, Tea, and Cordials: Finish the evening in style
- Dishware: Coffee or teacups with saucers
- Glassware: Liqueur glasses or cordial glasses
Macédoine de Fruits Recipe
This fresh fruit salad, named after the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, could have been served in the À la Carte Restaurant as a light, sweet palate cleanser. Makes 4 servings.
- Peel and dice 2 each: pears, peaches, plums, apples, bananas.
- Stir diced fruit with ½ cup small raspberries and 2 tbsp lemon juice.
- Simple Syrup: Combine 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water in a large pot over medium heat. Stir gently until dissolved. Boil 1 minute or until clear. Cool.
- Blend 1 cup simple syrup with ¼ loosely packed mint leaves; pour over fruit.
- Stir in 2 tbsp rum or kirsch.
- Let stand at room temperature for 1 ½ hours.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly toast ¼ cup slivered almonds on a lined baking sheet until lightly golden.
- Sprinkle almonds over fruit before serving.
Edwardian Dining Etiquette
Help your guests stay in character and make Edwardian socialite and etiquette author Emily Post proud:
- Sit up straight and keep elbows off the table.
- Napkin on your lap, never tucked in your collar.
- Use silverware from the outside in.
- Conversation should be polite, never boisterous.
- And try to keep phones away (unless discreetly hidden under your napkin).
Bonus Touches
- Music: Play period-appropriate music such as ragtime, waltzes, or light orchestral pieces. Check your favorite music app for a pre-made playlist.
- Décor: Add brass candlesticks, lace runners, crystal glasses, china dishware, charger plates, cloth napkins, and floral arrangements of roses, lilies, or hydrangeas. Check with your family and friends for dishware or your local thrift store.
- Photos: Create a simple photo backdrop—perhaps with a printed Grand Staircase image—for “portraits.” For those wanting to be creative, build and paint Titanic’s bow out of recycled cardboard.
- Favors: Send guests home with Titanic-themed keepsakes, like chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil or vintage-style postcards stamped “RMS Titanic.”
If you’d rather dine like a first-class passenger without the cleanup, you can also experience the Titanic Dinner Gala at TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition in Orlando.