Set the table and the mood with these instax™ dinner party ideas

What’s better than catching up with your besties over your fave food? We’re over going out for expensive meals when you can enjoy all the best bits from your own cosy space. 

Whether it’s a hefty one-pot pasta or you’re releasing your inner Michelin Star chef, dinner parties bring it all. Comfort, deliciousness, and fun vibes.

Make your next get-together even more memorable with dinner party decor — the instax™ way. With photo table decorations, keepsakes (and an interactive activity or two if that’s your thing), you can make your next dinner party totally you.

Theme it up with photo decor

Dinner party themes tie it all together. From the dress code to the menu and the evening’s soundtrack, a theme encourages you and your guests to get a bit creative. And photo decor is the perfect way to bring your theme to life. 

Wondering how to display photos at a dinner party while reflecting your theme? Here are a few ideas to get you started…

Personalised place settings

Going nostalgic with a '90s or Y2K throwback? Get all your guests to send a childhood snap, print it with your mini Link 3 smartphone printer, et voila: personalised place cards. 

Table decor

Bringing a cottagecore edge to your autumn gathering? Amongst the hearty soup (a starter must-have) and the mugs of pumpkin spice latte, set out snaps of the most beautiful woodlands. 

Go macro with shots of mushrooms and golden leaves, or print off your favourite memories of crisp October walks. Prop them up on mini easels, scatter some pine cones, and you’ve got perfect dinner party table decor.

The instax SQUARE Link™ printer is ideal for artistic pics, with each one in a stylish square format.

Photo wall display

Fancy a sophisticated soiree? As your guests arrive in all their finery, take a snap using the SQUARE SQ40, and add them to a ‘wall of fame’ photo display. Bonus points for fairy lights and sparkles.

Photo bunting

For the true crime buffs and drama fans, you can’t go wrong with a murder mystery dinner party. Set the scene with photo bunting. Twine + instant prints + mini pegs = versatile bunting decor to drape around your dining space. Again, bonus points for fairy lights. 

Maybe each snap depicts a guest’s mugshot. Or maybe you go full Cluedo with pictures of different rooms or murder objects for suspects to refer to throughout the event. 

Of course, there’s no end to the themes you could choose for your dinner party, from seasonal vibes (hello Halloween scarefest and Christmas merriment) to “the wrong party”, where guests turn up dressed for the ‘wrong’ occasion. 

Whichever you choose, you can adapt your photo decorations to suit.  

Functional and aesthetic photo menus

They say we eat with our eyes first, so get your guests hungry with mouthwatering depictions of what’s on the menu. There are a couple of fun ways to do this:

1. Practice your dishes ahead of time and snap some pics as you go. Point and snap with the instax™ mini 12 for credit-card-sized visual representations of each course. Place them on each setting for your besties to guess exactly what’s coming up, write the dish name on the frame, or share the pictures along with a written menu.

2. Do the same thing but take photos with your smartphone, then print them using your instax Link photo printer. With the Link apps, you can add some extra elements, including text, to show what each dish is.
   Alternatively, add an extra layer by sharing a QR code to a secret message — you’ll need the instax Link WIDE™ printer for this feature.

The same process is great for drinks, too, especially if your dinner party is going to include cocktails that look as good as they taste. Give our food pics that pop article a browse for more inspiration on taking and printing food photos with instax™ cameras and printers.

Interactive photo challenges 

Looking for a way to keep everyone entertained while you dish up in the kitchen? At the beginning of the party, set some interactive photo challenges for guests to complete throughout the evening.

It could be a dinner party photo bingo game, where each person takes photos of items on their bingo card (e.g. the unaesthetic mid-mouthful shot, a ‘cheers’ snap, or an artsy candlelit moment).

For general rules and inspo, check out our blog: Musical festival bingo: instax™ edition. 

On a similar vibe, you could create a photo scavenger hunt (ideal for a murder mystery dinner party).

Other activities you could try include:

• Best caption comp: Take an instant photo and let everyone come up with the funniest caption.

• Photo prompts: Before the dinner party, write out some fun prompts, like “strike a dramatic pose with your drink” or “pretend you’re on a cooking show”. Let each guest draw a prompt from a hat and take a photo of their action. You can then add these to your guest book or add them to your photo decor around the room.

• Before and after: Gather everyone for a group shot at the beginning of the night (WIDE formats are ideal for getting everyone in frame). Then, do an end-of-the-night pic to see how everyone fares after hearty meals and lots of laughs.

DIY photo booth

Did you know you can use the instax mini Link 3™ printer as a photo booth? That’s right, this pocket-sized gadget has an extra trick up its sleeve. When paired with the instax mini Link 3™ app (connected via Bluetooth), you can use Collage Mode to snap a series of photos — just like a photo booth. 

Alternatively, you could get one person to take a snap for you with your fave instax™ camera. 

Either way, why not get creative with a backdrop and add some props to play around with?

Cute instant photo keepsakes

One of the most satisfying parts of printing instant photos throughout your dinner party is their shareability. Whether you use your phone and print right away from your instax Link™ printer or you point and snap with an instant camera, you can dish out the pics. 

Each guest can take away a photo or two to remind them of the event. Our mini film prints are just the right size to tuck into a phone case, while our SQUARE and WIDE formats can be displayed on the fridge or around the home as a cute keepsake. 

Snap and serve for long-lasting dinner party memories

Sometimes, staying in beats going out. Hosting a dinner party means you can spend time with your faves sharing a tasty meal and plenty of laughs. So capture the moment with photo table decor, interactive fun, and personalised keepsakes. 

Explore the full range of instax™ cameras, smartphone printers, and instant film designs to find the perfect match for your next dinner party. (We have a handy comparison tool to try if you’re stuck!)