How many people should I invite for dinner?

Assess your table. With food, candles and a bottle of wine how many people can comfortably sit there? Are you serving your dinner family style? In which case you're going to need extra room for the dishes of food. However, I find bringing plated meals from the kitchen can be less awkward for guests than fumbling with serving dishes and quantities. Remember though in each case the challenges of keeping the food hot.