I’d probably bring a bottle of wine or a loaf of homemade bread. If it were near the holidays, I might bring a box of nice candy or else something a little more festive than bread, but with a shelf life to it.
If I were hosting, I’d like to see something appear if I served something more elegant than chilli or taco fixings. I’d be happy with flowers, wine, a house plant, or even something like cocoa mix.
Sorry, people being nice and inviting me places makes me anxious and I don’t read straight.
I would ask what can I bring first and if I’m told nothing I would bring a desert or flowers…
I would ask if I could bring something, expect to hear a no unless that was the relationship we had (we have friends who are as into preparing nice meals as we are, and we routinely decide to get together for dinner on a particular evening and then decide who will be providing what), and then bring a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of wine.
I’d definitely bring a bottle of wine for the host to enjoy at a later date.
I’d bring a bottle of wine or possibly something else. And would not expect it to be consumed that night. It’s a present–sounds like this is a dinner party with food, drink & table decor already lined up…
If it’s just an casual dinner with friends, I’d usually bring beer or wine plus something in the appetizer / salad / dessert line. If it’s a formal dinner party, I wouldn’t bring food, but would bring a nicer bottle of wine or some other sort of host gift.
It wouldn’t occur to me not to bring anything. Wine is the obvious choice. Flowers can be good. If it’s more casual I may offer to bring dessert or an appetizer.
I always ask if I can bring something. When you say no the first time, I’ll ask again with a suggestion that I think everyone might like. “Are you sure? What about a bottle of wine?” If you still say no, then I won’t bring anything.
If people bring me things, I’m always appreciative. I’m certainly not offended if you brought something and I’m also not offended if you didn’t.
I haven’t read any resposes, but in situations like these I always bring a bottle of wine which can either be drank with the meal or left till later: your choice.
And If I invite you and you don’t bring anything, that’s cool, because I probably didn’t expect anything.
Now I’ll see what others wrote.
Absolutely. Hopefully I know you well enough to determine what wine, flowers, plant, dessert or something you and/or your lovely wife would like.
I am not easily (ever) offended; so if you do not bring a gift that is OK. Just the pleasure of your company will suffice.
Host/hostess gifts: something my Mom taught me. 
Cacti and sand would make a nice host gift.
I might bring homemade cookies or some such thing.
A desert? that’s cruel, since my husband is an Iraq veteran, and really doesn’t want to relive those days, not with an actual desert in the living room. And I am allergic to angiosperms.
When I put on a full meal and invite people over I don’t expect anything. If somebody brought dessert and I’d already made some for the meal I’d probably be a little put out, but if they asked up front and I didn’t have a dessert planned I’d just tell them to bring one. Wine on the other hand is always welcome. Hell, bring two bottles!
First I’d ask whether there’s anything I should bring. If you ask me to bring a side dish or dessert or wine, I’ll ask what you’re serving so I can coordinate. (And if you are the friends who most frequently invite me, I will avoid anything with nuts because of allergies in the house.)
Assuming you tell me everything is covered, I will probably bring a bottle of wine unless I know you don’t drink, in which case I will probably bring a dessert that can be stored or frozen in case you don’t feel like eating it right then.
(If you are my kosher-keeping former co-worker, I will bring flowers instead of food or drink. Or once when you were super-sweet and threw me a goodbye party, I brought you a copy of a cookbook of mine that I knew you coveted.)
I’ll always bring something, even after I called you and you told me you don’t need anything. I’ll bring candy or wine, or if you were really insistent on not bringing food I’d bring flowers.
I would automatically bring a bottle of wine and a very nice 6 pack of craft beer.
Oh, and Kayaker, I also brought an anonymously wrapped DVD as a gift to a friend’s wedding years ago.
It was a copy of Good Burger.
In general, it’s polite to bring something. Wine or beer or something that doesn’t necessarily have to be eaten that evening.
In the past, it was common to bring a cake. My mother thought one of the funniest things in Woody Allen’s Bananas is that he brought a cake when invited to the president’s house for dinner.
Either flowers, a plant, or a bottle of wine that I’d be sure to mention “I hope you and your spouse enjoy this later”, so the host doesn’t think I expect them to open it with tonight’s dinner.
I was brought up to bring a “hostess gift”, and by god, I’ll do just that!
Reminds me of the guy celebrating his first blow job with tequila shots and the bartender offers him a free drink. “If the first five won’t take away the taste, the sixth won’t.”:eek:
I’d bring wine, or dessert if you weren’t drinking. Maybe even flowers if the occasion called for it.