CQ congratulations on stepping into the world of dinner parties - they are so much fun!
Elaborate dinner parties used to be a hobby of mine pre-children (when I say elaborate I once did a 7-course vegetarian dinner party for 8 so I used to really go OTT!) So while I have had quite a bit of experience in these things I always do the following:
1. Once you think you settled on your menu, make sure you have READ the recipes carefully. There is nothing worse than realising an hour before the guests arrive that yes, it only takes 20 minutes to prep the entree but you need to have completed step 1 of the recipe the day before!
2. Check that you have the implements you need - I'm talking baking pans, serving dishes, special tools like fine graters, etc.
3. Now for the fun bit - plan! Work out when, in great detail, you will prepare and/or cook everything. I'm talking (for example) "5.00pm - wash salad and set aside to dry, take steaks out of fridge to bring to room temperature, make salad dressing"; "5.20pm - crumb the fish fillets and put in fridge to set"; and so on. This might sound really anal but it means you have everything planned out so you can stay calm and just methodically work on what you need to do and you don't forget anything. It stops you preparing things way too early (if you are making a souffle, you don't want to whisk the eggs and have them sitting for too long, otherwise it won't rise). In your case, you might want to write down the time you plan to start heating the oven for the chicken, when to start heating the sauce, make a note to wash the berries in the early afternoon so they are completely dried by dessert time, and so on. I usually do this plan a few days ahead.
4. A lot of people recommend doing a test-cook before the big day. I never did, and I have had failures at dinner parties. You get over it (but a test cook is a good idea if you are worried or have the time/money.
Most importantly, remember that the best meals are served with love and calmness, so its better to have things a little off kilter and people happy than everything perfect and you in tears from stress!
For the desert... a sorbet is a fanastic idea. I make a lime basil sorbet and serve it in martini glasses, and put choclates out on the table as well.
Another one I did was take berries... whatever you want and cook 2 cups of berries on a low simmer with 1/2 cup water, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and 2 tbsp red wine for 45 minutes. Make (or buy) merangue nests and to serve pour 1-2 tbsp of the syrupy berries on top with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream.
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