Holiday Party Prep: Plan Your Table Settings
We’ve been prepping for holiday hosting one week at a time; so far we’ve tackled the extra seating conundrum, made room in the kitchen and prepped the house.
Now it’s time to nail that perfect table setting, so when party time
comes, you can focus more on the merrymaking than on flowers and salad
forks. These nine tips will help you set a beautifully festive table,
buffet and bar.
Test out your place setting.
To set the table for a formal dinner, start with a charger, then stack
up the dinner plate and salad plate. Lay out the forks on the left,
knives and spoons on the right, remembering that guests will use the
silverware on the outside first and work their way in. Pull out all the
stops on a nonparty day and take a snapshot you can refer to, so you’ll
stress less before the big event.
Choose one color or material to be the star of the table. Try a gleaming metallic hue for a sophisticated look or bright, clear colors for a fun, modern take; or go cozy and rustic with natural fibers. Whatever you choose, narrowing the palette will help make your table look more polished and intentional.
Choose one color or material to be the star of the table. Try a gleaming metallic hue for a sophisticated look or bright, clear colors for a fun, modern take; or go cozy and rustic with natural fibers. Whatever you choose, narrowing the palette will help make your table look more polished and intentional.
Use lots of small candles and flowers. Oversize
floral arrangements and huge candelabras may look impressive in a
photo, but in real life they just block the view of your neighbors at
the table and make it harder to pass the food. Keep the mood festive and
conversational by going with short bouquets and lots of tiny tea lights
instead. Using all-one-color blooms in tiny vases looks chic — and is
easy for even a flower-arranging beginner to pull off.
Two Naturally Beautiful Tablescapes for Holiday Dining
Two Naturally Beautiful Tablescapes for Holiday Dining
Do a trial run of your buffet setup. Think
you’re getting off easy because you’ll be serving buffet-style? Setting
up an appealing buffet that’s also easy on your guests takes a little
planning. Keep plates at the beginning of the line, flatware and napkins
at the end, and drinks on a separate table. If you have the room, pull
your buffet table away from the wall to allow guests access from both
sides. Add a vase of branches, a few tall candleholders and something
purely decorative — a few nicely wrapped gifts work well during the
holidays. Vary the height of your serving dishes by using a few taller
pieces, like footed bowls and cake stands.
Make more space with a separate bar.
At a big holiday dinner, the food alone is enough to make the table
groan — set up a separate bar to ease the pressure. Whether you are
doing a buffet or seated dinner, keep a nearby sideboard outfitted with
the essentials: bottles, opener, bucket for chilled wine, carafes of
water, rows of glasses and a stack of cocktail napkins, so guests can
help themselves.
Spruce Up Your Bar Cart
Spruce Up Your Bar Cart
Set it and forget it with potted plants. Want
one less thing to attend to on party day? Choose a few small potted
herbs, miniature topiaries or succulents to use as table decor instead
of fresh flowers. All you need to do is plunk them on the table when the
time comes. Just be sure to use pretty cachepots like the ones shown
here, rather than regular flowerpots with drainage holes in the bottom —
they will look neater on the table, and you won’t have to worry about
leaks or spilled dirt.
Add a personal touch with simple place cards. It’s
the little things that are often the most memorable. Dress up each
place with a handwritten place card tucked into a pinecone, tied with
twine to the stem of a pear or pomegranate, or fastened to a napkin.
Start DIY ideas early. Doesn’t
it always seem that DIY projects take longer and are more complicated
to do than you think they will be? Avoid last-minute crafting
frustration by making sure any homemade projects are ones you can do
ahead. If they flop, you’ll still have time to go the store-bought
route.
Track down missing pieces. Take
the time now to find the little things that are never around when you
need them: trivets, the ice bucket, tongs and so on. Count your plates
and silverware to make sure you have enough, then store everything you
need for your party in a nearby cupboard. When the time comes,
everything you need will be at hand.