Setting the Yom Tov Table with Grace by Raizy Fried

Setting the YomtovTable with Grace

BY: RAIZY FRIED

What’s the problem with setting a beautiful table for Shabbos?”

I remember questioning a friend who claimed I was overdoing my Shabbos tablescapes. “If you make your table so nice every week, what will you do when you want something special for a simcha or for yom tov?” Firstly, I don’t know of extravagant Shabbos preparations ever being “too much”. There’s no such concept of “overdoing” kavod Shabbos! I was raised that when it comes to honoring the Shabbos Queen, the more the merrier. Secondly and practically speaking, I’ve been doing this for years and I don’t struggle with running dry. Creativity is endless. Hashem’s creative gift is fascinating. Let’s explore some of the endless and magical creative possibilities with you. To change up the look of your regular table setting style, you can, of course, keep on buying new tablecloths and trendy dishes, but there are so many wonderful ways to decorate a table on a budget.

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These napkin rings I made on my own. I bought the artificial flowers at IKEA many years ago for just $1 a piece. IKEA has many different life-like artificial flowers that remain fresh-looking and beautiful year after year. The best part is that these flowers have steel wire in the stem, which is covered with a beautiful velvety finishing. You can bend and adjust the flower any way you want because of the steel wire in the stem.

So I simply shortened the stem using cutting pliers, then twisted the stem around to form a napkin ring. As easy as that! Just one product. No hot glue. No mess. Check out how vastly different my old cranberry colored napkin ring looks when paired with rich gold and a candle lit mood versus a morning mood with silver tones. Always remember the Dollar Tree! The Dollar Tree has beautiful vases and glassware for just $1. You can spray paint small vases gold and it will enhance the whole table!

Getting the Most from Your Flowers

I often like splitting up flowers in a bunch of little vases or cups versus one big vase. Scattering around mini little flower arrangements gives you more and decorates a bigger area of the table. When creating several vases, I always like to go with odd numbers. It's a basic styling rule: things arranged in odd numbers are more appealing, memorable, and effective than even-numbered groupings. Three seems to be the magic number, but 5, 7, or 9 work nicely as well. (The principle holds weight in interior design, graphic design, photography, storytelling, etc. so you know it’s really a thing. What is it about the odd numbers? When you see an odd number of things, your eye is forced to move around more, which makes for a more interesting visual experience. Close your eyes and visualize a table with two little floral arrangements in the center versus three, see what I mean?

How To:

1. Cut the stems short enough that the heads of the flowers show above the top of the vase and nothing else. 2. Divide your flowers into three or five bunches. Bundle the stems together with rubber bands. 3. Pop the flowers into a cube or cylinder vase. The massed flowers should hold each other up, and the stems should not be too long, so the flowers lean on the ledge of the vase.

Carnations

If you take a closer look at the image with the burgundy flowers in the little gold vases, you’ll see they are carnations! Carnations are not expensive and when arranged nicely, they can look very rich! There’s a simplicity and modern look of one color and texture, that looks so seamless! And if picking out mixed-flower arrangements makes you overwhelmed, getting a bunch of the same type of flower is a great choice that looks very pretty!

Candles

Arranging votives and candles around the center of the table, between your little floral arrangements is something that can be done on Yom Tov, because we are allowed to move them on and off the table if the space is needed during the meal. There's just something about candle centerpieces, because they’re not just elegant on the table but effect the ambiance of the entire room! They're timeless and classic, and they are an inexpensive way to upgrade any table-scape! From pillars and tapers to votives and tea lights (in all sizes and colors!), the right candles can help enhance your table's overall aesthetic. (A candelabra creates a traditional look while an abstract vessel is inherently modern, for example.) Beyond their décor purposes, candles can lend a scent as well, if you choose fragranced options.