7 minute read
ENTERTAINING ESSENTIALS
FOR THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS!
BY AMY MONTGOMERY
PHOTOS COURTESY OF HESTER & COOK
The holidays are upon us and with this time of year comes joyful gatherings of friends and family. If you are the hostess for a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, the art of setting a beautiful table can make the simplest of meals or the Southern potluck a truly elevated event. Guests should feel welcome in your home with an inviting ambiance and here are a few steps for enhancing a dining experience during this festive time of year.
STEP 1: Consider your setup and which rooms will be used. The easiest way to host a meal is by setting up a buffet. Serving all the food from your kitchen island lets guests choose what food items they will partake. Setting up a buffet on the kitchen island or counter allows you to carry the chosen theme or color scheme into the buffet layout. Using runners, whether paper or fabric, makes for a great base to begin with. A few post-it notes will be your best asset when setting up a buffet. Make a note for each item being served and place it on the buffet where that item will be placed and go ahead and grab the serving utensil you'll need for that dish and set it with the note. Planning everything a couple of days in advance makes the day so much more enjoyable for you, the host. Now, how to display your delicious food? Elevating some of the dishes will add interest to the buffet and allow a little more room on the counter. Use cake stands, risers, or a few coffee table books stacked to change the height of several items, while leaving others directly on the counter. TIP: Fill in open spaces with small jars or wine glasses of flowers or simple greenery from the yard between serving dishes.
Step 2: The buffet set-up is pulled together, now for the table. Traditional holiday colors like red, green, and gold are classic choices, but you can also get creative with a winter wonderland theme or a rustic and cozy Thanksgiving theme. Once you've decided on this, pull out your linens, dishes, and glassware and make sure you have enough for everyone. It is never a wrong decision to decide to use paper products. There are so many beautiful paper patterns to choose from. You can also choose to serve dinner on china and use paper plates for salad and dessert. There truly are no rules when setting a beautiful table. TIP: Don't have enough matching glassware? No problem. Mixing and matching can add the perfect amount of charm to your place settings. Be sure that you set each place with a water glass and if serving wine, a wine stem. Place the water glass above the knife and your wine glass to the right. Typically, a red wine glass is a little larger than a white wine glass.
Step 3: Lay the table's foundation with linens. Again, there are no rules here. Use or don't use a tablecloth. You may want the beauty of your table's wood to show, or you may want to protect it with a cloth. Cloth or not, placemats are next. While they are not necessary, they just add a pretty layer to each guest's place setting. Paper placemats are at the top of the list for a variety of styles and patterns.
Cloth placemats work nicely, too. Chargers under the plates add the next layer. They anchor the plates and if using paper plates, they give guests an added layer of strength while going through the buffet piling on all that delicious food.
TIP: Even though you are setting up a buffet, go ahead and have the dining table set with the chargers and plates. Guests can simply pick up their plates off the table and head to the buffet when it is time to eat.
Step 4: So, we have the table set with linens, plates, and glassware, next is your flatware. After placing your dinner plate at the center of each setting, you can begin layering the plates depending on how many courses you are serving. Layer smaller plates on top of the dinner plate for beginning courses such as appetizers and salads. Arrange the utensils in the order in which they will be used, working from the outside in. TIP: Place the salad fork to the left of the dinner fork and the soup spoon to the right of the dinner knife. Remember to place the edge of the knife facing the plate.
Step 5: When choosing the linens, you'll need napkins, too. Those rules we grew up with can certainly be broken here. For a more elegant table, you might choose to use linen napkins. A more casual table can call for a paper napkin, but both of these are certainly interchangeable. Beautiful paper napkins are available for the dressiest of tables. Napkin placement? Well, there are choices there, too. Under the plate between the plate and charger is a great layering trick. Just fold the napkin longways and let it peek out front at the top and bottom of the plate. TIP: Use your favorite napkin ring! Pull the cloth napkin through and lay it to the left of the salad fork or place it on top of your dish stack.
Step 6: Last, but most certainly not least, a gorgeous floral centerpiece. Remember, keep those table flowers low and lush. It's never any fun to have to peek through a monstrously tall floral display to see Aunt Freida and Uncle George. Simple grocery store roses and some greenery from the yard in stemless wine glasses will work well. For Thanksgiving, scatter acorns and walnuts between the flowers and for Christmas, a few cranberries work well scattered on the table. Seasonal fruits and vegetables can be a great addition to your florals along with candles.
TIP: Remember to never use scented candles at the dinner table as they can interfere with the aroma and taste of your food.
Step 7: Ahh the fun of deciding who sits where! Place cards can be your friend, and they add that bit of personalization for guests. Selecting where your guests will sit can help keep the conversation flowing at the holiday table. TIP: After being seated, have your guests turn their place cards around so everyone can see the names. This adds an extra layer of comfort for your guests who do not know each other.
Sharing your home with others is a very personal decision and making your guests feel welcome by being prepared for them is a lovely gift. Cheers to you for the warmest of holiday seasons. Let it all begin with setting a beautiful table!
AMY MONTGOMERY has 25 years of design experience and owns Amy Montgomery Home in Columbia, Tennessee. She is a lifestylist focused on home and flowers and delights in offering her customers an elevated customer service experience. Visit amymontgomeryhome.com for additional information and follow her on social media at @amymontgomeryhome.
