Tis the season for twinkly lights,
Christmas trees and gatherings with friends and family.
And when it comes to entertaining, I am all about romantic inspired Christmas.
So a table sprinkled with fresh greens & pretty peonies and an abundance of elegance?
Definitely.
And today I am sharing 5 tips for setting a romantic inspired table for Christmas
and my top entertaining tip.
Disclosure…
Photo heavy post ahead-
you might want to grab a cup of coffee or tea
I used to be that girl who was answering the door and welcoming guests to a dinner party…
with my hair pulled back, my sleeves rolled up
and dinner and dessert messes all over my apron.
I was always so busy running around at the last minute trying to make sure that
everything was perfect… the table, the plates, the food, the wine and appetizers…
that I was last on the list for getting ready.
I would put my dress and heels on,
do my makeover and hair and be 90% ready to go ahead of time.
But that kitchen work and last minute sprint of activity of all the things I thought about adding-
well, it definitely meant a touch up was required.
And then I decided to sit down and focus on what would work better for the next party.
And I made a list of things I could do ahead of time.
The day of.
A couple of hours before.
And 15 minutes before guests arrived.
And I enlisted reinforcements.
Do you know how good it feels to delegate when you are overworked
and running around like a maniac?
So good.
And if you are like me… you might be gearing up for family and friends
coming over for an evening get together. Or a holiday brunch.
Or maybe you are hosting Christmas at your house and the in laws are coming as well.
Let’s just say- the pressure is on and building.
So I am sharing 5 of my favorite tips for setting a beautiful romantic inspired table
for you and your guests to enjoy-and also one of my favorite cheat tips (shhh)
Romantic inspired Christmas table essentials for me?
Greens
Flowers
Ambiance
Elegance
and a touch of Magic.
#1. A Simple Centerpiece
I love a centerpiece of greens for the holidays- and the best part is that this is a super easy thing to do
in about 5 minutes.
2 of my favorite ways to get this look?
A pre-made garland & fresh clippings.
This table has a pre-made cedar garland down the center. Literally takes 10 seconds to get it on the table and arrange it. But you can also use a $5 bunch of fresh clippings from the market- or if you have cedar trees on your property- 5 minutes and a pair of scissors.
You don’t need a ton of greens to make a statement- just a few are perfect.
This garland has fresh spiral eucalyptus and bay leaves mixed in- so don’t be afraid to add any other greenery you may have on hand to make it unique.
#2. Fresh Flowers
You don’t need a ton of flowers for a Christmas table- the greens can do most of the talking.
But I always like to sprinkle a bit of romance with blush flowers.
I used peonies and ranunculus for these arrangements
and added just a few sprigs of cedar and eucalyptus for a festive touch.
#3. Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow
Ambiance is where it is at when it comes to entertaining.
Think about some of your favorite dinner parties – or your favorite images of a table from a magazine maybe… and think about what it is that you love so much.
The ambiance of a setting is something that is often overlooked.
Setting a beautiful table with elegant china and pretty flowers is just part of the story that your table is telling.
The ambiance – the lights, the music, the setting, the details-
those play the other part.
Favorite tips:
Don’t forget the candles- and vary their height for the most magic.
Stream a classical Christmas station on pandora
and think about the overall setting of your table.
#4. Gather up Elegance
Christmas table settings are perfect for adding just a little bit more elegance to.
And my favorite way to do that is with the place settings.
Gilded everything? Yes, please. I am obsessed.
But these incredible dishes from Arte Italica
seriously have stolen my gilded elegance loving heart and run away with it.
For this table, I layered:
I chose Vetro gold wine/water goblets
and also thoseamethyst wine glasses for a dash of dramatic color.
The Midas Touch definitely adds that elegance to a table.
Think of chargers, plates, flatware, wine stems and even gold ornaments on the table-
they all will add that extra something.
#5. A Sprinkling of Magic
The holidays are a perfect time to add an extra sprinkle of magic to your table setting.
I like to do that with ambiance again… thinking of those things that evoke a feeling.
The lighting, the sounds, the overall setting-
and gathering up as much of the available ambiance that you can.
An outdoor table?
String lights in the tree branches in the distance for a bit of fairy dust- and use lanterns on your pathway and steps to help guests navigate by flicker of faux candle light (for safety) 🙂
Hosting a party indoors?
Place a fresh garland on a mirror, a collection of candles, gold rimmed glassed and flowers on the treat table
and a twinkling Christmas tree at the end of your table is perfect.
Simply think of the areas around your table and what you can incorporate to
sprinkle and extra amount of magic.
And my favorite hush-hush tip for entertaining?
I can only share it if you keep it between you and me…
🙂
My favorite tip is back to that whole get help thing.
Plan for a pre-made dessert that you can pick up at the bakery
and add your own finishing touches to.
And delegate things that need to be done
Early-early
like cleaning, planning for ambiance lighting
Early-
like food prep, getting the table set up with place settings and centerpieces
and last minute –
like heating up appetizers and food and lighting candles.
It helps to break tasks down into lists and notch up what you can as you can
and ask for help if you need it.
But definitely don’t over look the power of a pre-made dessert
whether you make it yourself and freeze it
like this naked cake I baked ahed of time and then frosted and topped
with flowers right before serving.
And this table setting that I shared a peek at is coming your way
and it might be one of my favorites yet.
Happy Tuesday & entertaining everyone
Disclosure:
I partnered with Arte Italica to bring you table inspiration this holiday season
and this post may contain affiliate links but all designs and opinions
and obsessive love of entertaining, table setting and these dishes are my own.
sharing at wow
Anonymous says
I'm all about DIA: do it ahead. Food can be kept warm in the oven.
Marisa Franca @ Allourway says
Your table is absolutely gorgeous and the ideas are so doable. Any more Hubby and I try to make as much ahead of time as possible. Now I can certainly relate to not looking as presentable as you want! My in-laws were famous for being early. Well, they were having a huge German family get together and we decided to help and have them up to our house in the country. We had a nervous collie. I know you understand you have puppies. She heard all of the commotion coming up the stairs to the kitchen and our grown up nervous collie tinkled all across the kitchen floor as 18 people arrived. It wasn't just a dribble. *Note to self — put nervous dogs outside before company. I'm taking your advice on the cake — great idea!!
LORY says
Omg, that is so me! Preparing every last detail and then I'm upstairs rushing to get dressed when guests are about to arrive. Some day I'll get it right… 😉 The table setting is just gorgeous!
Splenderosa says
LOVE everything! I have the Arte Italica Chargers, but in SILVER, as I use them as a base plate for my BLACK handmade plates, with sterling silver leopards clinging to the edges, from Amelia Castillo of Mexico. Your table looks just like you, and that's PERFECT !! Merry Christmas !
Shirley@Housepitality Designs says
Great tips Courtney…your table settings and centerpieces are always magical in the glow of the candlelight….I must say that I need to delegate, but sometimes there is no one to delegate to! 🙂 So I will take you up on the bakery idea…and I so remember how Christopher Lowell would create a feast from things he got from the deli and make it all look homemade!!