8 Decorating Tips for Setting a Memorable Summer Solstice Party Table

So you’re hosting a summer solstice dinner party for family and friends? Good for you. But, as anyone who has hosted any dinner ever will tell you, the excitement of sharing a day with family and friends is directly proportional to the fear of burning the meal or forgetting the flowers.

Quality recipes will help with the former. A beautiful tablescape – and an action plan for executing it – will help with the latter.

Better still, a beautiful table sets the tone for the meal, whether it’s delicious or meh. To quote a friend: “What I lack in culinary skill, I make up for with quality tablescaping.”

Click through for the secrets to creating memorable tablescapes your guests will love!

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Tell a Story

Just as you wouldn’t wear galoshes and a backpack with your va-va-voom date dress, neither would you finish your rustic tablescape with an ice sculpture. Burlap goes with wildflowers; metal goes with modern; polka dot place settings and napkin holders go with bubblegum color schemes… You get the point. In short, your tablescape can be anything, but it can’t be everything. Pick a story to tell and choose decorative elements that enhance that story.

Make a Menu

Nothing says “I care” like a handwritten note. The same is true of a personalized menu. If you’re serving a sit-down dinner, write or print a menu on thick card stock and wrap in a ribbon or raffia and a dried flower. If you’re hosting a buffet-style meal, place cards in front of each dish that list its ingredients. Not only is it helpful to guests with food sensitivities; it’s a great conversation starter as friends and family gather around the table.

Add Some Whimsy

All work and no play makes Jose a dull boy. So too does perfection without personality make your tablescape boring. Pretty is great, symmetric, is nice, and matching makes things feel balanced. But none of these adds up to a tablescape that reflects you, and you are the reason your guests are spending Easter together. Show them who you are by adding a bit of flair to your design: a pop of pink, perhaps, against a black and white tablecloth or a disco glittered napkin ring on your otherwise Frida Kahlo-inspired table. It’s your world. Share it. [pagebreak]

Layer It

Texture, depth, and color are key when designing a space. The same is true when designing a tablescape. Skip the boring tablecloth you use every year – we know, it’s easy to clean but come on, live a little – and use lace, linen, or burnout velvet. Stretch a runner across a rectangular or square table and slip a placemat under each setting. Stack plates – charger, dinner plate, and a salad plate – and top with a hand-written menu, place card or cloth napkin wrapped with ribbon. Layers are the difference between a functional table and a memorable table.

Dig In at the Dollar Store

Everyone has a dollar store either in or near their town. If you haven’t been yet, now is the time. Dollar stores are treasure troves of decorating goodies. From essentials like vases, candles, and ribbons to playful items like Easter bunny salt and pepper shakers, dollar stores are a cheap and cheerful way to add whimsy to your holiday table.

Mine Your Closets

Shocking statement alert: You already have 90% of what you need to design a beautiful tablescape. Don’t believe it? Open your closet and cupboard doors and your scrap booking and “junk” drawers right now. A colorful shawl can be used as a table runner; pretty pillow cases can be used as placements; scraps of fabric can be used as napkins; bits of ribbon can be tied to chair backs. All of these add dimension to your table and cost nothing. [pagebreak]

Don’t Forget the Flowers

If you’re going to spend money anywhere, flowers are the things to spend it on. (And this doesn’t have to break the bank if you buy them at the grocery store versus the flower shop.) Flowers aren’t just pretty, they’re fragrant, tactile and alive, which sets the tone for a table rich with laughter, love, and memories.

Relax

Of all of the tablescaping tips in the world, this hosting tip trumps them all: Relax. Before the holiday, plan and prep and “jooj” to your heart’s desire. But when Easter arrives and your guests enter your home, take a breath, smile, and enjoy. Porque all the work you’ve done in anticipation of this together time no vale la pena if you don’t allow yourself to be present for it. Happy Easter!