There are some things that are just out of your control when hosting a holiday party. You can’t hit the mute button on your Auntie Kathy’s questions about your relationship status. Or your Uncle’s bourbon intake. Or the dog deciding he has forgotten about the $2000 house training you spent last spring all of a sudden. But you can control the holiday decor.
One of the best ways to wow your guests is with a beautifully styled holiday table. The food might not turn out, people might be yelling over each other, but there will be wine, and beautiful decor. Praise be.
Event Planner Cheyanne Ackerson of Communiti Collective is dishing (pun intended) out all her tips for decorating your holiday table this season.
Let’s get those Christmas decoration ideas flowing! First up:
Holiday Centrepieces or Garland
Before you set the table for your holiday dinner, you’ll need some holiday foliage like blended garland to act as a centrepiece or table runner. You can order these from your local florist! For this holiday styled shoot, Minter Country Garden used a blend of:
- Mixed winter greenery including fir, cedars and pine
- Seeded Eucalyptus
- Skimmia (the white budded stems)
- Snowberries (the white berries, symphoricarpos a., from their property)
- Eryngium (the blue flower)
Pro-tips on how to care for your Indoor Greens courtesy of Minter Country Garden:
“Indoor greens must be kept cool and hydrated to improve their longevity. A lot of folks see photos online and think they’ll look that way for weeks, but they don’t, particularly garlands as they have no water source.
Arrangements/mantle pieces have water to drink so they last longer, but garlands start to dry as soon as they’re inside (and our homes are typically hot and dry this time of year).”
Use a spray bottle full of water to spritz your garland to keep it looking fresh and prolong it’s lifetime!
Time to set the table!
What you’ll need for each place setting:
- Napkin
- Salad Fork
- Dinner Fork
- Knife
- Soup Spoon (optional, depending on what you are serving)
- Salad Plate
- Dinner Plate
- Water Glass
- Wine Glass (You can use both a white wine glass & red wine glass if you want to get extra fancy/formal)
- Place Card
Optional:
- Tea cup and saucer
- Teaspoon
- Bread plate and knife
- Dessert Spoon or Cake Fork
Here is a visual of a simple yet elegant holiday tablescape!
For accent ideas, it is always nice to add a pop of colour. In this instance, Cheyanne used an orange to contrast the greens and browns of the table.
Other simple DIY ideas to use at each place setting
- Use some extra winter foliage from your garland, a cinnamon stick and a hand-lettered place card tied around a napkin to add on top of the plate
- Make (or buy) Christmas cookies to add to the top of the plate. If you want to get really creative, you can customize each cookie with each guests name.
- Purchase fresh French demi loaves to place on each place setting and tie a sprig of rosemary to each.
Napkin Placement Ideas
- Tied – place the knot of the napkin on the top left hand corner. This gives the table a more casual feel.
- Folded neatly – this can sit either under the dinner plate, to the left side of the plate, or on top of the salad plate. More of a formal feel to the table.
Invest in classic, timeless pieces
Hunt around at thrift stores!
Most of all, have fun with it!
Here are a few photos of modern Christmas table decor for some inspiration!
After your dinner party, reuse the garland and place above your mantel or drape over the banister to enjoy it over the holidays!
Need a Christmas cocktail idea to welcome your guests? Check out this delicious holiday take on a classic: Rosemary Pomegranate French 75 Recipe
Thank you to all that made this post possible:
CREATIVE STYLING BY CHEYANNE ACKERSON OF COMMUNITI COLLECTIVE
HAND LETTERING BY EMILY CUTHBERT
DECOR BY PERSPECTIVE EVENT DESIGN
FLORALS AND FOLIAGE BY MINTER GARDENING
For those asking, the plates and napkins are from Anthropologie
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