Whenever I’m hosting, my husband always jokes I set the table a week in advance haha. I promise I don’t start this early, but definitely a couple of days before I’m hosting to make the day of easier. I get my love for hosting from my mom, who actually sets her table a week in advance. Jokes aside, it can be overwhelming wanting to make your table look nice but not knowing where to start. Here are my tips for setting the perfect table, whether you’re hosting a birthday party, holiday, dinner with friends, and more.

Always start by looking at the hosting pieces you already have. Are your wedding gifts collecting dust? Pull them out and put them to use! Do this in advance so if you have gaps you can order what you need without worrying about arrival timing. Also consider if you’re hosting outside and need more durable pieces. Need recommendations on which pieces to buy? I’ve handpicked a selection of my favorite hosting essentials I use all the time.

How many people are you hosting? Depending on how many people you’re having over, you might need to buy some extra pieces. Make sure you have enough glasses (wine, water, etc) and place settings of your dinnerware. I’m a sucker for good wine glasses and like to have red wine, white wine, and champagne glasses. This isn’t necessary, but to me makes a differences for your guests. Either way, it’s always good to gauge what you’ll be serving and make sure you have enough of the right glasses.

What kind of vibe do you want? Are you going for a casual look or do you want something more elevated? Think about what you’re hosting- a family birthday dinner, holiday meal, casual dinner with friends and their kids or just drinks and apps with your girlfriends? For family birthday dinners, I typically use my everyday dinnerware pieces with classic napkins from Pottery Barn. Their pieces are timelines and go with everything, allowing you to tie in special touches to make your table standout. For holidays, I like to take it up a notch and this is where I usually pull out my wedding china for an elevated look. If you don’t have china or this isn’t your style, don’t worry, there are other ways to elevate your table. Spode has classic Christmas dinnerware and serving pieces. Growing up, my godfather gave me 1 Spode place setting every year for my birthday. At the time, I didn’t realize how nice this was and now I’m so thankful I have special Christmas dishes. Another way to elevate your table is to get seasonal napkins and pair them with the dishes you already have on hand. If you’re using your everyday dishes, I recommend sticking with white or off white dishes that go with everything. If you’re having your friends and their kids over for Friday pizza night, this is where I turn to my outdoor dining pieces because they are more durable with kids. For drinks and apps with girlfriends, I usually use the salad size plates from my everyday dinnerware set for appetizers and then get fun cocktail napkins and dessert plates for treats, you always need a little sweet treat!

How to make your table feel special?

Fresh flowers are a must and you can always find them at the center of my table. Your flower’s don’t have to be fancy or expensive. One vase is enough or if you want something extra special, you can get 3 vases and spread them evenly throughout the middle of your table. Trader Joe’s has a great floral selection and you’d be surprised how inexpensive they are. I typically stick with hydrangeas and go with a mix of blue, white, and green. If I’m celebrating a holiday, I’ll mix in seasonal colors. My absolute favorite flowers are peonies (we had almost 1,000 peonies at our wedding), so during peony season I always turn to these. If you’re a peony lover like me, don’t forget you can usually find them back in stores in December! You can also add fresh citrus to your vases as a fun touch. I added oranges and clementines to the centerpieces I made for my mom’s 70th birthday dinner for a pop of color and to personalize it for her. One of her closest friends recently passed away and her favorite color was orange, so this was a nice way to think of her as she would have been celebrating her 70th close to my mom’s birthday.
Another way to add a special touch is with candles. I always have candlesticks on the sides of my centerpiece. My favorite are Mariposa and you can always find them on my table. I also swap out the candles to add a little color. Adding mercury glass votives add a little extra glow.
I typically skip tablecloths and use placemats instead, but if you’re looking for a more formal look tablecloths and runners add a nice touch.
For kids birthday parties, I like to find confetti that matches the theme and sprinkle it in the center of the table. I also find personalized color sheets and bracelet kits for activities at the table after cake.
Table gifts are also a tradition in my family. We always celebrated Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house growing up and they would have Frango mints at everyone’s place as a take home treat. I love carrying on this tradition because it makes me think of my Grandpa. I also love the idea of table gifts to make your guests feel special, so I like to assemble little goodie bags for everyone to take home and put one on every plate on the table. We just celebrated my mom’s 70th this summer and I put little goodie bags with her favorite things at everyone’s place- mini can of Diet Coke, a pack of cinnamon gum, and milk chocolate malted milk balls from our local candy shop, of course tied with a bow! Want to add goodie bags to your table but don’t know where to start? I’ve got you covered, contact me and I’ll assemble custom goodie bags personalized to you!

Helpful Shortcuts: I always try to think about how to make my life easier and I have some great tips that will help you too! When I’m serving appetizers and dessert, I always use paper plates and cocktail napkins. This saves on having to do extra dishes and also avoids you having to buy so many extra plates to have on hand for appetizers, dinner and dessert. Using paper plates and cocktail napkins for appetizers and dessert also allows you to tie in a holiday or add a special touch to make your moment feel special.