Decoration and serving of the festive table

When preparing for any feast, the main focus is on the festive menu, however, decoration and beautiful table setting are also important.

Proper arrangement of cutlery and accessories can take a lunch or dinner dedicated to an important event to a higher level.

Table setting is an art in which it is necessary to follow the rules and take into account the nuances, but this is not as difficult as it seems at first glance - there are simple “formulas” that will help create a comfortable environment for each guest.

Festive table setting rules

There are several universal rules that are recommended to be observed when organizing a feast dedicated to any occasion.

When choosing serving items, it is necessary to choose such products that correspond to the theme of the holiday and are in harmony with the interior of the room.

Crockery, cutlery and napkins should be in the same style. Miscellaneous objects will bring dissonance, and even a table richly laden with gourmet dishes will look bad. When choosing, it is also important to consider the color of textiles: napkins and tablecloths.

Serving a festive table performs not only an aesthetic function, it is needed not only to create an appropriate atmosphere and high spirits. Its second, no less important task is to ensure maximum convenience for those present. It is necessary to think over the arrangement of cutlery and dishes in such a way that it is convenient for each guest to use napkins, dishes, a knife and fork.

The classic sequence for serving a festive table:

• First of all, the table is covered with a tablecloth. Textiles must be clean and carefully ironed. To protect the table surface from accidentally spilled drinks and grease stains that may appear during the feast, you can put a film under it, but this must be done so that it is not visible to the guests. Tablecloths in pastel (cream or beige) shades or bright juicy colors look the most advantageous.

• The next step is arranging the plates. They are placed at an equal distance from each other, focusing on the number of guests.

• Cutlery is placed near the plates placed on the table. Depending on the menu and the dishes planned for serving, choose the right amount. Putting the whole set of cutlery is useless - if there are no fish on the table, then forks and knives are not needed for them.

• When cutlery is selected and laid out, they proceed to the arrangement of glassware: glasses, plates, wine glasses and vases.

• Napkins are placed on the already almost set table. The ideal option is figuratively folded, but you can use special rings to make the napkins look neat. For the festive table, you will need two types of napkins - both paper and fabric.

• Each guest should be able to salt or pepper food to taste, and therefore spices must be placed on the table. A table served without this trifle is considered improperly decorated.

• The last stage of serving the festive table is the arrangement of cold dishes and snacks.

Beautiful vases with flowers are an invariable attribute of table decoration at official and business receptions. They will also become a spectacular and harmonious decoration of the festive table.

All glassware and cutlery used for serving the festive table must be not only clean, but also shiny. To achieve the desired effect, after washing and thoroughly drying them, they are polished with cloth napkins.

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Serving Tips

“For serving a festive table, you can use contrasting combinations - use a white and colored plate together, lay a dark tablecloth under light dishes”

A few tips to help you prepare for the event:

• You should start with the preparation of the menu, the selection of dishes, the choice of napkins and accessories to decorate the table.

• After that, they move on to the dishes. A set of the same dishes will look best, but a skillful combination of items from different sets is also allowed. It is desirable that the dishes are white - this classic color is best suited for a holiday. A good combination is white dishes on a bright plain tablecloth.

• According to the rules, a separate device is required for each drink. It is very important that all of them are designed in the same style.

• When the table is laid, you should inspect it - if everything is done correctly, it should form a single composition, where all the elements - dishes, tablecloths, flowers, cutlery - are harmoniously combined with each other.

• It is not necessary to strictly adhere to all the rules - successful experiments are welcome. For serving a festive table, you can use contrasting combinations - use a white and colored plate together, lay a dark tablecloth under light dishes.

• You can deviate from the standards when choosing materials: replace bamboo rugs with guipure or imitating moss. Instead of ceramic dishes, take wooden ones. Needlewomen can use their skills - for example, knit accessories that will bring a touch of homeliness to the festive feast.

• One of the traditional elements of decorating a festive table is an originally folded napkin. Fabric ones are folded into a tube and tied with ribbons or decorated with flowers, figurines are made from paper ones: for example, a boat or a rosette.

• Not a single festive table will be considered properly set if guests cannot find a salt and pepper shaker on it. Each guest has his own preferences, and it is impossible to deprive him of the opportunity to season the dish to taste.In addition to the standard set, you can put other spices on the table: elegantly shaped glass bottles with vinegar, vegetable oils, mills and mixtures of herbs will look interesting.

• A great way to decorate a table is to use natural materials such as cones, flowers or berries. When choosing a bouquet, you should pay attention to the smell of flowers - those that emit too intense aroma should not be used.

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The choice of napkins and tablecloths to decorate the festive table

Napkins for the festive table can be both snow-white and colored. Folded in a bizarre shape, they will bring solemnity to the atmosphere. When choosing textiles, you should think in advance what they will be like - to match the tablecloth or contrast with it. It is important to remember that dishes should be in harmony with napkins and tablecloths.

If suitable textiles have not yet been found, you can use a universal solution - choose accessories from a plain fabric. They will be successfully combined with any, even colored, dishes.

Another good option for decorating a festive table is dishes with a pattern, one of the colors of which matches the color of napkins and tablecloths.

If plain textiles seem too ordinary, you can decorate them with silk ribbons.

An elegant coffee service will look most advantageous against the background of a set of tablecloths and napkins decorated with simple lace.

It is not necessary to use a new tablecloth to serve a festive table - if the house has only an old one, it can be covered with a transparent fabric with the addition of lurex or tulle.

The highlight can be the use of paper napkins folded in an interesting way. There are many techniques for folding napkins, and choosing the most appropriate for the occasion is quite simple. It is also important to consider the color of paper napkins - there are a lot of them on sale: white, colored, with a pattern, ornament, perforation. The set of most sets for the celebration includes special napkin rings, it is recommended to use them.

Despite all the variety, you can not refuse the usual white napkins - they can also be folded in an interesting way. Possible options: fan, triangle, roll and others. For products folded in this way, there may not be holders, and then crystal or glass goblets will come to the rescue.

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Candles and candlesticks

Lighted candles on the festive table will help create an intimate romantic atmosphere, they look good at any feast. However, you should not make a common mistake - to use only candle lighting, refusing full-fledged. A table for a large number of guests should be well and evenly lit. In the twilight, when the dishes on the table are not visible, and the silhouette of the person sitting next to them is hardly guessed, it is difficult to maintain a cheerful mood.

Candles should be selected, taking into account the color scheme of the rest of the decor and serving items of the festive table. For any holiday, white candles will be a good choice, while red ones, inserted into candlesticks and decorated with spruce paws, will look great on Christmas and New Year's tables.

Ways of arranging candles are also varied. They can be placed between flower vases, grouped into small arrangements over the entire table area, attached to a flower stand so that they are above the bouquet.

To decorate the festive table, candlesticks made of any material are suitable: ceramics, metal, wood, glass or porcelain.However, they must match the dishes - a wooden candlestick will look bad surrounded by porcelain plates.
Couldn't find candlesticks, or they don't match with other items on the table? Then you can use small glass glasses. If you fill the containers with water and insert burning candles into them, they will look unusual and spectacular. And for the center of the table, if desired, you can build an even more original composition: a deep tray filled with water, in which a lot of lit candles-tablets float.

Candlesticks must be selected not only by material, but also by shape and height: according to the rules, small candles are placed in high stands, and elongated candles in low ones.

A little trick: so that the candle does not fall during the feast, its end is slightly melted (using fire or hot water), and as soon as the bottom softens, it is placed in a candlestick. If the bottom of the stand has a metal needle, then everything is much simpler - the candle is simply pricked on it.

Compositions of several candles will decorate the festive table setting. For example, several candles are placed in a container, differing from each other in size and shape, water is poured into it, into which dried or fresh flowers and petals are thrown.

An interesting option is to place a small candlestick with a small candle next to each guest's appliances. Additionally, you can decorate the composition with a boutonniere and a name card.
It is best to light candles before the guests arrive - at a time when everyone has already settled in, this lengthy procedure can make the audience bored. It is not recommended to turn off the main lighting during lunch.

In order for the candles to burn as long as possible, they are placed in the freezer a few hours before the scheduled event.

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Plates for the festive table

“Before you start putting the dishes on the table, you need to carefully straighten the tablecloth, removing the slightest folds and debris from it, and only after that you can start serving the festive table”

The choice of plates for a solemn event is a responsible task. Often they can determine the atmosphere of the holiday. It would be nice to have a set of dishes specifically for receiving guests.

A few tips for proper plate placement:

• Before you start putting the dishes on the table, you need to carefully straighten the tablecloth, removing the slightest folds and debris from it, and only after that you can start serving the festive table. Plates should be placed in front of each guest's chair. It is unacceptable to place them on the very edge of the table. The optimal distance is 2 cm. To make work progress quickly and not have to use a ruler, you can adopt the reception of waiters - they measure the distance from the edge of the table to the plate with two fingers (index and middle) folded together.

• For especially solemn dinners, it is recommended to put “double plates”: a snack bar on top of a small dining room. To prevent the dishes from slipping and creaking, it is worth putting a napkin between two plates.

• According to the rules, the pie plate is placed to the left of the main one, keeping a distance of 5 to 12 cm between them.

• For lunches with many dishes, all plates are placed in a line: snack bars, canteens, and patties. The middle of each plate should be on the same line.

It is very important to arrange the plates correctly - in addition to them, cutlery, vases, salad bowls will also be placed on the table. If you do not follow the rules, the guests may be uncomfortable, they will offend the neighbors, they will not be able to freely take what they want from the table.

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Cutlery for the festive table

If in ordinary life a person manages with a minimum set of forks and spoons and does not really think about their correct location, then this approach is unacceptable when serving a festive table.

It is important to take into account all the nuances:

• The knife is always located to the right of the plate, while its blade should be turned towards it. If there are several knives, then the dining room is placed next to the plate, the fish is in the center, and the snack bar is the farthest.
• The spoon is placed upside down. The traditional placement of the spoon is between the knives, especially if there is no fish on the menu and there is no knife for it. If there are three knives on the table, then the spoon is placed between the diner and the fish one.
• The forks are always on the left. The scheme of their placement away from the plate: dining room, for fish, snack bar. The teeth of the instruments should look up.

The optimal distance from the nearest device to the plate is about 5 mm. All devices are placed perpendicular to the edge of the table and strictly parallel to each other.

You should not place the entire set of cutlery - only those intended for the dishes provided for in the menu will be required. If only snacks are planned, then the canteens used for hot dishes are not needed.

Desserts are placed in front of the plate: first comes the knife, in the center is the fork, and on the edge is the spoon. The handles of the spoon and knife are turned to the right, the forks to the left.

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Glassware on the table

It is difficult to overestimate the role of glassware on the festive table. Glasses and wine glasses are not only practical, they serve as decoration for the entire composition of the festive table. For the celebration, you should choose comfortable and well-fitting glasses in the palm of your hand.

Rules for serving a festive table with glassware:

• Wine glasses can stand either to the right of the plates, or in the center. If it is placed in the center, then it should be located behind the plate, if on the side, then in the place where the upper edge of the plate intersects with the tip of the first knife. This glass is designed for juice or mineral water.

• If the menu contains kvass or fruit drink, then you will need mugs. Glassware handles should be turned to the right.

• Glasses and glasses intended for alcohol are placed at a short distance to the right of the water glass. If a large number of drinks will be served to choose from, then all glassware for alcohol should be to the right of the plate, and a glass of water to the left. At the same time, it is important not to overdo it: the maximum allowable number of wine glasses in one row is 3, if you put more, the guest may get confused and feel uncomfortable.

• The recommended distance between glasses is 1 cm.

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Bouquets to decorate the festive table

Flowers are a traditional decoration of the festive table, with the help of which it is easy to bring a festive mood into the atmosphere.

A variety of options - small, made up of wildflowers, luxurious, rich colors or colorful bouquets - will help set the tone for the event as well as music.

With the help of flowers, it is easy to create an atmosphere of comfort, make the room brighter and more welcoming. For this purpose, large expensive ones are not always needed; with a skillful approach, small bouquets made up of simple wildflowers will also cope with the task.

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Festive table setting ideas

Serving a festive table can be done in various ways, and you can choose the appropriate decor for any celebration.

For a romantic dinner

In order for the date to be successful, when preparing, it is worth abandoning too active, flashy colors, and choosing 2-3 as the main ones.

For example, textiles, candles and flowers can be red, in which case golden cutlery, snow-white plates, glass or crystal glasses and a vase will perfectly complement the composition. Thematic decor - a figurine in the form of a heart, a cupid or another - can also have a golden coating.

For a friendly feast

Decorated in a nautical style, the table is perfect for lunch with friends or New Year's breakfast.

It is best to take a blue tablecloth for this event, and place a bouquet or decorative tree in a vase of the same color in the center of the table.
Transparent glasses and dessert vases are ideal for white plates. Napkins are recommended to use light. On top of dinner plates, it is desirable to put small ones with a marine theme.

Country style

The Christmas table will look best if you use country style for its decoration: put simple plates on a table made of natural wood, not covered with a tablecloth. Cover the center of the table with a red napkin, arrange small Christmas trees or balls on it.

Such a modest atmosphere will create an atmosphere of calm and harmony among those present.

To celebrate the New Year

In order to set the table at which it is planned to celebrate the New Year in an original way, it is worth using souvenirs in the form of boxes with gifts as the main decor - wrapped in a translucent fabric, they are placed on each plate, placing a napkin under them. Another possible option is to place bright Christmas decorations on snow-white plates.

Another good idea for serving a festive table is a composition of red candles in candlesticks decorated with artificial needles.

Napkins can be folded in the form of wallets - such decorations will symbolize the prosperity that awaits all those gathered next year.

A good combination of colors for decorating the New Year's table: green, beige and brown.

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Photo gallery - festive table setting

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Video

 

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