Home for the Holidays – Setting the Table

If you are following along this Holiday it’s our 3rd blog in our “Home for the Holidays” series. So far we had fun drying citrus, cutting out snowflakes, and on Instagram Reel we made bath salts. Since events at Danielle Gibson Events are canceled this year due to Covid-19, we have had some free time. We are usually finishing up the year with a fun corporate Holiday party for 2,000 people in San Francisco, but instead I am keeping it fun at home and sharing all things design for the Holidays.

Next up, THE HOLIDAY TABLE.

This year the number of people gathering may be smaller than in the past, but I still want it to feel like Christmas. We partnered with Encore Event Rentals and Blushtype to help bring our table design to life.

Let’s start with the garland!

I love using a holiday garland for my table. This one is arranged with magnolia leaves, white berries and some evergreen accents. I purchased this one at the SF Flower Mart, but you can also make this yourself. I tucked in the pampas grass by hand after I arranged it on the table for a non-traditional look. The runner underneath is from Linen Way. ( I don’t remember where I purchased it, sorry!)

Pro tips:

• If you are going to use garland on your table, have a plated dinner instead of family style since there will not be any room for shared plates.
• Make your garland longer than your table so you can have it sweep the floor for a more dramatic look.
• If you need seat anyone at the heads of the table you will obviously need to shorten your garland.
• Don’t make your garland more than a week before your dinner, as the greens will start to dry out.
• You can tuck in other elements (see below) to add more interest on the table if you have the room. (pine cones, magnolia pods, crab apples, cranberries).

For the place settings, I went with a matte brown/black look. At first thought using black and brown for the Holidays might sound drab, but when you arrange it with colors of the season, it acts more like a neutral color and really creates a beautiful organic look.

For the place-setting we used the following:

• The Terra black china for the dinner plate
• The Relic small plate for the salad plate
• The Relic bowl for the soup bowl
• The Jensen brass and black flatware
• I also threw in a wooden plate I had on a few place-settings so not every set was the same. (You don’t have to create the same exact place-settings for everyone at the table, mix it up a bit!)
• The napkin is a favorite of mine I purchased years ago here.
• Glassware from Riedel.
• Place cards with mini wreath are from Blushtype. I love these! The additional natural elements add an earthy, dreamy feel to the table…and her modern calligraphy is so on point.
• I used 3 different napkins folds on this table design to give you different ideas for your table. (see below)

Candles change the whole mood of a table! The more the merrier!

Pro tip:

Enjoy setting your table this year no matter how small the gathering may be!

Happy Holidays!

DG Events

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