Easter table setting guide

With the unforeseen pandemic impeding on our Easter celebrations over the past few years, we should be excited about the different ways to celebrate this year. Not having restrictions will mean creativity for those who are hosting.

There is much to celebrate and reflect with a renewed spirit of appreciation, and because Easter has always been a time for giving and renewal, it is the perfect time to show your love with food and gifts.

What is particularly special about Eastertime is the relaxed feel of an extra-long weekend, the start of a new season and quality time spent with our families.

Easter Table Planning

If you are planning to host Easter Sunday this year, then drawing inspiration from available Easter table decor will be your first step to creating a warm and inviting setting. But, aside from table settings and decorations, part of entertaining comes with food selection and seating arrangements. It can be a challenge, even if you enjoy it, so it pays to think about how many guests you are inviting before you start planning. For example, where they will sit and the available space to accommodate everyone comfortably. Do you have enough chairs and if not, what type of other seating are you going to provide.

This stems from how formal you want to make it, are you looking for elegant Easter table décor or a more a simple table. Are you entertaining elderly folk that prefer to be inside. Maybe an elderly family member cannot sit for extended periods of time or has special dietary requirements? Will there be children involved, will you have toddlers around, all fair questions to take into consideration.

So, whether you have a small or large gathering make sure you have fun. Entertaining is all about bringing the people you care about together and enjoying the process along the way. It should not be stressful, so only take on what you can manage.

With that out of the way, how do you create an Easter table setting decked out with the perfect mix of elements for the right number of guests?

Here we have rounded up steps:

1) Choose your style; modern, fun, vintage or traditional.

2) Personalise using seating cards for a memorable experience for your guests. It also aids in confusion about where they are supposed to sit.

3) If you have small children, consider a separate fun table for the little ones. A paper tablecloth for colouring in and drawing (once boredom sets in) can be a lifesaver especially if the adults are still gathered around their table and not quite yet prepared to move on! This also doesn’t compromise your tablescape.

4) Choose a colour theme that you can carry through; if you like the minimalist look, think about a natural palette, or a delicate pastel combination, or a bright green and yellow. If you prefer a traditional scheme, purple and crisp white works well for Easter - keep white visible with any of the above palettes.

                   

                  Sea Breeze tablecloth

                    

                         Peachy Blossom tablecloth

 

5) Choose your base early – select a tablecloth which will complement your style and colour scheme.

                                                

                          Pink flowering gums tablecloth

 

    

              Green flannel flower tablecloth

6) Layout and texture are essential - layering with a table runner, placemats, or charger is a must for a textured well thought out centrepiece. You can decorate it to resemble an Easter table runner by just adding some festive touches.

7) Select napkins that offset your tablecloth for an interesting visual effect (but keep the same hue). Easter is a fun way to style an Easter napkin, like a cute bunny napkin fold, or attaching an Easter egg to a napkin ring.

                                  

           White applique round tablecloth

8) Easter eggs – scatter a few speckled easter eggs with two or three small gold, silver or Rattan bunnies.

                                 

 

                                  

              Palm blue tablecloth

9) Place Easter eggs in a glass bowl for a visual effect. You could keep them all the same hue or mix it up!

10) Candles make great Easter decorations - group together egg-shaped candles for a sweet display of burning light and ambience (watch out for those inquisitive little fingers).

11) Glassware should be colourful and complementary with your table linens. Choose intricately cut glassware for that old-world feel (perfect for a vintage etched Easter theme).         

                  

     Daisy napkin ring

12) Use ribbons and bows to tie to a napkin ring or around a chocolate bunny or basket.

                   

Where To Set Up

Are you taking your gathering outdoors? Are you limited with space. You can still write your own rules and have both an indoor and outdoor function. With the cooler Autumn weather this may not be favourable, but, if it is a beautiful sunny day, you could take lunch firstly indoors and afterwards delight your guests with a decorated decadent dessert table set up outside. This could coincide whilst the kids are having fun with their Easter hunt, making it the perfect end to the day. To capture all things Easter, keep the scheme flowing with your dessert table to your indoor one.

Entertaining

Did I mention Easter hunts? This is probably the best part of the day when the little ones are full of excitement and eager to get outside to start their hunt. For something different you could always have an egg relay race with the adults participating or a blind folded hunt. Kids love it when adults get involved. Oh and the elderly will just love watching!

At the end of the day, keep it simple and traditional, remember most kids love whatever involves chocolate and a little competitiveness (just a little we don’t want tears).

Blooms

As other countries in the world’s Easter falls in the middle of spring, this does not mean we are missing out just because our one falls in Autumn.

Of course, we all want to create an Easter that depicts the meaning of it all, and flowers play an important role in decorating. Any bloom will be an important finishing touch to your completed table setting, and nailing the right look depends on factors like vases and tablecloths; Vases come in different shapes and sizes, this will add an enchanting feel to your Easter centrepiece. So, choose well!

Here are our favourite picks of blooms in season in April for Easter.

• White Lily (a traditional Easter flower)

• Easter daisies

• Flannel Flower (Australian Native)

• Tulips

• Hyacinths

• Daffodils

• Garden Roses

                                 

Sometimes it is hard to pick favourites when it comes to blooms, so if you don’t have your eye on anything, just go with the flow and see what tickles your fancy the day before Easter.

The weather can play a big part in what flowers will better suit your setting, especially if the weather is unusually warm and you decide to set up outside.

Conclusion

The thinking and planning process is all part of being a good host. This will ensure you have an unforgettable Easter feast and a beautiful table to serve it on. But the food and table setting are not the only important factors, when it is all said and done, it is the people around the table that ultimately makes the day, so choose carefully.

Happy Easter !!!