Set the Table

Everything You Need To Set the Thanksgiving Table

From flatware to bar carts turned pie carts I'm sharing my tips for setting your holiday table
Filed Under > Entertaining

Pinecone Candlesticks | Rose Gold Flatware |Gourd Plates |  Wine Glasses | Pumpkin Staub |Emile Henry Ruffled Pie Dish | Emile Henry Baking Dish | Taper Candles

With November basically here I’m officially in full Thanksgiving Dinner prep mode. While I love everything that comes with hosting during the holidays, my favorite part has got to be setting the table for the big dinner itself. And over the years through setting my fair share of tables I’ve learned that no matter what you’re celebrating there’s always a few items that make getting the table holiday ready easier than ever which I thought I’d share with y’all today.

First up, flatware. There’s no better way to dress up a table than with metallic flatware. Gold or rose gold flatware make every dinner party feel a bit more like an occasion, and will be perfect for any and every holiday you celebrate.

A few years ago finding flatware that was any color other than silver was incredibly difficult and often expensive.  Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. For example, the rose gold flatware shown here is only $15 per setting! And this gold set I found is only $65 for an entire 24 piece setting complete with a case! They’re even making disposable sets in gold that look almost like the real thing.

Another signature holiday table move of mine is switching out the salad plates.  Trust me when I say, there’s no one that would rather have enough room to store, or money to spend, on numerous holiday place settings.  If storage or money were of no issue I’d have a new place setting each season! So how do I keep things fresh, while not breaking the bank or bursting at the closet-door-seams…I switch out my salad/dessert plates.  

I often start my place setting with my classic white dinner plates and then dress the white up with a festive salad or dessert plate like these gourd plates.  This way your table doesn’t feel like an everyday setting, and you’re not worried about how much you spent, or where you’re going to store them next month.  And trust me this works for every season; I love these ones for Christmas!

A word to the wise, make sure you get round white everyday plates.  I made the mistake of registering for oblong ones when we got married which are awkward and don’t work with any other plate in my cupboard.

Lastly, don’t overcrowd the table.  Thanksgiving, or any dinner party for that matter, should be focused on spending time with the ones you love. Nothing is worse than having a guest more worried about where they’re going to set a dish or if they’re going to spill that bottle of wine, than conversing with their neighbor. How I handle this dilemma is by utilizing my bar cart.

During dinner parties or holiday celebrations, my bar cart is wheeled over to the table where it plays the integral role of both beverage dispenser and pie cart. By keeping both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic bottles off the table it allows for conversation to flow and the guests who talk with their hands like myself, to joyfully recount stories without worrying of knocking anything over.  And I’d much rather have my collection of Staub Pumpkin baking dishes gracing the table rather than empty bottles of wine.  Plus doesn’t the cart make the most perfect setting for all the holiday pies?

And much like the flatware I spoke about earlier, bar carts are extremely reasonably priced now.  I like this one and this one if you’re looking for your cart to serve in more of this capacity than full-time bar.

So whether it’s your first time hosting, or you’re an old pro, I hope sharing my go-to entertaining tips helped. And most importantly I hope your Thanksgiving is full of what’s truly important: family, friends, great food, and plenty of thankfulness.  Truly, MKR
 


 

Photography, Rustic White Interiors | This post is in collaboration with eBay, a company I love and adore.  All opinions and images are 100% my own.

Carrying On Holiday Traditions with Vietri

Choosing the perfect holiday pattern to grow year over year
Filed Under > Entertaining

Growing up during the holidays, one of the things I remember most is my mother setting the table on Christmas Eve. Dressed up in her Christmas best, she would carefully remove each piece of Christmas China from the cabinet placing it all around the table in preparation for the big day.

Every plate was rimmed in gold with a hand painted Christmas tree and holiday snow scene at the center.  And I would watch her with anticipation, knowing that tomorrow, we’d all gather around the table and for one day eat off the fanciest plates I had ever seen.  Yes I had an obsession with table settings even back then.

Year after year we’d gift my mother new pieces to add to her collection, a collection that still graces her China cabinet today. As I grew older, and adopted my own holiday traditions I knew this was one I wanted to keep.  But choosing a collection; which pattern, which brand…seemed daunting.  How do you choose?

I had actually been putting off choosing a pattern for years now.  That was until the Vietri Lastra Holiday collection, and like a fine wine or a great piece of art it just spoke to me.  When I saw those hand painted trees I honestly gasped out loud…honestly.  And I just knew this was the collection I had been waiting for. The Lastra Holiday collection was the perfect mix of lighthearted whimsy and pomp and circumstance.

Complimenting the Lastra, or any bar cart, the Drop Glassware Collection is mouthblown in Veneo, Italy.  I first spied the Drop Glassware Collection during The Southern C Summit this past summer and added them to my cocktail cabinet right then and there.  The collection is both playful and classic, plus look how beautifully it shows off my favorite holiday sangria recipe.

Lastra Salad Plate

When starting a collection salad plates and baking pieces are a great way to go.  You can easily layer salad plates on top of your everyday tableware and still get the look you’re going for. Then each year you can slowly add in the additional pieces to complete your collection.  How gorgeous would these Lastra Salad Plates look on a red dinner plate!

Lastra Salad Plate | Lastra Square Platter | Lastra Baker

So this year, for the very first time, I’ll begin my own Christmas Eve tradition and my Lastra will be the star of the show.  Tell me friends do you have a holiday table tradition?  Truly, MKR

P.S. My friends at Vietri want to help you start your own collection this year, so use code WOM50 and take $50 off any $200 purchase.  Happy collecting!

Photography, Kathryn McCrary | This post is in partnership with Vietri.  A brand I love and adore.  All opinions are 100% my own.

AERIN x Williams-Sonoma; The 5 Pieces I Just Had To Have

Incorporating this gorgeous new collection into my every day life
Filed Under > "Hostess with the Mostest"

Blue Ginger Jar Champagne Bucket, AERIN x Williams-Sonoma | waitingonmartha.com AERIN by Williams-Sonoma collection, Waiting on Martha Waiting on Martha entertaining inspiration Ginger jar champagne bucket, Waiting on Martha

While I love to highlight the beautiful here on the blog, and nothing gets me like a perfectly set tabletop, I’ll tell you that so much of my life isn’t centered around a formal meal or tablescape.  Rather, in real life, everything seems to happen spur-of-the-moment.  And I think that’s why I love the new AERIN x Williams-Sonoma collection so much; the pieces are perfect for both a sit-down dinner party but fit in just as easily into simple everyday entertaining. 

Truthfully, Aerin had me at ginger jar champagne bucket.  But aside from the obvious ginger jar champagne bucket and tabletop choices like the spectacular blue and white glassware and woven pieces, the collection includes so many giftable finds and home accents that are the perfect combination of classic, modern and feminine.  Think gold scalloped photo frames, floral artwork like this stunning concrete relief on a stand and these framed prints, trinket dishes and so much more.  In fact, perhaps one of my favorite details of so many pieces in the collection is that they come with a pretty box that’s ready to gift.  So if you have a baby shower, bridal shower, engagement party or are still looking for a Mother’s Day gift, you’ll find dozens of gorgeous finds in the collection.  I grabbed a few of her trinket dishes; so lovely and only $35!  

But don’t take my word for it.  TOMORROW at the stunning new Williams-Sonoma store at The Avalon here in Atlanta I’ll be hosting an event celebrating the collection from 7-8:30.  I hope you’ll join me and come out to celebrate the AERIN x Williams-Sonoms home collection for yourself.  I know the pieces will sweep you off your feet too.  Truly, MKR

P.S. Comment below or message me on Instagram if I’ll be seeing you tomorrow night at the store.  Believe me friends, this collection is something you’ll want to get your hands on.  And of course, I’d love to gush over all things blue and white and beautiful with you!  xo

SHOP THE STORY  / CLICK LEFT & RIGHT ARROWS TO EXPLORE

 


  

AERIN Ginger Jar Champagne Bucket

Williams-Sonoma, $159.95

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This is no dinky champagne bucket; this thing can fit 2-3 bottles of wine!  Not only is it absolutely stunning in its design, it’s functional and just the thing you need for a night entertaining al fresco. 

AERIN Potted Floral Arrangement, Rose

Williams-Sonoma, $95

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Aren’t these hand cast porcelain sculptures stunning?!  They’re the perfect accent for a coffee table, desk or bookshelf. 

AERIN White Link Pitcher

Williams-Sonoma, $89.95

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I am such a fan of this earthenware pitcher, with its hand-polished white glaze finish and link detailing. I love using a pitcher like this to display fresh flowers, though it would work wonderfully in a traditional sense, too! 

AERIN Gilded Bamboo Gallery Frame

Williams-Sonoma, $70

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I can never say no to a bamboo motif, so I fell in love with these gallery frames the second I saw them.  The gorgeous gold lacquer is simply timeless and the white matte instantly elevates whatever’s featured inside. 

AERIN Sea Blue Floral Salad Plates

Williams-Sonoma, $51.95

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Blue and white forever, am I right?!  I will always adore a tabletop that has blue and white pattern play.  The AERIN collection is full of beautiful dinnerware designs that can be set apart or together for a truly wonderful effect.  The drinkware, just like the dinnerware, is something to keep in your entertaining arsenal too.  It’s all just so good! 

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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