While tablescape practice can “make perfect” in terms of developing an eye for proportion, color balance, and composition, perfectionism must never be allowed to get in the way. With constant scrolling of beautiful image after beautiful image, we can quickly categorize ourselves into the “haves” and “have nots”.
To look at something beautiful and want to recreate it on your table and then to allow yourself to think you need to buy something to make it happen, completely takes the joy out of it. Instead of feeling exciting and creative, you may find yourself exasperated and wishing you had a wand to make that one thing you need appear out of thin air.
So, after creating two different tablescapes this spring with my dear friend Julia Blair Florals, I thought I would write down a few quick thoughts on the subject.
The main point to get across is that you absolutely should register for china when you get married. If you love hosting and setting your table, you will not regret asking for them. My everyday dishes are great, but I pull the china out for everything from small dinner parties to birthdays to holidays to the date nights I want to make extra intentional.
If you’re already married and didn’t register for china, start collecting over time! I registered for dinner plates only. My mother-in-law has been giving me a piece or two for my birthdays and I look forward to it every time! We’ve just completed my set of teacups, and I couldn't be happier about it.
It’s also not just about you, really, when it comes to collecting fine china and silver flatware. For the table I set in May at the Swan House, I used my mom’s silver flatware, my fine china dinner plates, and my mom’s dear friend’s salad plates and napkins. It’s a team effort when designing an elegant event! I will never forget that for my bridesmaids luncheon, that same family friend used containers from her own wedding for the table floral arrangements. There are some things so worth holding on to!
I cannot wait for 20-30 years down the road that I’m sharing my collected dinnerware items with my children and my friends’ children. Sooner than that, I can’t wait to host tea parties for small children and use the fine china. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the tea parties my mom threw for us, fine china and all. Nothing will make you feel more like a lady.
The second point is to whimsically mix and match as opposed to trying to make it all perfectly go together. I did this for my Valentine’s Day table and it was so fun.
The third point is to write your own menus and place cards. Nothing fancy, but the intentionality will not go unnoticed.
The last thing? You don’t have to buy everything brand new. Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Etsy, estate sales, and flea markets are all great places to start looking for pieces to add to your forever table. Throw trends out the window and only buy what you absolutely love!
Signing off,
Syd
A few more photos the tablescape at the Swan House, which I decided to call “Alice in Wonderland Meets Crisp Simplicity at the Swan House”: