New Year’s Eve Dinner Party Table Setting

As promised, here is the “sister” table setting to the one I posted yesterday.  While yesterday’s table setting was a bit more relaxed perhaps even whimsical, this setting is more formal, hence why I think it suits a dinner party.  As I was putting the pieces together for this tablescape, it dawned on me that with all the crystal and white china, it looks like a wedding table……but then I thought isn’t New Year’s about joining the old and the new, so in a way it seemed appropriate.  But then I could simply be making stuff up to soothe my ego.

If you read the posting on the blog Living Livelier, you know that I tend to create back stories for each of the projects I do, even tablescapes.  I find creating these fictional characters and their fictional lives, help me better understand what the final product should look like. With this table setting, I imagined the party giver was my younger (imaginary) sister.  This sister is a little more traditional and reserved,  and while she appreciates my panache, she and her husband prefer something more traditional and classic in their home.  They enjoy scouring estate sales for silverware & crystal, adore mono-chromatic color schemes and appreciate timeless style.  She loves Max Mara, carries an understated Louis Vuitton bag (no monogram print for her) and reads Traditional Home on the weekend.  Her husband loves Ralph Lauren, owns a vintage Rolex and is saving up to buy a classic Porsche Boxster.

(Yeah, I sorta go overboard on this stuff….and to my real sister, I love you very much even if you aren’t this idealized version!!)

With all this in mind, I limited myself to shopping my existing pantry closet as well as the big discount stores (Dollar Tree, Marshalls & Ross Dress for Less) for anything extra.  In addition, I placed one extra restraint on myself in that I  could not go buy new flowers – I had to recycle the flowers I purchased for the original table setting.  Thinking a little outside the box when it came to my center piece, I think I was able to create a look that is classic and elegant….something that could be used for a dinner party, bridal shower or a formal lunch.

Breakdown:

Tablecloth: Custom made from fabric found on Fabric.com
Napkins: Crate & Barrel Outlet
Napkin Rings: Pottery Barn (part of their catering set they now sell)
Charger Plates: Ikea
Plates: Dollar Store
Crystal Goblets: Waterford Crystal (given to us by The Partner’s parents)
Wine Glasses: Ross Dress for Less
Centerpiece: It is a coffee filter wreath I made for $3 and tucked flowers into
Flower Vases: Crystal shot glasses – Ross Dress for Less
Crystal Candy Pots: Marshalls
Party Favor Bowls: Both sets of crystal bowls are from Ross Dress for Less ($2.99 each)
Party Poppers: Mix of homemade using paper towel rolls store-bought (Dollar Store)
Crystal Candlesticks: Pieces I have picked up from antique marts and discount stores – none over $10
Flatware: Mix of mother of pearl from eBay and everyday flatware from Costco
Champagne Bucket: CB2
Flowers: Recycled them from the other table…just cut them lower to fit the shot glasses & any leftovers got tucked into the wreath.

Hope this gave you inspiration to set your own fantastic holiday table!