Party Tableware
Setting up Your Food Areas -- Centerpiece Ideas

On this page, you will find ideas for choosing the right party tableware for casual get togethers. I am not an expert on sit down dinner parties so you will not find ideas on how to set up the table for an 8 course meal. Way too serious for me!

The parties that I have thrown generally fall into two categories; the grazing-type party, where appetizers and desserts are spread throughout the house, and the buffet-type party, where all of the food is primarily in one location.

Quick Jump Links

Grazing Party Tableware

The first thing you have to do is decide how many rooms of your home are going to be used during the party. I try to have food in all the rooms where people are going to congregate because it encourages people to wander and mingle.

I have 3 primary rooms where people tend to hang out. My kitchen, of course, the family room which is where the bar is and our basement which has another sitting area and the card table.

I usually have 2 or 3 of the same appetizers in each room (make one appetizer and split it into smaller bowls), but I also have 2 or 3 appetizers that are unique to each room which encourages people to wander around and see what's different.

This is a GREAT technique especially when you have people that don't really know each other. People end up all over your house socializing instead of sitting like lumps on a log in one room. We also have different music in each room to help people get motivated to move around.

Setting up the serving areas

Typically, I choose one serving area in each room, usually a coffee table in the sitting rooms, and the table in my kitchen. I cover the tables with a tablecloth, not only to dress them up, but to protect the tables, and I always have paper goods in each food area.

If I am serving appetizers like Peppered Meatballs or Boneless Buffalo Wings that stay in a Crock Pot or on a warming tray, I keep those in my kitchen because it's easier to get at the electricity.

I also like to have some warm appetizers on the coffee tables, like Vidalia Onion Dip or Green Chili Dip, but it's always a challenge keeping them warm.

I looked long and hard for such a product and am happy to share my find with you!

Generally, there isn't enough room on a coffee table to get too fancy with centerpieces. Just a tablecloth or placemats is about all you can do to dress up the tables. I have thrown some confetti on top of the tablecloths and around the serving dishes on occasion, but that's about as far as I go.

Buffet Party Tableware

The buffet party requires a little bit more preparation and set up than the grazing party. First you have to come up with the table configuration.

Recently my daughter graduated from high school and all of the food was set up in our dining room. I used the dining table but also set up two banquet tables around the perimeter of the room; one for the paper goods and the other for desserts.

If you are going to buy banquet tables, I highly recommend going with smaller, lightweight tables. I have had the 6 foot, wooden variety and found that they were so unruly and difficult to manuever that I would be exhausted after setting them up!

I have since invested in a couple of smaller, folding tables and now set up and take down could not be easier.

Once you get your tables set up, I recommend getting table cloths that match for all of the tables. Rather than looking like a bunch of mismatched tables thrown together, matching tablecloths bring unity to the room. Check out these tablecloths from Domestications. I have similar ones in yellow.

Now that you have the tables set up with matching tablecloths, it's time to figure out where everything goes. This may seem like common sense, but a lot of people miss this little detail causing confusion when people start coming through to fill their plates.

Set up the food in the following order:

• Paper Goods (signals beginning of the line)
• Salads and Dressings
• Sides and Main Dishes
• Rolls and Butter
• Condiments, Salt, Pepper
• Desserts

The order is important so that when guests enter the room, they know exactly where to begin and the flow ensures that they do not to miss anything and have to back track.

To make your tables more interesting, use "lifts and levels" when possible. All you have to do, is find objects around your house, like stacks of books, or upside-down Tupperware containers, and put of few of them underneath your tablecloths so that some of your dishes are elevated. This creates visual interest instead of everything being flat on the tables.

Centerpiece Ideas

The last suggestion I have for party tableware is to use centerpieces to dress up your tables. Obviously, you can get really fancy here, but below are a couple of simple ideas that are inexpensive and will really set off your spread.

• Fresh Flowers. I use these at every get together, but for a buffet I do something a little differently. Place a decorative runner down the middle of the table. Then create 3 vases of matching flowers; one large and two small.

  For the smaller bouquets, cut the stems really short so that all you can see are the blooms and no stems above the rim. It looks best when you use small, wide mouth vases.

  

  At the last party, I filled the bottom of all 3 vases with beautiful red glass beads to match the flowers, then placed them down the center of the main table (big bouquet in the middle with a small one on each side).

  What's nice about creating these smaller, matching bouquets, is that you can put them on the side tables also to really tie everything together. As centerpieces go, these are so simple to make yet really beautiful.

• Fruited Pine Garland. I saw this on The Food Network and really loved the idea. Take fresh greens, like pine garland, and run them down the middle of the table. Then among the greens place fresh fruit (pomegranates, limes, lemons, apples and grapes work well) and votives with white candles. Use unscented candles so that they don't compete with your food.

Party Tableware and setup is usually one of the easiest parts of having a party. It doesn't take much to get it right, just a little bit of organization and forethought.