Spend Valentine’s Day at Home with These Great Tips!
By Lucas on Feb 13, 2014
By Penny Munoz
Do you remember falling in love? Celebrate the exact moment you felt cupid’s arrow pierce your heart by decorating your dinner table with the ultimate Valentine’s Day set; give it a certain je ne sais quoi… (French is the language of love, right?)
The dinner table:
Now that you’ve already decided your Valentine’s Day menu, complete with heart-shaped ravioli and chocolate fondue, you’re probably starting to set up your table… But wait! In an era of take-out, fast-food and restaurant rendezvous, do you even remember how to properly set a table? Saving you the trip down memory lane, back to the day your grandmother told you which fork to use when and why, here’s how to handle your mise en place!
The Look:
Image via casadevalentina.com
Image via artofmanliness.com
So now you’re standing there, looking from your bare table to the setup diagram like this is rocket science. Don’t worry, this dinner etiquette survival guide will help you get through it—no Google maps necessary.
The napkin
Every table setting needs one, no matter what you’re serving, so it’s a great place to start. Traditionally, the napkin is supposed to go on the left hand side of the setting. For smaller tables, or more creative minds see the ‘extras’ located at the end of the article to see what else you can do with your napkins that’ll add a lovely flair.
Forks
Depending on how many courses you plan on serving, your forks are all located in order of which will be used first from the left. If you’re starting with a beet-ing heart salad (get it? beets), your salad fork will be furthest to the left, with the dessert fork closest to the plates.
Plates
Your “service plate” is located on the bottom hemisphere of the table; it’s the big flat plate that you’ll enjoy your main course on. On top of it will be the soup or salad bowl; because it is easy to clear and make way for your main presentation!
The knife
This might be a little old-fashioned, but as the saying goes, old habits die hard. As everyone is assumed to be right handed, the knife is located directly on the right hand side of the plates. As you know, (if you’re right handed, anyway) you use this hand to make expert cuts in anything that requires carving (Sorry left-handers!).
Spoons
So far, everything has been pretty logical, right? Well, here’s the game changer: Your soup spoon comes after your dessert spoon. Which is beside your knife. We don’t know why.
Bread spread
Every good meal involves bread… Unless you’re a celiac… In which case, refer to the first photo of ‘the look’. If you’re offering bread, the side plate is set off to the left hand side of the table, slightly above the dinner fork. This way, your beloved Valentine can munch at their own pace throughout dinner.
Liquid courage
If you’re planning on professing your undying love, you might want to pay special attention here. Water is located near the centre of the place setting, furthest from reach (as it is mostly there out of common courtesy). The red wine glass is located above the knife, second in rotation and the white wine glass is closest to your right hand as it will most likely be set to complement the first course salad/appetizer.
Depending on your table space, don’t be afraid to add a contemporary twist to your table, like placing your napkin in a creative fold on top of your plates or folded into you glasses. You can also tie your cutlery together in a love-inspired binding:
Image via brocadenashville.com
Here are a few cute ideas that are sure to tell that special someone how you feel:
1) Candles
If you’ve been following our holiday DIY’s so far, I’m sure you’ve been anticipating what us crazy holiday enthusiasts at newinhomes.com are doing with candles for Valentine’s Day. Well, there are a couple variations that we recommend:
a) The basic candle in a jar:
Don’t be discouraged by the simplicity of this concept. Depending on how much time you have, this simple DIY idea can help you set a romantic, sultry setting leading up to your perfectly set dining room table. Using frosting tools found at your local art supply store, you can write sweet-nothings on each jar to let your Valentine know what they’re in for…
b) Candy jars
Still a very time-efficient decoration, just put your favourite Valentine’s Day candy in a jar and place a candle in the centre. If you’ve given yourself enough time, we recommend you customize your m&m’s for that added sentimental value.
Image via augustfields.blogspot.ca
2) Rose petals
It’s a revolution in the way rose petals are used! Carefully distribute the delicate little petals on the table, it adds a very romantic twist!
Image via diy-enthusiasts.com
3) Ice cubes
If you have heart-shaped ice trays, a cute idea is to sprinkle pomegranate seeds into them! If not, go out and buy heart-shaped ice trays! You can also add food-colouring to them or make them from freshly squeezed strawberry/raspberry juice! Yum!
Image via twolovesstudio.com
Those are our tips, show us what you or your lover came up with this Valentine’s Day!
