Here is their advice:
- Use Cloth Napkins! Etsy has new and vintage ones for every style.
- Iron Your Tablecloths and Your Napkins - not going to happen? Splurge and send them to the cleaners to be pressed.
- Napkins rings can be cool, we promise - especially if they're just twine.
- Put low flowers not only on your table but around your home, from bar to bathroom.
- Make a seating chart (remember: no couples together, and take time to map out who will really enjoy spending hours next to whom) and then hand-write the place cards. We use pre-strung shipping tags.
- Use the good stuff: china and glasses. But mix up patterns Too perfect is too...obvious.
- Pass a hot hors d'oeuvre with cocktails to set the mood to "fancy"
- You also want a pretty plated first course. Like the rest of this make-ahead menu, soup makes a statement without stranding you in the kitchen.
- Go for the ta-da! entree, one that channels Julia Child...and the go for a ta-da! dessert too. We hereby announce the return of the after-dinner coffee at home. Scale up with a large Chemex or moka pot, and be sure to use really good beans.
