Easter heralds the beginning of spring entertaining in the South, all the more reason to dust off your dining table and set a spread as special as you would at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Here are three easy ideas from Southern shops for adding a little pizzazz to your parties alla primavera.
Don’t Limit Eggs to the Hunt
“For Easter, I always set a whimsical table filled with treasures we’ve collected with our children over the years,” says Keith Meacham, the owner of Reed Smythe & Company in Nashville. “My kids love pulling out all the Easter ornaments, and it’s wonderful to combine them with silver and china that means something to me.” Reed Smythe offers seasonal pieces in the shop perfect for starting your own collection, including hand-painted papier-mâché eggs and handmade green goblets.
And Don’t Limit Candy to the Easter Baskets
When I was little, my mom had a special gift for finding incredibly beautiful and intricate candy for our Easter baskets. She also had a habit of using candy as decorations in her spring tablescapes, especially chocolates fashioned to look like robins’ eggs. When I saw these beauties from Asheville’s French Broad Chocolates, I felt a pang of nostalgia. “They are fully addictive,” says cofounder Jael Skeffington. Long-time locals, she continues, “still wax poetic” about them.
Add Squares to Spare
I’ve always loved a cocktail napkin moment; either a stack of them printed with something clever and irreverent, or just plain pretty ones. The hand-embroidered examples from Hibiscus Linens in Houston, Texas, are exactly the sort of thing that you will want to pull out year after year to add a subtle accent to your table (and to pass down for generations of enjoyment).
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