How to Set the Table for a Graduation

A milestone as important as graduation deserves to be celebrated in style, and if you decide to do it at home, everything should be taken care of down to the smallest detail. But without waste, perhaps by using that old tablecloth you keep in a drawer, a dinnerware you never use, or DIY place cards. Below you'll find valuable tips on How to set the table for a graduation party.

Index of topics

Choose the theme and colors

The first step is to choose the color paletteYes, it can easily lean towards shades of red, as tradition dictates. But not necessarily. Anything that reflects the graduate's tastes or personality is welcome.

To make red less “boring” and more elegant, you can combine it with touches of gold or silver. The important thing is to respect a sort of "chromatic harmony"To achieve a balanced color scheme, use 60% primary color, 30% secondary color, and 10% accent color. For example, if your theme is red, you might choose gold as your secondary color and opt for pops of white or green.

Tablecloth and runner

The basis is definitely the tablecloth, which is the starting point of the mise en placeThere's no need to buy one for the occasion. If you have a simple one at home, you can use it as a base and decorate it with recycled items: fabric scraps, old scarves, or colorful napkins folded in a patterned way. If it's white, even better; you can indulge in all the details, without overdoing it, of course. Simplicity, in these cases, always pays off.

Plates, glasses and cutlery

Elegance doesn't necessarily require new tableware. In fact, vintage is always a safe bet. Besides using the old set you keep jealously displayed in the glass cabinet, you could always mix and match with items you have on hand, as long as they're color-coordinated or shaped. This way, the table will be refined but not formal. The glasses can be those from home, or you could reuse some glass jars – the so-called maison jars – as alternative glasses. Following the same trend, use some cutlery that you already have. If they're not enough, you can always opt for disposable, non-plastic solutions. Bamboo is even better.

DIY centerpiece

Il centerpiece It is the element that defines the atmosphere of the table. For a graduation table focused on sustainability, you can take advantage of branches of laurelCreate a wreath and decorate it with ribbons or tulle, perhaps adding a red rose (even a fabric one). Alternatively, you could use recycled jars as vases and fill them with fresh or dried flowers, autumn leaves, sprigs, or aromatic herbs (depending on the season). Continuing the study theme, you could consider placing books here and there on the table: stack two or three of them and place vase tops or candles on top.

Placeholder with creative recycling

Also for i place card For graduation, you can take advantage of creative recycling. One idea is the one in the photo, obtained with rosemary sprigs held together with a ribbon bow. string, but the possibilities are endless. For example:

sheets of recycled paper folded into a fan or a touch shape
Kraft paper bags filled with seeds to plant
tags recycled from other packages, decorated with ribbons or handmade applications

Decorations and napkins

If you have a minimum of manual skills, you can dedicate a few minutes to the napkinsBy folding them carefully, you can create small works of art. The one you see in the photo resembles a sort of flower, but you can opt for swans, fans, even a hat. And what about table decorations? Feel free to use flags made from scraps of fabric or paper, newspaper confetti, garlands of old books, or anything else you like. riviste. In addition to being effective, they convey a message of concern for the environment.

Buffet and presentation of dishes

Finally, the presentation of the dishesServe dishes on glass or wooden trays, avoiding disposable plates. If you have reusable plastic trays at home, you can cover them with colorful napkins to make them more appropriate for a festive table.

If you're hosting a buffet, arrange the tables to create a natural flow: savory food first, then dessert, and finally drinks. Use stands and trays to create different heights. Make sure there's enough room to move around and easy access to plates, cutlery, and glasses (which, in this case, you can arrange neatly at both ends of the table). For drinks, use reusable carafes or glass bottlesYou can also serve some homemade juices or lemonades to complete the offering.

How to set the table for a graduation