Stress-less Dinner Tip: Set the Table the Night Before

Here's a tip from our own experience in throwing many dinner parties and holiday meals. If you are able to, set the table the night before! Here's why we like to do it.

First of all, there is often a lot of work that goes into a beautiful table. We like to have flowers, candles, and perhaps a tablecloth or placemats. Figuring out how all that is going to look and setting it up takes more time than you think it will, and having it done ahead of cooking gives you one less thing to worry about. It ensures that there will be a beautiful table all set up when people walk in. There's nothing worse than running around putting flowers in a vase while welcoming guests!

Also, there's something psychologically very helpful for us in knowing that the end is literally in sight! As we cook and bake, the table is right there, all ready. There's nothing to do last-minute when the guests arrive, and when they walk in they'll see a table all set and ready.

And finally, we also like to bring out our serving dishes, make sure we know which dish is going where, and that we have enough room on the table for everything! We also set some place aside for appetizers, and have a tray of something ready in the fridge for right when guests arrive. This gives us peace of mind while whirling around the kitchen doing eight things at once: at least the table is set, and there will be nibbles when guests get here.

Of course, some apartments and homes don't have a separate dining room, and you may be eating buffet-style. We still think there are many things you can to prep. Even just little things, like pulling the plates out of the cupboard and stacking them on a sideboard can help, psychologically. Pull out your wineglasses and make sure they're dusted; count your silverware and make sure you have enough.

What do you do the night before (or morning of) to help you get ready for a dinner party?

More on de-stressing Thanksgiving dinner:
• Five Things You Can Do Right Now to Get Ready for Thanksgiving
• Cooking for a Crowd: How To Cook a Stress-Free Feast
• A Low-Stress Thanksgiving: Recipes, Tips, and Advice

(Image: Faith Durand)

Comments (9)

Not only do I set the table the night before, but I also like to prep foods 1-2 days in advance too (cutting up the veggies etc...and in some cases actually cooking the foods that reheat well) so when the big day comes it's as simple and stress-free as possible.

Unless, of course, you have cats! :)

You can do the table more than one day in advance if you have the ability to do it and drape with a flat sheet to keep things clean. You may just have to pop in a fresh centerpiece or something but that's no big deal compared to setting a more complicated table.

I'm with you abc123 - advance slicing & dicing is key. I keep them in ziploc bags in the fridge. I also, do any pre-measuring of spices in ziplocs labeled for which dish.

Pomme - very close to what I was thinking. I can put out some things, but not others. Tablecloths are okay as long as the dangling edges are folded back up onto the table. Plates, platters, glasses, napkins and utensils are ok to go out with our kitties (though I imagine that's not true with every cat). Placecards have to be last minute though. As do centerpieces, especially flowers. For extra insurance we have a noisemaker/sprayer gizmo with a motion detector, which will usually scare the cats away.

I've done the advance prep work and the table setting in advance before and it saves a lot of time on the day of. My husband thought I was crazy the first time I set the table ahead of time but he's used to it now.

I always do the chopping, and anything that has to do with raw meat...because I hate working with raw meat. and of course, making the freezer/fridge stuff. I usually leave my table clear, because it looks so NICE when it's all cleared off...the place tends to look more cluttered with all the stuff on it. If it's going to be a while before we eat, I let them see the CLEAN table before I set it. If i were doing something more complex, though, I'd probably do it in advance. which is a good idea.

This is a nice idea...if you have enough dishes to spare between setting the table and dinner. I don't. :(

I actually set the table on Monday and is all ready for Thanksgiving. With a daughter with lots of activities and family coming in for the holidays its one less thing I have to do and my daughter thinks its a special treat to have picnics in the living room for a few days!