Top Ten Tips for creating a Platinum Jubilee Dinner Party
By Qube Luxe
In the last few weeks, the weather has finally become noticeably warmer, and people are beginning to venture outside to entertain in the great British outdoors. This June, the UK will celebrate HRH Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, making her 70 years on the throne the longest in British history, which is a great excuse for a community event, street party or party in your own house or garden.
Here are our Top Ten Tips for creating the perfect Platinum Jubilee dinner party with advice from extraordinary party planner Debbie Marks, our luxury event stylist, founder of multi-award-winning events company Qube Events & Productions.
1. The key to good tablescape design is to plan the theme and the type of event you are hosting and the shape of the table. Our Platinum Jubilee Tablescape is set for a party of 6 on one long table, meaning the white runner, blue hydrangeas, arctic blue candles help create the perfect centrepiece. If you have a round table, you can adapt to suit.
2. Decide on the look and feel of what you are trying to create. If you want a rustic feel, the Queen is known for her rural pursuits, you may want to choose natural woody elements. We suggest wicker seagrass placemats and a natural wood tabletop. For a more formal feel use good quality glass, we chose shaped charger plates and cut diamond vases to twin the two themes together. ‘Rustic Glam’ we like to call it.
3. Think table decor colour scheme. Is it going to be red, white and blue? Also decide which shades of colours go well together. We would suggest an arctic blue, maroon red and white combination which gives a bold yet relaxing feel.
4. Tablecloths, should you use them? For our Jubilee Tablescape we went with the natural wood finish of the table and added a white runner and napkins which gave a somewhat formal atmosphere to the garden party, fitting for the occasion. The print and the colour of the tablecloth should complement the theme and your tablecloth (or table top) and runner should contrast with each other. A table can look stunning with or without a tablecloth with good tablescape design.
5. Tableware is important for the overall look of your tablescape. This can be arranged in layers to give depth. We layered our tablescape with silver charger plates on wicker placemats and a napkin with a bow placed on the plate. You can create a rustic yet formal feel with a mix of glass, such as a glass charger plate, and natural textures, a wicker placemat. We chose additional decorative cutlery and blue diamond glassware to complement each place setting and blend in with the colour scheme.
6. A great British menu. You may go for British favourites, such as Coronation Chicken or recipes from current and former Commonwealth countries, such as Creole Fish and Cou Cou, which is the national dish of Barbados. There are some excellent recipe ideas if you follow the link, especially for a Jubilee lunch. https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/jubilee-cookbook
7. Personal touches really impress your guests such as handmade name cards and a handwritten menu, which should build excitement and get your guests involved with the food. These finishing touches don’t need to be anything fancy as the company, food and effort you have put into your tablescape should create the perfect celebration. To add to the festivities, drape Union Flag bunting down the centre of your table to give a final flourish.
8. Plan ahead of time. The next few weeks are crucial to get supplies such as bunting and any other themed additions before they run out in the shops. Alternatively, you can involve your family in a home craft production, maybe using it as an excise to teach yourself or children how to sew.
9. If you don’t have the time to source everything for your dinner party, we have the perfect solution; a tablescape in a box. We have just launched our Quintessentially British range of tablescapes, and accessories listed here, which will help you to create the perfect atmosphere for a Jubilee dinner party https://qubeluxe.com/collections/quintessentially-british
10. After all your hard work in organising your dinner party don’t forget to take time to enjoy it! Here’s to a fantastic Platinum Jubilee weekend celebration. If you need any more help and advice we can recommend Extraordinary Parties By Debbie Marks available now from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Extraordinary-Parties-planning-creative-celebrations/dp/B09W7FFBNX
If you would like further information on our tablescapes please don’t hesitate to contact us at concierge@qubeluxe.com .
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