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Set the mood for a Valentine's Day bash or a tete-a-tete with your sweetie.
 Yes, love is in the air and there's plenty to share on February 14. The
U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that some one billion
valentines are sent each year worldwide. Lovers everywhere present
lavish gifts of flowers or sweets or both. And in the central European
country of Slovenia, Valentine's Day is said to be the date that birds
propose to each other or marry.
We suggest celebrating the hearts-and-flowers holiday with a cozy dinner for two or a party for favorite friends. Whichever, you'll want to create a romantic tabletop to set a sentimental mood. For expert advice on doing just that, we turned to Ruth Lees and Bonnie Burney, the owners of Ikebana Design & Accessories at The Forum, a full-service fl orist specializing in the art of Japanese fl ower arranging for almost three decades. The Ikebana partners agree, "Decide on your style and be creative." In other words, follow your heart in the tabletop design. But whatever the decor, candlelight is a must. "It's always romantic," adds Bonnie. She likes the look of interspersing votive candles among fl oral arrangements when setting a party table. Of course, all candles on a dining table should be unscented, as well as long-burning and smoke-free. Ruth and Bonnie favor placing floral arrangements down the entire length of a long table. They point out that vases in different heights add interest. On a buffet, the advice is to use tall arrangements for visual balance. At a seated table, flowers should be kept low, mounded and clustered. Sentiment carries the day. The Ikebana owners suggest choosing a bloom that is meaningful, perhaps evocative of one's wedding bouquet, when setting a Valentine's table-for-two. At a seated dinner party, they like a long-stemmed red rose at each setting. Consider revving up the elegance with candelabra, placecards and menu cards. A charger, or presentation plate, to hold a spot for the dinner plate, is another formal flourish. It should be removed after the salad course. A last bit of advice for setting a romantic table, this for the novice cook, comes from Bonnie Burney. "Be sure to use fine table linens, crystal and china," she counsels. "Even if you're serving take-out." Note that a fancy-folded napkin gives a 5-star restaurant fi nish to a tabletop. Check out www.napkinfolding.net for easy directions for folds with just the napkin, or with holders such as a napkin ring. Puzzled about the proper placement of glassware? Or flummoxed about flatware? See the same website to brush up on table-setting etiquette. (Imagine a grand dinner in the opulent late 19th century, when an elaborate single place setting could include as many as 146 forks, knives and spoons. Oh, my.) Gretchen Lamont, a former copywriter at a major New York City ad agency, is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the author of a children's book, The Mail-Carrier Cats of Liege. A transplant from NYC to Wilmington in '96, she has lived in New Orleans, Memphis and San Antonio, and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. |
