• Your guests dining experience begins when they first see the set table. To make sure your Easter meal gets off to a good start, take some time to plan and set your Easter table.

• If you have formal china, silver, and glasses, you may want to use them if you are serving a formal holiday meal.

1. Make sure you have all the pieces that you need for serving the dishes you are planning, as well as enough plates, bowls, and glasses for the different courses you are serving.
2. If you're missing items, arrange to borrow, buy, or rent them.

If you don't own formal pieces, look at the casual dinnerware you own, and determine if you can "dress it up" with a few special pieces. There's also nice paper and plastic ware that will work well for a casual holiday meal.

• Your theme is a personal choice. Select a one that appeals to you, and carry it through your selection of the tablecloth, napkins, and other decorative items you'll be adding to the table.

1. If you are using formal dinner ware, you might want to select a few colors from your dishes to use in the table cloth, napkins, and decorative items.
2. Think spring, and go natural, bringing the colors of the outdoors inside.
3. Peter Rabbit, the Easter bunny, baby ducks, or farm animals might work well as a theme, if your guest list leans heavily to the under 10 set.
4. Select a spring flower, such as a daffodil or tulip, as your inspiration.

• Set the table the day before, making sure there's room for everything, and that you do have enough serving pieces.

1. It can be helpful to place a note on each serving dish, indicating what you're using it for.
2. Polish silver, and make sure your crystal is spotless.
3. Review a guide such as Mahalo's page on how to set a table, to make sure you have all the forks in the right place.

• After laying out all the dinnerware, add accents that carry through your theme.

1. Choose a centerpiece that enhances the table setting.
2. Add place cards that not only indicate where people are to sit, but add a bit of dér or whimsy to the table.
   1. You can write guests' names on decorated Easter eggs which you sit in a mini-grapevine wreath.
   2. Place a name tag on a 4 inch chocolate bunny, to serve as a favor, as well as a name tag.
   3. Small Easter baskets can be filled with jelly beans, and have the guest's name written on the handle.