Anatomy of an Easter Table.

Read all about how to set your Easter table and our favorite Easter recipes that everyone looks forward to each year. From ham and deviled eggs to carrot cake for dessert, we have all the recipes you need.

How to Set Your Easter Table

Setting the perfect Easter table requires no science, but instead allows an artful balance of creativity and fun. A special religious occasion providing cause for celebration, rebirth + renewal, but also a holiday the kids look forward to enjoying more and more as the years go by. From Easter Egg Hunts to special Easter baskets, it is a holiday the whole family loves. For this reason, I love pairing a mix of “fancy” elements + whimsical details to celebrate the Easter holiday.

When planning for the festivities this year, here are a few of my favorite elements to include on your own Easter table…

The Foundations

A base layer of foundational pieces on your tablescape will help set the proper tone for your Easter gathering. Because we are often enjoying our spread in a brunch-life fashion after church and the egg hunt festivities, I love keeping things light and easy.

Our oatmeal tabletop linens are perfect for spring, providing both a functional, effortless look but also the warmth and special-occasion feel that real table linens bring to any event. I often set the feast on our dining room table, taking a family style approach because as you know anytime we can enjoy a sit-down meal gathered around the table together is good in my book!

I also love being able to use some of our more special tableware and serving pieces, because if you’re not going to use them for everyday then you should certainly try to at least incorporate them for holidays and special occasions. I so love not holding out on these special pieces. Sure, they can be broken and chipped but it’s certainly better to loose a piece than never using them at all. Easter is a special time to break out the china, silver and crystal, and to mix and match these pieces liberally.

There is just something about that shabby chic look that still screams spring to me. Setting the table with a few mis-matched china pieces is always a welcomed addition to add character to the table. A sweet floral pattern or gold rimmed platter provides the perfect touch.

I always make sure I have an apron on while cooking up our Easter meal. Our Simple Blessings apron just seems like the perfect fit. This collection was inspired by teaching my kids their first blessings, so the child apron is a great addition and perfect for teaching them Easter recipes.

Seasonal Fare

In keeping with the spring season, there are always a few staples that must be included for it to truly feel like an Easter meal to me. While I don’t even eat it, ham is one of those main stains for the holiday and oh-so-beautiful when set upon a large platter right in the middle of the table. The spiral cut ham also makes for easy grab-and-go sandwiches when paired with rolls, especially great for the kids who might not sit still at the table.

Fresh veggies and fruits from the local neighborhood farmers market makes a wonderful addition to the table. I love scouring the farmstead the day before to see what looks especially fresh + yummy. Great picks are always green beans, radishes, a spring mix, sweet peas or asparagus for a vibrant pop of color on the table.

I also love a good berry mixture, like blackberries + blueberries, both of which we have growing in our edible garden but are never quite ready for the Easter meal so it gives a nice nod for what’s to come.

And of course, what Easter feast would be complete without eggs! Because we are traditional and have so much fun hard boiling and dying Easter eggs, these are one of my favorite foods year-round. A beautiful platter of Deviled Eggs are always a staple when entertaining in the South, but most especially on your Easter table.

Sweets + Treats

Because I just spent the last 40 days of Lent foregoing sweets, this is a particularly special area of importance on my table this year. A Classic Carrot Cake is a favorite crowing dessert for Easter, not to mention a great way to utilize all those beautiful green-top carrots you just stocked up on for the Easter bunny! I love presenting these tall, skinny little cakes to the family and adorned ours with my go-to recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting and chopped pecans from our family farm.

One trick I love stealing from my Grandmother’s table is to mix Easter candy elements into the tables cape or centerpiece. You know my muted, neutral-loving heart adores the soft pastels of the little chocolate robins eggs or marshmallow treats. You can’t beat a giant chocolate Easter bunny at the heart of the table, or even smaller little chocolate bunnies at each place setting  – always such a hit with the kiddos! Pastel macaroons also give nod to my French heritage on my Mother’s side and add the prettiest of pastel hues to the table.

Nature-Inspired Elements

I love bringing the beauty of the blooming outdoors inside for my Easter brunch and try to utilize anything and everything that happens to be fresh and blooming in my own garden at the time.

I have a pretty hearty supply of large, white hydrangeas nearly all spring + summer, adding that pop of white and green. I love mixing in some of our fresh herbs – like rosemary, mint and lavender – for a fragrant touch, too. And, if I can pick up a white or blush teacup rose somewhere, I love this subtle nod to my Nana who always had the prettiest rose garden around. My mom has continued this tradition in her own garden and it’s one I’d love to as well in time.

I also love mixing touches of natural wooden elements onto our Easter tablescape, like the Wood Slice Platter for the cake or a small wooden garnish dish to soften and warm the look of the table against the fine chine and crystal. And by adding an unexpected vintage jar for use as a drinking glass, it adds the perfect juxtaposition to take down the tone of the more refined elements and adds back in that picnic-like feel.

Easter Traditions

One thing I always try to incorporate into my holiday tables capes are the elements of tradition that I grew up with from my own childhood. My grandmother always had an “Easter Tree” made up of a large, spindly branch from her yard adorned with delicate decoupage eggs that she had made over the years. I remember her spending hours carefully poking and blowing out the insides of the egg to preserve the real-egg exterior shell just long enough to cover it in bits + pieces of old floral wrapping paper and tissue papers she had amassed from our school fundraising drives and gifting occasions.

This year I am also looking to add a touch of religious celebration to our Easter holiday, with tiny bible verses at our place settings or our palm leaf crosses from Palm Sunday mass the weekend before. I love having these element and this important element for the holiday be a part of our Easter tradition for the kids to remember and reflect on.

I’d love to see how you are setting your own table this Easter and how you’re using your heirloomed pieces to create family traditions of your very own. #HEIRLOOMED

heirloomed is a lifestyle brand with a mission of “keeping heirlooms around for another generation.” Our blog features stories about family recipes, creating traditions with your family, interior design and entertaining by mixing new and vintage pieces, classic style, and small town + historic travel. Our shop features a collection of “goods inspired by the past, for generations to enjoy” with an array of products and meaningful gifts including linen aprons, tabletop linens, art, ceramics and beyond. Learn more at www.heirloomedcollection.com.