5 Fun (and Flirty) Valentine’s Day Table Setting Ideas

You know the story.

Boy meets girl.

Boy and girl fall in love. They get married and live together.

Then comes Valentine’s Day: the most romantic day of the year. Wine, chocolates, flowers and dinner are just a few treats they indulge in.

Well, this is a story from the movies. But many couples celebrate love on Valentine’s Day.

Pocketbook conducted a study between 2013 and 2016 on Australians’ spending habits on Valentine’s Day.

According to the findings, Australians spent the most money on certain items for Valentine’s Day. These include jewellery, ticketed activities, florists, restaurants, transportation and movies.

IBISWorld predicted Australians’ Valentine's Day expenditures on dining in 2019 to be close to $52.7 million.

This is big business for restaurants. Every restaurant owner would want a part of these millions.

You want your restaurant to be the choice for couples to dine on Valentine’s. To do so, you need to bring some romance to your setting. This will enhance a couple’s dining experience.

Coming up with a fun and flirty table setting for Valentine’s Day should not be a difficult task. In this article, you will learn how to make Valentine’s Day memorable using these settings:

• Red and white palette table setting
• Heart-shaped placemats table setting
• Candlelit and romantic table setting
• Valentine’s Day party candy table centrepiece
• Rustic and romantic Valentine’s Day table setting

Let’s explore each of these.

1. Red and White Palette Table Setting

Let your table setting look well thought out. This makes even the simplest menu feel special. Red and white colours blend well.

Setting. This is a formal dinner. For each place setting, lay a red charger. Then place a white dinner plate on top of it.

Place your silverware in order of use, from the outside in. To the left of the plate, place your fork. Your dinner knife goes to the right of the plate next to the dinner spoon.

For your stemware, place a wine glass. Wine and romance go together. Sharing a glass of wine with a loved one is a perfect way to crown your Valentine's dinner.

Table Linen. Drape your dinner tables with a white tablecloth. Then place white and red striped vertical table runners on your dinner tables.

Glam up your table with a folded white napkin tied with a Rudolph-red ribbon. Place the napkin on top of your dinner plate. White napkins are ideal for formal dining.

Centrepieces. It’s Valentine’s Day but you don’t have to be too obvious. Skip the red roses and instead use red berries in a white vase for your centrepieces. The rich red colour of berries oozes passion and love.

2. Heart-Shaped Table Setting

This setting is all about hearts. Use flirty light pink and white for your colour palette. Light pink is a good alternative to an overpowering red. Though it is a soft pastel colour, it still oozes romance and is relaxing.

Setting. Put your heart into your tablescape! Go all out with the hearts. Place a light pink charger on the dinner table and a white heart-shaped plate.

Make your dinner tables shine with golden spoons, forks and knives. For your stemware, place cocktail, wine and water glasses on your dinner tables.

Table Linen. Place a white tablecloth on your dinner tables. Fold your napkins in a cone shape and place a gold napkin ring around each one. Here’s how to fold your napkins.

Centrepieces. Don’t hinder the romance. Skip the huge centrepieces that may interfere with a couple’s view or ability to hold hands. Adorn the tables with white roses in small, clear vases.

Don’t limit your creativity, nothing says I love you like heart-shaped foods. Desserts such as cakes and cookies are easy to shape.

3. Candlelit and Romantic Table Setting

Setting. Place a red placemat and white charger on the dinner plate. Then, place a dinner plate in a similar colour and pattern.

Love is a celebration worth popping some champagne to. Place tall, sleek champagne glasses on your table. They bring elegance to your setting.

Transform your champagne with ice cubes. Place a stainless steel champagne ice bucket on your dinner table.

For your silverware, place a fork to the left of the dinner plate and a knife to the right.

Tear up some rose petals and use them as table confetti. Scatter them on the dinner table for that flirty vibe. Serve dinner in this romantic atmosphere!

Table Linen. Ditch the tablecloth and opt for bare dinner tables. Place a short table runner in the middle of your table.

For an elegant look, fold a red napkin in a cone shape and place a silver napkin ring around it. Put it on the white dinner plate. This creates a beautiful contrast.

Centrepieces. There is something about a candle’s glow that sets the mood for romance. Place two glass candlesticks with tapered romantic candles.

Also, have some floating candles placed on the table. This display of candles in varying heights creates dimension to the table.

The pop of the red and the aroma from the roses set the mood for a romantic dinner.

4. Valentine’s Day Candy Table Setting

Image from: Pikrepo

Setting. This being a formal dinner, ensure you have:

• Two forks. Place a dinner and salad fork on the left of your dinner plate.
• Spoons. Place a dinner spoon on the table to the right of your dinner plate.
• Knife. Place a dinner knife next to the dinner spoon.
• A charger. Place a white charger for decorative purposes.
• Two plates. Lay out a patterned white and pink dinner plate and salad plate. Place cute crafts with writings of love on your salad plate for a flirty, fun vibe. The combo of white, red and pink on Valentine’s Day speaks of love as sweet and pure.
• Glasses: Place crystal glasses and ruby goblets on your dinner tables.

Table Linen. Fold your embroidered napkins in a pocket design and tuck some of your silverware in it. Embroidered napkins are vintage.

Centrepiece. Let your centrepiece be the star of your table. Treat your guest to Valentine’s Day sweetness by placing a centrepiece of red candy.

5. Rustic and Romantic Valentine’s Day Table Setting

Spice up your Valentine’s with a rustic and romantic table setting. Keep your setting simple using texture instead of colour to add interest to your tables.

Setting. Set the tone for your table using a charger and dinner plate in a similar shade of white.

Place water and wine glasses at each place setting.

Place rustic cardboard tags on your dinner plate. Bundle it together with a heart-shaped craft and ribbons.

Table Linen. Use a pale pink tablecloth for your dinner tables. Balance the pale pink with your silverware.

Personalise the setting. Place charming Valentine’s Day crafts on the dinner tables.

Centrepiece. Bring forth a touch of nature by incorporating wooden pieces into your table setting.

Display cute confetti made of flowers or heart-shaped cutouts or sequins.

Scrabble pieces can be used to spell love notes on the table.

Final Thoughts

Valentine’s Day comes once a year. Don’t get caught flat-footed with no creative table settings for your guests to express their love.

We’ve given you ideas on how to set a fun and flirty Valentine’s Day table setting.

Get the right table linen to match your setting from Australian Linen Supply.

ALS provides:

• 40-plus years serving the hospitality industry.
• in-house custom-made linen to meet clients’ specific demands.
• ISO certification under ISO 9001:2015, producing quality linen to meet the required standards.
• Australia with a leading importer and distributor of linen for commercial use.

What are you waiting for? 

Contact ALS today and order for your table linen!

Feature Image: Needpix