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Serving buffet style is wonderful when entertaining a larger crowd. A long table filled with scrumptious food in beautiful serving ware will lend a festive and celebratory mood to your party. Since the feast will very likely be one of the highlights of the evening, be sure the buffet table is as beautifully decorated as the rest of your home.

First, consider the central theme for the gathering. Is it a birthday party, a welcome home party, a holiday celebration? Use this theme as your guide. For example, if the party is to celebrate a friend's retirement, and she intends to travel, a model airplane, or world globe may serve as a centerpiece. Use serving ware and dinnerware that represent different cultures in style and color. Make a runner or cloth for the tabletop from a fabric with an African print or French fleur de le.

If it's a Christmas party you're hosting, layer the traditional holiday colors to create a sophisticated display. Cover the table with a brilliant red tablecloth. Use all white serving ware and dinnerware. Along the back of the table, line up several large green candles in clear vases or slender green candles in silver candlesticks. The table is simple, elegant, and festive.

If the party is a casual gathering, and doesn't have a central idea to play off of, then decorate the table with seasonal colors. For example, if the party is poolside, use cool blues and greens with punches of sunny yellow. For a bit of eclectic fun, spread a red check tablecloth over the buffet table. Use silver plated bowls and platters to serve the food, and lay out bright red plastic plates and cups for dinnerware. A large bouquet of colorful flowers will be the perfect centerpiece.

While considering how you want to decorate your table, keep in mind a few simple factors. Most likely, the guests will eat at the same time. Think about how you want the traffic to flow. Set out the plates and utensils on the side you want the guests to start at. Wrap the utensils in a napkin and tie them with a bit of ribbon for easy carrying. Set the main course close to the start side'; it very likely takes up the most room on the plate. As your guests move along the table be sure they do not have to reach over or around any of the decorative items. Keep these toward the back of the table. If you use a centerpiece, keep it toward the back so it doesn't interfere with the layout of the food.

A guest-friendly way to serve buffet style is to have more than one table. Guests can enjoy the main meal, then go back to the dessert table. This table will have its own smaller plates or bowls with the dessert being the center of attention. This table could have a coffee urn and dessert liqueur as well. If you do have a separate dessert buffet, be sure to continue the decorating theme from the main table.

The buffet table is a chance to show your guests how much you enjoy having them come to your home, as well as show off the fabulous food you're offering. Use these ideas as a starting point and you're sure to receive that highest of compliments, "Your table looks wonderful!"

Learn more about this author, Shelly Mcrae.
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