This past Sunday I hosted a lunch celebrating the baptism of my son. It was an incredibly meaningful occasion for my family, and it was also the first time we hosted a meal in our new home. I wanted the event to feel special but not uptight, so I intentionally mixed formal and informal elements to create a celebratory event suitable for my 3-year-old daughter and toddler nephews, too. The combination proved to be beautiful while not intimidating. Everyone was relaxed and enjoyed the meal, and my afternoon wasn’t spent hand washing fine china. Below are the elements* I included:

Formal: We set our formal dining table (the transitional chairs keep the room from being stuffy), crystal compote for a show stopper floral centerpiece, silver place settings, hemstitched linens and monogrammed napkins to match.

Informal: Jars dinnerware we use daily, my $1 water glasses, Riedel wine glasses for mint tea or Rosé, mint julep cups for additional centerpieces.

How do you entertain? Do tell!

*All elements used available for purchase at Batte. Ask our phenomenal bridal consultants for assistance—I did! Their guidance is incredibly helpful. Oh, but you can’t get the water glasses from Batte. Sorry! But you can choose some even better ones!