1.  ANCHOR THE TABLE WITH A CANDLE CENTERPIECE

A table without candlelight is missing something.

Before anything else goes on the table, decide where the light is coming from. Lighting is the best way to immediately elevate the atmosphere into a cozy ambient space.

Candles have anchored sacred gatherings since long before electricity...colonial families lit them for Sunday meals, for holy days and occasions (as well as daily life).

A single pillar candle on a simple wooden or pewter holder is all you need. Keep it elevated so it clears any florals you may include, and doesn't disappear into the table.

If you want something with more presence, cluster three candles at varying heights down the center of the table.

From there, layer in tea lights or fairy lights to fill out the rest of the table.

Tuck tea lights into foliage, nestle them beside place settings, or drape fairy lights loosely down the center underneath or on top of greenery. It takes five minutes and the effect is immediate — the whole table glows!

Pro tip: For the main candle centerpiece, if you're clustering 3 candles, avoid setting them all at the same height — it can make the arrangement look unbalanced! Try making the center candle the tallest, the two beside it slightly shorter, and if you're using more, let each one step down in height as you move outward.

2. LAY A LINEN TABLECLOTH OR RUNNER

If you're going for a tablescape that doesn't look like you bought everything from the dollar store, skip the seasonal paper tablecloth!

Early American tables were dressed in linen woven by hand, kept for occasions, and passed between generations.

Consider investing in 1-2 quality staples to rotate through the year, and your tablescape will automatically look classier and more sophisticated.

Plus, you'll be saving money in the long run. You'll thank yourself later!

A cream, white, or earthy linen tablecloth gives you a clean, neutral base that works with almost any centerpiece and makes every dish and glass look more intentional on top of it.

If a full cloth feels like too much, a simple linen runner down the center achieves the same effect.

Pro tip: Linen wrinkles, but the fix is easy! Simply iron it the night before (or if you're not a perfectionist, don't - the texture can add more personality as well).

3. BRING SPRING BLOOMS IN FROM OUTSIDE

Before department stores sold plastic Easter arrangements by the armload, families brought what was actually blooming.

Wildflowers from the field, clippings from the garden, and whatever spring had given them that week, arranged simply in whatever vessel was available.

Grab whatever is growing near you right now; tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and cut to the height you like, and arrange loosely in a ceramic pitcher, a glass jar, or a wooden vessel — I promise, this will outperform any plastic arrangement on a shelf.

Pro tip: Just keep it low enough that people can see each other across the table.

If you don't have a garden or any wildflowers near your house, a farmers market bunch is inexpensive and looks like it took real effort.

4.  ADD FOLIAGE, VINES, OR MOSS DOWN THE CENTER

Trailing ivy, eucalyptus, or simple greenery laid loosely down the center of the table creates depth and texture that flowers alone can't.

For trailing foliage or vines, I highly recommend finding a high-quality plastic ones that you can continue to reuse year-round for all your special gatherings. Fake moss is also fabulous and doesn't have to be super messy.

Amazon has some great options, as well as HomeSense or HobbyLobby.

Tuck stems between candleholders and around the base of a centerpiece to make the whole thing feel like it grew there. Trail ivy vines across the table and incorporate whatever little flowers or foliage suits your fancy.

Pro tip: A shallow layer of florist's moss around the base of a candle or vase is another simple trick that adds a unique, earthy quality! Unlike many decor trends, nature doesn't go out of style.

5.  PULL OUT THE HEIRLOOM CHINA

If it's sitting in a cabinet waiting for a special enough occasion, why not this one?

Easter Sunday was historically one of the two or three days a year that brought out the best a household had. The good plates and the serving pieces that traveled with a family for generations.

Heirloom china paired with simple linen and fresh flowers is more elegant than anything seasonal sold in a box.

If you don't have heirloom pieces, white dishes are your closest equivalent, but you can of course use whatever you have available.

6. USE HANDWRITTEN PLACE CARDS

This one is small but adds such a unique and whimsical touch!

A handwritten name at a place setting tells a guest that someone thought about them specifically before they arrived (a great way to make a good impression as a host).

Colonial hosts kept guest books and set deliberate tables. The place cards don't have to be elaborate!

You could use a small card or a piece of kraft paper with their name written in simple, yet elegant calligraphy or cursive.

Look up your guest's first initial on Pinterest to find some beautiful handwriting ideas (i.e. calligraphy "G", etc)!

For children, tuck a place card into a small bird's nest or rest it against a naturally dyed egg at their setting. It makes them feel like they belong at the table too.

7. DYE YOUR EGGS NATURALLY

Before commercial dye kits existed, American families colored Easter eggs with whatever the kitchen had (onion skins for gold and amber, beets for deep red, etc).

The results are warmer and more beautiful than anything that comes in a tablet, and the process is the kind of thing children actually remember.

Arrange them at place settings, nestled in moss or in a small folded napkin.

This is the kind of tradition that becomes the thing your kids (or grandkids) ask to do every year.

Give recipes like this one a try!

8. FOLD YOUR NAPKINS WITH INTENTION

Another ridiculously simple way to elevate your tablescape, this is a must-do! I've gotten so many compliments on my tablescapes from this detail alone.

Linen napkins in cream, white, soft navy, soft red or sage green — tied with a sprig of rosemary or thyme, or simply tied with twine or ribbon — does so much to elevate a table.

Again, Amazon has some great options. I use ones similar to these. A quality one-time investment always pays off.

Use any color you think suits your color palette.

As a fun little detail, Rosemary in particular has a long history in American domestic life. It was grown in colonial kitchen gardens for both cooking and ceremony, and its scent is clean and grounding.

Maybe tuck a small sprig under a napkin ring or tie it into a napkin fold and it does double duty; decoration and subtle scent both at once.

Feel free to substitute for flowers!

Here are some ideas for napkin folding.

9. SCENT THE ROOM BEFORE GUESTS ARRIVE

This is the atmosphere tip that often gets overlooked.

You've set the table, the food is nearly ready, the flowers are in place — but walk into the room and notice what it smells like.

If the answer is nothing or whatever drifted in from the kitchen (or, Lord forbid, dirty socks) — the atmosphere isn't finished yet.

Light your candle 20-30 minutes before the meal. Let the scent settle into the room before anyone arrives.

Some key places to light candles to scent your house include:

• Bathrooms

• Kitchen

• Living room

• Dining room

• Entryway

Be careful to keep the candle away from anything flammable (or drafts)!

A scented candle burning quietly as guests are seated does more for the feeling of the table than almost any decorative element — it tells the room, before a word is spoken, that you are a host who cares.

Freedom Festival — warm vanilla, caramel, and the soft sweetness of summer — is exactly the kind of presence an Easter table calls for.

Not overpowering, but strong enough that you'll get a little annoyed at all the compliments on how good your house smells.

Or, if you're not into sweet scents, maybe something more rustic and masculine like Resist Like it's 1776 — smoldering cedar embers, charred leather, sun-warmed sandalwood, and amber musk.