It’s hard to beat the beauty of a winter wonderland theme dinner table. The winter look is at once elegant, modern, and sophisticated. You can use this theme for many different occasions, and there are many ways to decorate with this theme. I recently used this theme for my Hanukkah dinner party, and it looked so spectacular that I had to share it with you!

I traveled to Finland this winter, and I was inspired to create this winter wonderland theme party, coupled with the Lapland theme, which is the area in Finland I visited. The region is famous for its snow and all kinds of outdoor snow activities, including dogsledding and snowmobiling. People come to view the spectacular northern lights, which are magnetic streaks of color lighting up the sky.

I like to create themes of different countries to use for my parties, and I experiment with those regional recipes to give my guests a real feel for the place. Here I did the same, bringing in different elements of Finland and foods that are traditionally Finnish. The overall look is winter wonderland and can be used for any type of occasion which is not necessarily with a Finland theme.

Here is a picture of this stunning winter wonderland theme table. There are many elements in this table setting that are easy to do or buy and that you can recreate in your own home. I will break them down for you, so that you can easily learn how to get this Instagram worthy tablescape.

Step 1: Choose a winter wonderland color scheme, which is basically all shades of snow and ice and bare trees. That means white, icy blue, silver, and maybe some wood elements to warm it up a bit. Choose tablecloths, runners or placemats that bring in your theme. If you have a rustic wooden table, or a white shiny table, you can incorporate it in your look, and it isn’t necessary to use a tablecloth although you can use a runner. But if your table does not specifically match the winter wonderland theme, you should definitely use a tablecloth.

Here I used a pure white floor length tablecloth, which is definitely more elegant than a short tablecloth, I used several to cover my large table. For the snowy theme, I found white fur blankets at a discount store, and cut them into strips for runners. I added some strips as scarves on my chairs. Use your imagination, you don’t have to buy expensive table linens. You can find ready fur runners on amazon, or buy fur fabric at your local store. Chairs should blend with the winter theme too. You can look into renting some chairs if yours don’t match. I actually used some spare folding chairs that I had, and bought white chair covers online to make them blend in. I then draped white fur over them.

Step 2: Centerpieces is a focal point of any table. Here you can bring in the elements and colors of your theme. Here I used our Moda collection as the base of the centerpieces. The silver was the perfect color, and it added height and a place to display my various props.

Next, I chose tall glass vases from our collection. I purchased snow spray online, and lightly sprayed the lower half of my vase to give it that snowy look. Don’t worry about being perfect, it is supposed to look bumpy and wavy like snow drifts. I then filled them with white branches and draped some crystals over some other branches to resemble icicles.

I also bought some white feathers and added them to the arrangement for more of that snowy, furry look. Group several vases and other items together for more impact on a larger table. When setting a longer table, one vase in the middle just won’t cut it. It will look lost and will not dress up the table enough. Here I grouped 3 tall vases, and I also threw in some small silver vases that I had lying around.

You can also group candlesticks with the vases for more impact and soft candlelight. It will really enhance your winter wonderland theme. 

Step 3: Add small elements of nature to further bring in your winter theme. Here I added pinecones and sprayed them with snow spray. I also used reindeer antlers that I brought back from my trip (you can use tree bark or twigs and lay them down) and cute glittery penguins that I bought in a Christmas Tree Shop.

Step 4: Use only white dishes, preferably in square or rectangular shapes, which brings in the cool icy look to your table.

I prefer using real dishes, as opposed to disposables. Besides for being much more eco-friendly, they are so much more elegant and will really elevate your party and bring in a class that disposables definitely don't have.

Here I set with our Rectangular White Dinner Plate, from our website (click here to purchase). I also used our Small Rectangular Appetizer Plates (click here to purchase) on the side of the dinner plate, to contain a purple cabbage salad that had nuts, and apples for crunch. It was really delicious!

You should also set with clear, silver or aqua blue glasses, to further the winter wonderland theme. Our Clear Glass with Gold Rim would work perfectly with this table setting (click here to purchase).

The flatware should be silver, clean and modern and not anything traditional. since the cool icy theme is sleeker and more modern. Our Silver and Grey Obelisk Flatware Set would really suit the look (click here to purchase).

Step 5: Small accents make a huge difference. They make the party look so much more exciting and look like you really put effort into it. I used fine white linen napkins with silver stitching for a classy touch. I also brought back some pretty paper napkins from Finland that I put on the table to enhance the winter wonderland theme. I hung white plastic snowflakes from my regular chandelier to add some snowy accents. I printed menu cards in Finnish as well as translated to English and put it on everyone's place. You can go on to the website Canva.com where it is super easy to create any graphics for free. You can then download and print them. I printed a poster of Finland too for added drama. You can do a snowy poster and write the message you want to bring out your theme, like for a birthday, baby shower, anniversary or any other holiday message. I found silver wrapped firecrackers in Christmas Tree Shop and loved how they brought some sparkle to the table.

Make it personal to make your guests feel special. Place Cards or souvenirs are great ways to add that personal touch for your guest. Here I used both on every place setting, to make them feel welcome and also to enhance the winter wonderland theme. I bought these mini bark name tags and wrote each guest names on them. I also brought back a silver reindeer keychain from Finland that I tied onto this little bundle on everyone’s napkin. Using several natural elements, like a feather, tree bark, a cotton stem, and some twine I was able to bring some delicate, elegant, and wintery decor to the table setting. These small personal touches really make a big difference and can take your table to the next level. This tip can be applied to any theme. Just think of which flower, leaf, twig, herb or other small decor item would enhance that particular theme. 

Step 6: The food or appetizers that are sitting on the table when it is set should blend in with your theme or color scheme. It is not a must, but I feel that if done well, it can also be a major player.

Here I decided to make an ice sculpture for each place setting. It was easy to do, and it was a real wow factor. I put a mini appetizer on each ice block, right before serving. 

This is how I made these decorative ice block sculptures that were a base for my appetizer: I took an orange juice carton and cut off the top third with a sharp serrated knife. I then filled it ⅔ full of water. Try to put enough water that the height and the width should be approximately square, but don’t worry too much about it. It doesn’t need to be perfect. I then threw in some blueberries and green parsley leaves. You can use any fruits, leaves or flowers that suit your theme. I then froze it, until it was solid. I then let them sit on the counter for about 15 minutes, until they started melting and I was able to pop them out. I then put them back in the freezer to store until the party. I used several cartons to speed up the process. If the top or bottom swell up, don’t worry; just lay the ice blocks on their sides. I put them out about 10 minutes before the guests arrived. They sat on the table for 40 minutes, before they started melting a bit. Make sure they are sitting on a plate that has a rim to contain the water that is melting. 

Step 7: Put most of your food and appetizers on a separate buffet or small table on the side. Don’t put too much food or platters on your table since it will start looking messy and too crowded. Keep the table more decorative, and put the food somewhere else, or bring them in after the party starts. This is except for food that matches your look and will enhance your table decor. Or just small foods and rolls on each place setting that are there to start off the meal. 

 Step 8: Add some mood lighting. You can buy LED lights on amazon for projecting around the room. I put several around the room to add that aura and make you feel transported. I also bought aurora borealis lights on Amazon, and it projected colored waves across the ceiling to mimic the northern lights. I also bought some mini lights that I threw into the vases and between the props. They added that icy glow.