Napkin Rings -- To Do or Not To Do

The use of napkin rings goes back a couple hundred years, where they were generally monogrammed and used to identify one's napkin - which was used several times before laundering. Nowadays, we use napkin rings as a decorative accessory for our table! Napkin rings are a natural extension of the formality of your event -- you can dress the table up with a very formal napkin ring or you can dress down an otherwise formal table by introducing something whimsical and fun ! If you don't have napkin rings and can spring for them right now, you can use a beautiful ribbon to tie up your napkins and add something seasonal -- a small branch of bittersweet, leaves or flowers for a Martha Stewart look.
But if you really want to impress your guests, there is nothing like a beautiful folded napkin. Here we've displayed one of the many folds from Yves DeLorme's napkin folding brochure (available online at YvesDelorme.com or get one free at our store). Almost any type of napkin can be used to do a folded napkin that lies down on a plate. But those that stand up are best created with a heavier jacquard weave type napkin of cotton or linen, which has the body required to hold the form. Happy Folding!