We recently virtually caught up with event planner and table scaping expert Maria Reidy, founder of Maria Reidy Signature Events, to discuss how she has pivoted her business during the past year and she gives her expert advice on how to set the perfect Easter table!

Q: Tell us a little bit about your business and professional background?

MR: I studied Business with French in the University of Limerick and majored in accounting and finance. After college I spent some years working in finance in Dublin but was never really happy in that area. I always wanted to work in a role that fulfilled me and one thing I loved to do was cook, entertain and create floral arrangements. I couldn’t see how I would make a career out of one of those passions but a friend encouraged me to apply for a role as an Event Manager with The Butler’s Pantry and I was lucky that they hired me. I took the job so that I could become a chef but within a few weeks of starting I was hooked on organising events. I spent eight years there and learned so much – it was my responsibility to set up the Events department and so it became my baby.

In 2015 I left to set up my own event management business and The Butler’s Pantry signed as my first client!

We have steadily built the business each year going from working in Ireland to working internationally for some of our corporate clients. We offer a personalised unique service for corporate clients, world renowned brands, destination events, weddings and private parties.

Q: Tell us about what led you to create Signature Rentals?

MR: When sourcing tabletop and event décor for my own clients, I noticed that there was a severe shortage of such items in Ireland and I often had to source from the UK. I had amassed a large stock of décor and tabletop items that we were using for our own clients and other people in my industry started to make rental enquiries. We were happy to oblige and it started to get busier. In Autumn 2019 we started to work on the project with the intention that it would be rental only and mostly for the event and wedding industry. Alas Covid had other ideas and we were halfway through the project when it arrived on our shores, effectively shuttering our event management and rental elements of the business immediately. And so, the shop element of our homewares and tablescaping was born and has been very well received thus far. I have to say we are loving the journey it has brought us on.

Q: What/Who inspires your work?

MR: Nature, with all its varying colours, is one of my biggest inspirations. I love to cook and so am always very aware of the seasons and this inspires me also when creating new designs.

My team really inspire me – we all bring different ideas and perspectives.

Q: What is your favourite part of the design & sourcing process & why?

MR: I love learning how and where some of our products are made. I miss being able to visit suppliers – nothing beats the touch and feel of ceramics, linens etc.

I love to create a table design starting with one key element and then building from there. It always helps to imagine those pieces in our customer’s homes.

Q: Tell us about Tablescaping - what is it all about?

MR: We were setting pretty tables with huge levels of detail for both brand and private clIents long before the term became a popular word.

I like to think of it as a way of expressing one’s creativity by intentionally setting the table so that it conveys a specific theme, mood, or experience. I think now that we are all at home it can elevate a weekend meal to something more special and create a much longed for restaurant experience.

Q: Please give us your top tips on how to create the perfect Easter tablescape.

MR:

1. Mix and match glassware - I love the combination of coloured and eclectic glassware against white crisp linen. Use what you have at home - try to use similar hues of colour to give a cohesive look.

2. Pop of colour - Skip the usual pastels in favour of bold and bright colours that celebrate spring. Mix and match stems from your local grocery store or garden, very often what you need is right outside your door. A collection of smaller vases or old bottles, such as empty gin bottles, a mismatched look can work well if the colours are pulled together by the flowers. Blue Drumshambo Gunpowder Gin bottles are really lovely for this.

3. Decorate your table with your dessert - Whether it is home baked or shop bought, why not make your cake a feature. An effortless way to decorate your Easter tablescape is to use your dessert as a centrepiece. Place your dessert of choice on a cake stand and arrange it at the centre of the table. Remember to cover it with a glass dome to avoid any wandering fingers during dinner!

4. The space - Always work with the surroundings. Rather than putting in something that feels out of place or alien to the space, I put thought into what’s already in the room. The table must not compete with its surroundings. Ask yourself; is it a modern contemporary setting, rustic or old world? How are the shapes, structures and setting going to work when people walk in? What is going to be the most visually striking set up?

Q: What is one piece you think every table setting should include & cannot do without?

MR: Real linen – I use real linen napkins every day – better for the environment than disposable and I just pop them in the wash. It always makes a meal special.

Q: Have you got a favourite piece in your collection & why?

MR: I adore our cabbageware collection – so versatile – we have charger plates, dinner plates, bowls and mini dip bowls as part of the collection in many different shades. It is inspired by the work of Portuguese artist, Bordallo Pinheiro.

Q: What’s your idea of the perfect meal at home? (what you would,eat, drink, listen to, etc!)

MR: I love to entertain and to cook – my idea of a perfect meal is one shared with friends. Noisy conversation, laughter and good food and great drinks. I like to start with a cocktail and one of my favourites is a margarita. I love lots of small plates and sharing platters of meat, seafood, cheese, olives etc. That way I can prepare in advance and not spend the entire evening in the kitchen.

My husband is the music aficionado and he has multiple playlists to suit the occasion. At the moment we are listening to a lot of Django Reinhardt, and Quintette du Hot Club de France.

Q: If you could set a table for anyone & eat dinner together (famous, somebody you admire, someone who inspires you) who would you choose & why?

MR: Aside from my close friends who I have not had dinner with in such a long time I would choose Emma Thompson (the actress) – she has had such a successful career and I love her attitude. Michelle Obama because I admire her strength, intelligence and her attitude of just getting on with it.

Maria Reidy is the founder of Maria Reidy Signature Events and more recently Signature Rentals which offers everything from plates to cutlery and linen napkins to candles - everything you need to create the perfect tablescape!

10 Questions with Event Planner & Tablescaping Pro Maria Reidy