Inspiration ~ Alfresco Dining
Summertime is upon us, and if you live in the Northern climates, you are probably anxious to get outside and enjoy the weather. Â For me, one of the best things about warmer weather is the chance to dine outside. Â I discovered this lovely table under an arbor of roses and flanked with thousands of honeysuckle blooms outside a shop near Seaside, Florida. Â I would love to have this setting outside my back door to hold dinner parties.
Both of these garden settings are something you can easily achieve. Â Try moving some traditional indoor furniture outside for an impromptu dinner. Â This is a lovely setting to serve a weekend brunch or casual evening dinner.
Of course, alfresco dining comes with some considerations, like bugs.  Plant a variety of mosquito repelling plants around your outside dining area.  These plants include marigolds, horsemint, ageratum, citronella, and catnip.  In addition to the plants, burn citronella candles around your dining area.  I always keep some bug repellant handy for particularly pesky pests.
These paperweight place cards are a nice touch for outdoor dining, they certainly won’t blow away.  They also make a nice favor for each guest to take home with them.
These mesh domes always make an easy way to keep bugs at bay for alfresco dining. Â You can use these over serving platters, or for individual diner’s plates. Â They actually make a lovely table setting. Â You can get domes like these right here.
Look how lovely this tablescape looks using the mesh domes at the individual place settings. Â Not only does it protect the food from bugs, it makes a lovely presentation.
Using glass domes or cloches like this one above are also safe ways to keep the bugs at bay. Â These can be used for alfresco dining, or indoors just to set out your cheese to bring it to room temperature.
This would be a lovely way to display, protect and serve the desserts for your alfresco dinner. Â Adding desserts like this to your table would add decor the same time it is offering up treats.
Remember that flowers in a centerpiece are likely to attract bees, and candles that are not protected from the wind are likely to blow out.
Enjoy planning your alfresco meals this summer!
Those are awesome, may I ask where you purchased these? My daughter is getting married and this would be perfect to use at her wedding!
thank you
Michael
Michael, I am not sure what you are talking about, if you could be more specific, I would see if I could help you. Chloe