Dinner Party in the Orchard

This alfresco dinner party came together because of a unique set of circumstances. If you would like to plan such an outdoor dinner party like this, read on!

As a blogger, you are always looking for inspiration. A perfect way to get refreshed and inspired is to attend a blogging workshop or conference. A few years ago I was fortunate to attend the Inspire Workshop at KariAnne Wood of Thistlewood Farm’s home in McKinney, Texas.

One of my favorite things when styling an outdoor gathering is to use furniture that isn’t necessarily made for outdoor use. Using furniture that is made for indoors in an outdoor setting is a marvelous way to create the feeling of an outdoor room.

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This was a one day workshop, but what I learned that day has changed so much of my blogging journey! KariAnne taught me some of the best ways to organize and move forward with Celebrate & Decorate. A few months after the workshop one of the other attendees, encouraged by KariAnne had the good idea to organize a group of us who had attended to join in a call each week to encourage and help one another on our blogging journeys. Seven of us have become regulars on our weekly calls. Five of us were lucky enough to gather at Bella Terra, a gorgeous historical home in Phoenix.

Everything about this beautiful estate was wonderful, but being able to share two days with four of these wonderful blogging friends! This was our first time gathering in person, in fact I had never met two of them, but it was as if I already knew each of these amazing women!

Getting together like this, it was the perfect time a table setting in this beautiful outdoor space.

The grounds of Mary’s home are lovely, but there was no doubt the orchard was the perfect setting for our communal dinner party. Down there in the distance you can see the table, ready and waiting for us to create!

I can only imagine how fun it would be to have a dreamy dining space like this just waiting to style a beautiful table.

It was SO much fun to shop Mary’s home to style the table! These pair of elk antlers caught my attention. I LOVE to incorporate something rustic with finer elements on a table. I was sure one of these would be lovely on the table.

Barbara from Mantel and Table and I had no trouble deciding on this beautiful vintage embroidered tablecloth. We topped it with a soft pink runner.

That antler was huge, wasn’t it? Those chargers were really way too beautiful to be covered up, but we did! We layered two chargers, both in gold.

The china we selected was perfect for our outdoor dinner in the orchard! These are Johnson Brothers Windsor Ware Harvest Dinner plates. Aren’t they perfect for fall?

The addition of beautiful flatware and shimmering crystal in pink completed the place settings. Barbara took over adding fruit and flowers while I headed to the kitchen to prepare the entree!

As wonderful as it was to set the table that afternoon, when we entered the garden that night, it was truly magical! Planning the dinner party menu together with each person preparing a different part of the meal was an excellent way to spread out the preparation.

Fresh fruit added visual interest and is a great way to add a creative vibe to your outdoor dinner parties (as well as indoor ones!). You can see that in addition to the pomegranates set on the place settings, pears, apples and additional pomegranates were tucked around the floral arrangements down the center of the table. I used a similar color scheme when I styled this Pink and Raspberry tablescape.

We used tea lights to illuminate the dining table, along with the string lights hanging overhead. If it is windy for your outdoor event, battery operated fairy lights are a great option. If you feel you need to have citronella candles to deter mosquitos outdoor dining experience, make sure you set them a few feet away from your dining area so the odor doesn’t the aromas of your wonderful food!

Each of us will be sharing our own blog post on this beautiful tablescape and fantastic evening! Mary has already posted hers, you can see it at: https://lifeatbellaterra.com/creating-an-antler-centerpiece/

SO…continuing thanks and appreciation go out to KariAnne for the opportunity to learn and to meet these other amazing women AND to Cynthia who had the whole idea of gathering a group of like-minded bloggers.