Kentucky Derby Tablescape

I am getting this one in just under the wire, but with everything going on with my upcoming move into a new house, I almost neglected the Kentucky Derby!  I love all of the tradition surrounding the Kentucky Derby.  The red roses, the outrageous hats, the mint juleps served in silver cups, the colorful silks worn by the jockeys.  All of these add to the excitement of Derby Day.  I am sad to say that in my preparation of an upcoming move there will be no mint julep cups on my table this year, but I am sure that those cold minty drinks will taste just fine, regardless.

The Kentucky Derby is not a sit down meal for my guests, instead I will be serving finger foods like mini-Kentucky-Hot-Browns, bourbon sauce meatballs, crudites with dip and pecan pie tarts, so today I have just set up my table where you can prepare your own Mint Julep.  I couldn’t find a tablecloth that was just the right color for this event, so I bought a couple of yards of a dark green felt that I think pulled the whole look I was going for together.

Of course what would a Derby party be without the fancy hats?  I look forward to seeing what my friends wear this year.  Part of the fun of watching the Derby is the scenes of all the colorful and outrageous hats worn by the people attending.  I hope that one day I get to attend this prestigious horse race and I will wear a big fancy hat myself!  I trimmed up this white hat with silk red roses and this fun ribbon that reminded me of the colorful silks worn by the jockeys at the famous race.

It wouldn’t be a Kentucky Derby without all the fixings for Mint Juleps.  I gathered the simple syrup, Makers Mark bourbon and mint to my table.  On Saturday there will be a full ice bucket of crushed ice to make those drinks icy cold.

I used that amazing ribbon and a red rose garland to dress up this horse I bought ages ago.  Like my Kentucky Derby Wreath, I wasn’t happy with how full the roses were, so I added a lot of loose red silk roses I had picked up at the dollar store to make it really full.  It makes this horse look like he was the winner for sure, doesn’t it?  If you have time to watch this famous race on Saturday, I hope you have picked up a few ideas here to make your gathering a little more festive!  If you want some more ideas, you might want to check out some of my past posts on Kentucky Derby parties.

I will be sharing this at the following link parties:  Tablescape Thursday | Home Sweet Home | Friday Flash Blog | It’s A Party | Great Idea Thursdays | Feathered Nest Friday