Fall Themed Dinner Party

Last weekend was so busy that I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures from the Fall-themed dinner party that I helped my friend Chris decorate for.

 

He said he wanted it to be elegant, but that he also wanted to use some earthy organic elements.... and that he HAD to have sunflowers too. :)  This is what I came up with:

 

I think it came out really nice!  And most of the things I used to decorate with were 'found' items, or things that we already had in our decorating/entertaining arsenal.  Like the moss runner that Chris had..... fabulous, right?  He puts two of them together to run the length of the table, and got them at Michael's for less than $10!  That's what we used as the base for the tablescape.

We decided to use burlap as one of the key elements, and bring in touches of silver and mercury glass to brighten things up.  Burlap isn't as cheap as it used to be, but if you go to a cheap craft store or a home décor outlet, you can usually find 10-12 yards of it for around $15.  That goes a long way, so it's pretty economical.  The mercury glass candle holders and candlesticks are a Marshall's find, and were a steal at $7 - $14 each.  They are super versatile and can also be used for other holidays, or as part of year-round décor, which is why I adore them. 

 

I bought 2 bunches (about 30 stems) of Sunflowers at Harris Teeter for $15.99 each, and those were the focal floral element.  I bought some filler bouquets at my go-to flower source, Trader Joe's, for around $4 and used those to fill in the small votives and the large arrangements.  To dress up the plain glass vases that I used for the floral arrangements, I cut a length of burlap and wrapped it around the circumference and hot glued it into place.  (I couldn't resist the girly urge to add a rustic bow onto one of them!)

 

I found these great little wire and burlap baskets at Michael's for 70% off!  How cute are they?  I trimmed the ties on the baskets and filled them with gourds, squash, aromatic potpourri, pinecones, and some beautiful artichokes that I got at Harris Teeter.  I need a way to elevate one of the baskets, so Chris provided these beautiful old books that belonged to his Grandfather.  The patina on the books ended up working out perfectly - I really love the overall look.

We used pieces of burlap that I cut and folded as "chargers" on top of the placemats, just to bring in a little texture so that it wasn't white-on-white.  Then I made napkin holders using some leftover pieces of burlap that I folded over and hot glued, and added sprigs of some faux sparkly garland on the top(also from Michael's).  It ties the place setting together nicely without being too over the top.

 

I didn't want to neglect Chris's beautiful china cabinet, so I decided to decorate that as well.  I think that it's really important -especially at a dinner party- to make sure that there are multiple vignettes and focal points, so that everyone has a good view, regardless of where they are in the room. 

 

Chris went on a last minute shopping trip and picked up these cute mercury glass pumpkins for $7, so of course I had to incorporate them! ;)  An apothecary jar filled with some artichokes and moss, plus a rustic armillary orb and candlelight.... voila!

 

Oh, and did I mention that Chris is a CHEF???

Yup.  I have the BEST friends.

If you think the décor was neat, check out the amazing food that he prepared!

Brined rack of lamp w/ panko crust & red wine reduction, mushroom risotto,
 roasted brussel sprouts with crème fraiche

 

*SIGH*  It is at moments like this that I wish that I could have an extra stomach so that I can eat more yummy food!!  It was such a fun night, thanks again Chris!