Stuck inside with a half-foot of snow on the ground, I was happy to have the company of the Moms who braved the snow-packed roads today for a planning meeting/ladies luncheon.
Even though I officially retired in 2010 (ha!), I find myself drawn to lending a hand to friends and family members who are planning a wedding. The week after New Year’s, I found myself hosting an update meeting with the mothers of the bride and groom. I set up a small table for three near a window so that we could enjoy a view of the untouched snow in our back yard.
We needed room to spread out with notebooks and such, so the table was simply and sparsely set. Beaded edge silver chargers on a crisp white linen were topped with my very traditional Easterling “Majestic” china. When planning a dinner party or luncheon, I try very hard to match the table setting to the taste of the guest(s) of honor. In this instance, both mothers are very traditional, so I stuck with classic pieces including heirloom silver and beautifully cut Mikasa stemware.
Remembering that the mothers share a fondness for the color purple, I paired that with silver and white. (They had both lobbied passionately for purple as a wedding color, but lost that battle to the bride. 🙂 ) It really helped to liven up the tablescape! Tucking a humble purple carnation into each napkin extended the color from the centerpiece.
The silver-painted tree fern from our New Year’s celebration was still going strong, so I pulled it from the plain glass ginger jar from last week and dropped it into a beautiful Waterford crystal vase. It sparkled so nicely against the snow outdoors and the white table linen! (Kept in a cool place – I use our garage – tree fern can last for up to 3 weeks!)
This lively pop of purple carnations is assembled in a shiny silver Revere bowl. So simple to put together in just minutes! I used rhinestone-studded stick pins to adorn each flower to add to the glamour of the table and remind us all of the diamond rings to be exchanged in just 6 short months. (Always remember to cut flower stems on the diagonal to help them take in sufficient moisture from the floral foam. Carnations will keep for a long, long time if you keep them in a cool place with plenty to drink.)
Other posts with tablescapes suitable for wedding-related events on this site:
Love & Orchids
Peonies & Pearls
Purple & Pastel
The Party She Deserves
Something Blue Bridal Luncheon
Bling Wedding
All A’Bloom for Spring
Fairy Tale Wedding Shower
Autumn White Wedding
Roses in October
Candle in the Wind
White Hot
Peaceful Peonies
Fete Noir et Gris
Diamonds Are A Material Girl’s Best Friend
Celebrating 85 Years of Fabulous
Should Have Put a Ring On It
Platinum & Pink Valentine
Chocolate Traditional
Blushing Bridal Shower
Pink Plaid & Posies
Pretty In Pink
French Poodle
Peony Power
Springtime in Paris
Patisserie de Paris
One Shoe Can Change Your Life
My Sister’s Wedding China
Click here to see all the photos for Planning in Purple, or click the “Weddings” tab above!
Don’t forget to join Susan and the other tablescapers this week at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday!!!
Tablescapes at Table /Twenty-One 
Alycia –
Two tablescapes today! Bonus Round!!!! Love the purple and white. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever used it myself. I think the closest I came was probably using lilacs. Unfortunately, lilacs don’t grow in the south, so I’m done there! Those bright purple carnations in the other post were so great. Do you know what they are called? I’ve never seen them at my wholesaler, but he would order them for me. Can you tell that you’ve inspired me?
Linda @ A Toile Tale
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Hey, Linda! Lilacs don’t grow in the South??!?!??!! Seriously??? Oh, my goodness!!! They are so fragrant and wonderful. They just don’t last very long at all. I want a lilac bush in our yard, but the little Mister has other ideas about that! 😉 I bought these purple carnations from a local wholesaler, and I just looked on the invoice and it just says “Carnations – purple” with no further explanation. I don’t work with purple very much even though I really like the color. I thought it paired nicely with the silver & white, though, to give the ladies a little something they would surely like. I split up the bouquet from the bowl and sent them home with them to enjoy. Glad that I could offer some inspiration, and I hope you’re able to find some of those purple carnations! See ya later, buddy!
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Very nice! Simple, yet elegant.
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Love the table and once again purpose ruled the roost. I think sometimes we tend to forget. You however, always do it perfectly. Love the colors and the tree fern is delightful.
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I love purple weddings. I’m not even sure why, but I do. All that white with the POP of rich color looks so great.
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I popped over and loved all of your pictures. That long table with the orchids was my favorite till I saw the blue table. They are all unique and beautiful. Great job on these.
Happy Tablescape Thursday…
XO,
Sheila 🙂
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What lovely photos. So creative.
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