July | 2011 | Tablescapes at Table /Twenty-One

Early this spring I hosted a wedding luncheon/shower at our home. The guest of honor is a huge fan of pink and green (my kind of gal!), so a pink and green spring tablescape it had to be!

These photos were taken before the rental company arrived with the white chiavari chairs that really helped to further feminize the overall look. I wish I could have gotten a photo with the chairs around the table!

White ceramic chargers from Old Time Pottery are topped with “frilly” square luncheon plates from Home Goods. My much-loved “Victorian Toile Rose” salad plates by Maxcera finish off the stack. (The rose plates were a hit at my Mom’s 81st birthday luncheon, for a Mother’s Day Luncheon, and for a ladies’ tea.)

“Chelsea” collection crystal stemware by Godinger.

International Silver “Danish Princess” flatware.

The starched white cotton napkin is tucked into a silver napkin ring adorned with a pale green butterfly. Decorating with butterflies is so much fun in spring and summer!

The place cards are tiny silver wedding bells used in a tribute to the bride-to-be after lunch.

The centerpiece was made up of a series of cherub statues with this larger one in the middle. Their bowls are filled with fresh roses, orchids and hydrangea. The fresh ivy I had wasn’t long enough to add the drama I wanted, so I substituted faux strands. Although it seems quite apparent in these photos, the faux ivy was barely noticeable.

Two smaller cherub statuary held a profusion of roses along with a bit of viburnum and a couple of orchids tucked in for good measure. I lost one of these lovelies to decapitation during the recent move! 😦

I bought this fabulous rosette ribbon earlier this year. I love the texture and the look of it intertwined with satiny green. Very girly!!! I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of this in upcoming posts used in various ways!

The dining room buffet served as the ideal resting place for the tea service.
(Tip: If your hydrangea are a teensy bit droopy, improve their posture by carefully threading a length of heavy gauge floral wire up the stem.)

The buffet was also a handy spot for the gifts. My gifts for the bride-to-be matched the table decor with pink and green ribbon over glossy white paper. A fanciful butterfly adorned each. When a guest who came early to help with the food arrived without having wrapped her gift, I quickly popped on a bit of green ribbon and added a couple of butterflies so it fit right in!

For lots more wedding related tablescape ideas,
visit the “Wedding” tab above!

More tablescapes using soft pink on this site:
“Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon“
“Pleasant Under Glass“
“Pretty In Pink“
“Au Revoir“
“Coming Up Roses“
“Just Us Girls“
“Princess Pink Birthday Party“
“Tea Roses”
“Fairy Princess Party“
“Bald Is Beautiful“
“Pretty In Pink, Wicked In Spurs“
“Easter In Pink & Grey“
“All A’Bloom In Pink for Spring“
“Pink & Purple Chocolate Christmas“
“Fairy Tale Wedding Shower“
“Pleasant Under Glass“
“Mother’s Day Luncheon In Pink“
“Springtime In Paris“
“Pink Plaid & Posies“
“Days of Wine & Roses“
“Blushing Bridal Shower“

Please remember to join me along with the other dishaholics at Susan’s Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch!

Acclaimed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami wisely wrote, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain: When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

That’s how I can best sum up my feelings about what happened when we recently packed up our lives and moved to Georgia, only to move back within the week. And while we are still weathering that storm, trying to make sense of it all, trying to learn from its harsh, hurtful, and very expensive lessons…I know that storms are a mere hiccup and that sunny days will prevail.

That being said, I want to celebrate my return to Blogland after a two-month absence with a bright, colorful, cheerful summer tablescape.

We’re not quite completely settled back in yet and we probably won’t be entertaining guests for awhile, so I thought I’d share photos of a dinner party from last summer that I never published. (Believe me: In this record breaking heat, we would not be eating outside anyway!!!)

Summer is definitely a time for bright, tropical-flavored colors. This table for four started with a shockingly pink floor-length table linen from LinenTablecloth.com. (A word of caution about LinenTablecloth: In my experience, their customer service is just horrible at times, so choose wisely and read the fine print!) A pair of Pier 1 multi-colored matchstick table runners crisscross to anchor the setting.

A trio of paper parasols from Hobby Lobby extend the table colors across the deck.

These have got to be among my favorite summer dishes: ruffled melamine chargers in aqua (Crate & Barrel), topped with a simple white Corelle dinner plate to break up the color a little, finished off with a fun tropical-themed salad plate from Pier 1. The stainless “bamboo” flatware is from Target.

Exotically swirled aqua in the Pier 1 stemware reminds me of the ocean. The butterfly-meets-flower straws are also from Pier 1.

I chose pure white cotton napkins to give the eye another little break from all the color. Each napkin, folded in a compact square, is topped with a seashell toting a fresh orchid bloom. (The great thing about fresh orchids – besides how insanely great they look – is that they can thrive without water for several hours!)

The towering white bamboo vase is from my favorite store….let’s all say it together….Z Gallerie! Mounds of seashells collected over the years add a little girth to the bottom of the centerpiece to balance it out with the top. Tucking a few orchid blooms and brightly hued cockscomb here and there amongst the seashells adds color and extends the floral theme. (I just love decorating with seashells!)

This lush profusion of fabulous orchids – courtesy of my dear friend Craig Sole of Craig Sole Designs – are arranged in an untamed fashion along with curly willow branches that lend height and texture.

I’ll end this post with one more quote (expletives redacted) from author Kelly Cutrone: “This is an important lesson to remember when you’re having a bad day, a bad month, or a [$&!##%] year: Things will change. You won’t feel this way forever. And anyway, sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones your soul needs most. I believe you can’t feel real joy unless you’ve felt heartache.” Amen, sister!

Other tablescapes on this site using paper parasols:
“Daisy Crazy“
“Oopsy Daisy“

More tablescapes on this site using seashells:
“Summer Breeze”
“Old Navy Seafood Cruise”

More tablescapes on this site using orchids:
“Raining Orchids“
“Love & Orchids“
“Upscale Irish“
“Autumn Orchids“
“Happy Mother’s Day, Senator Mom“
“Happy Birthday, Barf“

It’s great to be back! Thank you for stopping in, and please be sure to join me this Thursday for Tablescape Thursdays hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. You’ll be glad you did!