I had mentioned in my previous Father's Day post that I was going to have an evening cocktail party for my dad. Well, that quickly escalated into a full on dinner party complete with tablescape. Honestly, how could I resist the opportunity to create a tablescape with this fabulous venue behind my parent's house!?! Dining "al fresco" complete with this fabulous Frontgate Teak Furniture was an absolute must!
Prior to Father's Day, I had spent time with my mom exploring different shops in the area, both boutique and mainstream (i.e. Target), in order to create that perfect balance of casual-chic. I had a huge amount of success throughout my weekend search and lucked out big time with the weather staying beautiful throughout the day and evening on Sunday (**Florida in the summer = Monsoon Rain all the time!).
Here is a breakdown of how I went about achieving this fabulous garden chic look for my Father's Day dinner party:
To create this casual/chic garden tablescape, I started by setting out these Pottery Barn Water Hyacinth Placemats. I chose to use these colorful D. Porthault Vintage Napkins that I had found earlier that weekend at Kofski's Estate Sale in West Palm Beach (8 Napkins for $10!). Since my napkins displayed in this tablescape were a special find, I have included a link to these similar napkins that I think would also look great with this garden themed setting. For drinkware, I opted for these Baccarat Harmonie Highball Glasses (a similar but more affordable option are these Reed & Barton Soho Highball Glasses), which I filled with fresh mint and lime infused water. To add a pop of color and tie into the color scheme of the napkins, I used these "coasters" from Target (they are actually jewelry dishes). I finished off the look using three different types of flowers (2 potted and 1 fresh cut) in muted rustic vessels to give the table a true garden feel.
For the bar, I wanted to strike a balance of both elegant and simple. Since we are now in the midst of summer, using this Reed & Barton Ice Bucket (pictured above) was absolutely essential. In addition, I kept a pitcher of my fresh lime and mint infused water on stand-by to easily refill glasses throughout the evening. Since this table was set for dinner (a time of day where the outdoor temperature was slightly cooler), I served a deliciously fruity Napa Cellars Zinfandel in these Riedel Glasses. **White wine and Rose are definitely the summer wines of choice, but my family prefers red wine, so that is what I served. To complete the look (and tie into the color scheme of the table) I accented the bar with these orange Williams-Sonoma Coasters.
The dinner party was an absolute success and it was so nice to be able to spend the evening with my parent dining "al fresco." After putting together this spread, I have to say that I have total outdoor space envy and am completely in love with teak outdoor furniture. It ages so beautifully, is extremely comfortable and creates a perfectly neutral setting for hosting an array of functions. While I was sad to have to leave, I took comfort in realizing the silver lining...I can't wait until my next visit to Florida for round 2 of "al fresco" tablescaping!