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    Entertaining | September 2016

    A Feast for the Eyes

    Fresh and floral fall inspiration for
    your next tablescape

     

     

    Story by Michelle Hope  | Photos by Casey Hilder

     

     

     

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    Fall is just around the corner and we want to inspire you to create something special for your dining table. 

     

    Stephenson Farms in Como, Mississippi, has rustic charm the perfect custom-built dining table that hosts 28 guests. We took the opportunity to get into the fall spirit and dress this long, dramatic table for a feast. John Mark Enterprises helped us with adding fresh florals, the central design element for our tablescape. We asked him to share some tips and advice on building floral arrangements that will really wow your guests!

     

    The low-lying flower boxes I used were made by a retired missionary, Bill Bradford. These boxes are perfect to arrange flowers in for a tablescape because they are not bulky, they look good, and you can also still talk with people at the table without looking around the flowers. When designing these boxes, it’s great to use the same technique — big flowers first and then work your way to the small flowers. 

     

    In these boxes, I started with pumpkins and gourds. I look for the funky, abnormal looking ones. These will add a fall feel to any tablescape. It’s best to use an uneven number — we used three good-sized pumpkins per box. Just fill in the blank spots with a little greenery at the end. I like to pull my greenery from the yard because there’s always something green in our yard year-round. This gives a personalized element to make each arrangement unique.

     

    To add another personal touch, you can always incorporate place cards and menu cards.  Votive candles are always an asset and add ambiance to any dinner party. We had a separate drink station, where we used yellow glasses for another added pop of color. 

     

    Aside from the gorgeous florals that were the focus of our tablescape, we kept it simple and clean with white plates and dusty blue napkins. The typical bold colors of fall were paired with dusty blue, which softened the look. 

     

    You don't need a lot going on when you have show-stopping florals. Guests had plenty of room for adding drinks and food from the buffet later with the minimalist design.

     

    We hope you are able to gain some creative inspiration from our tablescape and take these tips and put them into action! 

    July 4th Entertaining
    July 4th Entertaining
    July 4th Entertaining

     

    SOURCES

     

    Venue

    Stephenson Farms

     

    Floral Designer 

    John Mark Enterprises

    901.218.9749

     

    Event Designer

    Michelle Hope

    socialbutterfliesevents.com

     

    July 4th Entertaining
    July 4th Entertaining
    July 4th Entertaining
    Featured florals in 
    This Tablescape 

     

    Lily

    Grevillea

    Amaranthus

    Spider Mums

    Snapdragons

    Hydrangeas

    Bells of Ireland

    Roses

    Curly Willow

    Hypericum Berries

    Alstroemeria

    July 4th Entertaining
    Tips from the Floral Designer

     

    • When arranging flowers, start with the largest flower and work your way down to the smallest flower in size. 

     

    • It’s all about layering — the more you layer, the moredramatic effect you will get from the arrangement. 

     

    • After the flower arranging is done, add greenery to the base and something airy to the top. In this case, for the greenery we used Seeded Eucalyptus and Amaranthus. We let both hang down out of the tall arrangements for a real “wow” effect. 

     

    • To create an airy effect and add height, I used Curly Willow and Bells of Ireland, which were shooting out from the top. Tall arrangements are great showstoppers because you can use a lot of flowers, but when you are sitting at the table guests can still communicate with each other without the flowers blocking their view. 

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