The holidays are right around the corner which means a lot of you will be hosting dinners at your home or attending some cozy gatherings! I’ve always loved hosting but last year was tough to do since our home was under heavy construction so we didn’t have the space. However, we are slowly getting back into the swing of hosting again. We had some friends over for our first hosted dinner since the wedding and it was so fun. I thought it be cool to share with you all a few simple tips that were helpful to me and perhaps maybe spark some inspiration! I’ve also shared below some links to some Fall inspired recipes and some cute home table settings to hopefully get you in the mood for your next event!
THE TABLESCAPE
Make it pretty. Everything doesn’t need to match or be perfect, but picking an aesthetic or a color palette to stick to helps keep this part cohesive. Small touches like candles, vintage matching cloth napkins and cute simple season specific decor helps make it cozy, inviting, and elevated. Also, make sure you have enough serving dishes and utensils ahead of time! Below are links to some of the items on this table as well as links to similar versions for the thrifted/vintage items.
Dishes: Hearth & Hand Stoneware Dinner Plates
Silverware: Gold Silverware
Wood Salad Bowl: Thrifted (similar version)
Wood Salad Hands: Thrifted (similar version)
Napkins: Vintage (similar version)
Serving bowl: Heath Ceramics Serving Bowl
Glassware: Vintage (similar version - wine glass) (similar version- water glass)
Candle stick holder: Ceramic candle stick holder from local store Happy House
Runner: Thrifted (similar version)
Another tip! Set the table ahead of time to ensure you have plenty of time to set it exactly as you’d like to!
THE FOOD.
OK, the most important part! I am no professional Chef but I do like cooking! For any recipe ideas I always go to Pinterest first, which is where I found 3 out of the 4 dishes I made that night. I wanted all of our dishes to be Fall themed and vegetarian. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of all of the dishes together, which is a shame since all the vibrant fall colors of the vegetables came together so nicely!!
ENTREE: Gnocchi with burnt butter and lemon basil (pictured)
SALAD: Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Salad
SIDE 1: Oven Roasted Red Cabbage Steaks
SIDE 2: The last side was a mixture of carrots and potatoes roasted in the oven.
THE OUTFIT.
Get yourself ready first, this is after you have already set the table (you wanna set the table early in the day). It’s better to be making some final cooking touches than be rushing to finishing your outfit/hair/makeup when the first guests arrive. I wanted to be cute and comfortable so I wore a slip dress with a lace top underneath to dress it up a bit, the vintage belt added a nice festive touch. Outfit details below. And finally, don’t forget to have fun and have a drink! Cheers!
outfit details:
Top: Vintage (similar version)
Dress: Vintage (similar version)
Shoes: Thrifted (similar version)
Earrings: Mejuri - curved hoops
Belt: Thrifted (similar version)