PALMS + PINEAPPLES WITH LENOX
Two things I love, summer and a good themed party. Summer is my favorite season and you already know I'll never miss the chance to throw a party or get a gang together. With summer coming to an end and my love, er, obsession with pineapples and palms, I decided one of the last hurrahs at Casa de Shearer should be a tropical get-together around the patio and pool. So, when our pals at Lenox asked us to partner again (so excited!), I knew right away I'd be bringing British Colonial to the party table. Attention all brides, because if this pattern, Marchesa by Lenox Painted Camellia or Lenox French Perle is part of your bridal registry, here's some inspo on more ways to have fun with your china!
I've been swooning over pineapple vases the whole summer, so I hit Instagram for some quick inspiration and Pinterest for a good DIY "recipe". A trip to the market, tour around our flower garden and a fruitfest in the kitchen later, I had four pineapple flower vases in hand that made the best tropical centerpieces ever and were the center of my table inspiration. Side note, they were so easy and fun to make!
To bring a festive and summertime vibe to the table and keep it simple, but pretty, I layered these BaliHai faux banana leaf runners down the table on a white tablecloth. I like the contrast between the stark white and dark green leaves. Since British Colonial is detailed with almost a brush stroke of palm leaves along the inside of the rim, the BaliHai coasters were a fun accent on the white center of the dinner plates. I played with napkin folds, but decided a traditional fold looked best. It showed off the crocheted lace trim and made the gold flatware pop.
On each placesetting I added a mini bud vase with a one to two white roses or buds, and to bring in the melon accent color I was going for, I added cantaloupe colored mini-honeycomb picks from Michaels to each vase. The dinner plates are trimmed in gold, so Marchesa Imperial Caviar gold flatware was a great accent. Those pineapple plates! I can't enough of them. In case you're wondering, they are sold separately and can be used as an accent or dessert plate.
The ice blue Lenox French Perle bowls were perfect for the fresh fruits scattered down the table and I went with bubble glass goblets to keep things on the casual side.
To get the party started, offer your guests a signature cocktail and that's what we did here. I like to set a bar cart or station so guests can help themselves. This keeps me free to greet all my guests as they arrive and also feeling comfortable that everyone has something in their hands to drink ASAP. On the drink menu? Pink lemonade mimosa's topped with a splash of St. Germain (my personal favorite!), served in gold sugar rimmed champagne flutes with pink and white chevron straws. For some extra pretty and pizazz, we lined the top of the bar cart with black and white stripes, using my Hester & Cook table runner. I love it because it's made of paper, comes on a roll so it can be cut to any size and always gives me that something extra I look for.
To pull in the theme to the bar cart, we set a pineapple flower vase on a cake pedestal for height, scattered Sugarfina gummy Sugar Lips for a sweet accent, and layered blush colored cotton flour sack napkins because my entertaining mantra is - 'if you have it, use it' and I do!
No matter what's on your table, the most fun about any get together with a gang of family and friends - is to create interesting conversations and a party that no one wants to leave.
Cheers to the last of your summer parties!
xx/deborah
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A warm thank you to Lenox for sponsoring this post.
Design & Styling: Deborah Shearer | Photography by Stefanie Schoen; The Style Safari