My first guest blogger is none other than my favorite hostess with the mostess, my mom, D.Ann! Here are some pictures from her latest dinner party, a Valentines dinner for fourteen! Enjoy!
At my house, any occasion can be a special occasion, especially when it comes to getting our friends together. Recently, our informal “dinner group” of friends has been running crazy, each of us stressed with job, health, family and other issues — moreso than the norm. So right after the first of the year, we all decided we wanted to do a big deal on Valentines Day.
To prevent the dinner party from being a huge problem and alot of work for just one couple, all seven couples pitched in. We started for appetizers and a specialty champagne drink at one house in the neighborhood. Three of the couples helped with this portion of the evening, bringing potluck appetizers and sharing red and white dishes, centerpieces and decor.At the dinner house, the men cooked the meal and the women decorated a fabulous table. Two other couples provided the dessert, a yummy chocolate pudding cake served in ramekins. The entire evening was so fun and at the end we played a modified version of the Newlywed game, which was hilarious.
The table decorations were a huge hit. First off, we added a homemade leaf to the table in order to sit all 14 of us. The table stretched to 110 inches! To accomodate everyone we used folding chairs because regular dining chairs were too big and cumbersome. We draped the folding chairs in red and white tulle to disquise their ugliness.
Next, to cover the table we bought 4 yards of black vinyl at the fabric store. It looks like tooled leather, but really is plastic. We envision lots of re-use for this modified table cloth.
Next we set the table with red square plates, a recent find of two of our dinner group members. Each had found eight of the plates at TJ Maxx and shared them with the host home. We hot glued little red hearts to the stems of the water glasses.
Next came the napkin rings, fashioned from remnant velvet scraps and sewed into rings, much like ponytail scrunchies. To make them more elegant, diamond rhinstone buttons were sewed on the top of each one and a red cloth napkin threaded into each one.
The centerpieces are roses in silver mint julip cups and trumpet vases as well as candles in jars, with red hots poured in around the candles for more Valentines day appeal. A bit of large red glitter was scattered around the table for sparkle. Red glass tealight holders also provided warmth as well.
For table conversation, we went around the table and each couple told the story of their engagement. It was a fun, fun night!
Thank you for being my first Guest Blogger Mom! If you’ve thrown a great party lately and want to be featured on this blog, email me!
[…] today I posted pictures from the Valentines Day Dinner for Fourteen that my mom and her friends hosted last weekend. In the post, Mom mentioned that they played the […]