Summer entertaining should be easy and breezy, not overly stressful. Yet, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a little dressed up.
Since setting the table happens before any party, you can take your time and embellish up to a day or two ahead. For a recent dinner, I started with matching hot pink chargers from Marie Daage with my wedding china, Wedgewood Crown Sapphire. It’s one of those patterns that I loved, then tired of and having spent years in the drawer as I rotated a number of other patterns, finally seemed new again. Pulling in the hot pink napkins and glasses gave a little punch to each table setting.
As I have mentioned before, it has been a banner year for the hydrangeas, so I was thrilled to just use what was in the garden for my centerpieces. Using a mix of containers…some gifts, some recycled, some simple water glasses, I was able to create a landscape of high and low down the center of the table.
Perhaps my favorite touch was using hydrangea leaves for placecards.
Using what you have and have accumlated over time, mixing it together and sharing it with friends…that makes entertaining easy and breezy.
