Meticulously Decorated Dinner Parties are in Baby!
I am a wh*re for a themed party, a sl*t for a dress code, and almost without a doubt ravenously hungry. Hungry for a great photo opportunity and fifty different kinds of cheese.
All of this to say I am writing this cuddled on my couch, under a blanket of envy. Most of these (all) require either ‘A’ a dining room table, or ‘B’ a backyard. Neither of which I possess in my sprawling thousand square feet Arizona apartment.
All the time I can’t spend planning dinner parties, I can spend writing about them, so here are some fun dinner party themes for this summer.
Oyster Stay (for another drink), The Rest is Still Unwritten, Come Picnic Me Up, and The House Might Burn Down
The Rest is Still Unwritten
Hand drawn table cloths, menus, invites, name tents, you name it! This has been trending now for awhile, and it makes sense because this aesthetic is everything.
You can layout a large piece of butcher paper and hand draw everything yourself. Butcher paper comes in essentially whatever color you want if you plan to purchase a whole roll (anywhere from $30-$80 dollars. The best bang for you buck is going to be on Amazon, but warning they will likely not be wide enough for your table so you may have to tape two pieces together. If you have a teacher friend, they can likely get you a piece for free!
If you’re thinking “I can’t f*cking draw”, there are hand stitched table cloths that are gorgeous… and expensive, but hey you might roll like that.
Here are some options!
Etsy $200
Misette Table Napkins $160
It’s All in the Details
Elsa_works_ on Instagram
I love the idea of writing your guests names on the table top itself.
Or creating individual name cards/table tents
Add hand painted/written invites and menus if you want bonus points!
Don’t Be Perfect!
I think it’s important to remember that your “doodles” don’t have to be perfect. Part of the novelty of this aesthetic is the the character you bring to the table.
All puns intended.
Here are some perfect examples
Oyster Stay (for another drink)
I have some kind of sick obsession with the way oysters look. I can’t make any graphics these days without throwing in a giant f*cking oyster. So I really can’t tell if this is trending or if I subconsciously found a way to spend more time looking at oysters. Either way this aesthetic is amazing!
The Big Three
Must haves for complimenting your oysters
Olives
Rumor is that oysters pair well with dirty martinis… food for thought.
Lemons
& Ice
100% condone spending an insane amount of money on a sick a** ice bucket.
Details
These oyster Candles are absolutely gorgeous! A great way to add lighting and stay on theme.
These oyster name cards are also amazing!
Lastly I do feel dish-ware is important for this aesthetic/theme. Blue is going to compliment the lemons well, so I recommend having blue on either your plates , placemats, or napkins.
Any type of shell you have in your house just throw it on the table and find something to put it in. It could be anything for example: mints, toothpicks, salt, or pepper.
Crate & Barrel Set of 8 $44
Oyster Platter- Wayfair
Come Picnic Me Up
My favorite of all the themes. An aesthetic girl picnic meets elegant dinner. Often an Italian dinner it seems for this theme, but that is certainly not a requirement.
The Big Three
Gingham or Stripes
A gorgeous table cloth, or two, is essential for decorating your elevated picnic.
Outdoors
This theme just really does not work inside for, I feel, obvious reasons.
& Tomatos?
I am absolutely tickled by the idea of using a tomato as a candle holder, to me, a must have for this theme.
But really any garden veggies on the table for snacking and decor, would be perfect.
Details
Large serving platters are a must. You will want a way to present your food anyways, and a platter adds to that nostalgic “family dinner” aspect of this aesthetic.
Anthropologie $48
Neiman Marcus $21
This style also works great for a “charcuterie” board of sorts. I love the way they have this serving table set up below.
I think a key take away from this to use for your dinner set up is, the beauty of bread. Having a loaf or loaves of bread out at your dinner will look amazing with the fresh fruits and vegetables.
The House Might Burn Down
This is one I know we have all seen. A trendy twist on your classic candle lit dinner.
As many taper candles and holders as you can fit on the table. Typically paired with a lot of floral elements partially wildflowers.
This theme is really up to your interpretation you can go as crazy or simple as you want. This photo for example only has four candles, but still looks very elegant. I think the key is to buy a couple of larger bouquets and separate the flowers. This way you get more bang for you buck!
I love the idea of doing thrifted/mismatched dinnerware for this aesthetic. It pairs nicely with the casual and laid back style of the wildflowers
Details
The two biggest things you will want to have are small vases for your flowers, and candlestick holders.
This set of seven small french vases from Etsy is perfect for this aesthetic, especially if you don’t have time to thrift!
Set of seven from Etsy $12
If you want to get fancy I think these taper candles with bows are stunning.
gohar $48
P.S. you could also make these yourself.
Have fun hosting your next dinner party my lovelies! Tag whatsfresh.blog on IG if you decide to try any of these themes :))
