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Invitations |
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I sent out some hand-made invitations about two weeks before the dinner party. All the usual info but I added a request for everyone to wear semi-formal attire which made it fun. I also made a coordinating menu. |
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Decorations |
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I'm all about ambiance so I knew I wanted to have only candles and white fairy lights to provide the lighting. I created the tall topiary centerpieces for the table using purchased vases from TJ Maxx ($12.99 a piece) In my backyard I have a lot of trees so I went out to scavenge some tree limbs from the ground that I thought would work as the stick base coming out of the top of the vase. Add the grapevine balls and poke in some autumn flowers and leaves and voila! Notice that I made sure tha... |
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Tablescape |
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The weather in North Carolina can be mild that time of year, so we were able to set up the dinner table on our screen porch. We used our outdoor dining table but placed a large 4x10-foot piece of cheap black board material from Lowes to create a larger table space to provide seating for 12. To save money (and find just the right tablecloth color) I purchased a length of inexpensive fabric from a fabric store. I didn't even hem the edges! |
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Entertainment |
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Instead of place cards at the table I made some wine glass tags with photos of each of our guests. I printed out a 1 inch photo of each person, strung some beads on a flexible wire and attached one to each wine glass. I tried to use funny photos of each of them that I had from a previous party or get-together so everyone had on a costume or was making a funny face. They got to take them home at the end of the night. Since I asked everyone to wear their semi-formal attire, I thought it would... |
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Scrapbook |
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My husband and I both love to cook. We chose menu items that we could prepare in advance and just pull out or re-heat with minimal preparation once the guests arrived. I had a printed menu on the table so everyone knew what would be served. We "hired" my 12 year old daughter and one of her good friends to be food servers at the party and to help with clean up. We asked them to wear black pants, a white shirt and they wore a borrowed tuxedo tie. They did a great job as long as we provided ... |
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