A Getaway Birthday -- The Details
An EMBROIDERED PLACECARD
With only ten guests for this dinner, it allowed me a little more freedom to take each detail to the next level. I love adding place cards to any dinner because it shows a level of consideration and a way to personalize the experience for each guest. I always consider the types of conversations guests will have, who they haven’t seen in a while, and new friends they might like to meet as I’m setting the seating chart. With this custom length linen tablecloth, I wanted the name cards to be embroidered in a coordinating palette and actually sewn into the tablecloth. There’s a gravitas to the permanence of the name being physically attached to the tablecloth and yet the idea of it serving the purpose for one evening makes it that much more special. I had each name embroidered onto a patch that was then ironed and sewn on at the top of each place setting. The thread colors were matched to black and tan for a seamless palette flow.
THE PLACE SETTING
As I continued to design the place setting for the evening, I wanted it to feel elevated but not formal. It was important that it didn’t feel completely out of place sitting at this table in the middle of the field. In balance with the tan linen tablecloth, I found cream dinnerware with a natural hand thrown edge and a crackle finish that provided an elegant yet organic perspective. Paired with black flatware, the modernity of the lines and color of the utensils elevates the place setting. I created the outline of a charger by using matte black rings sewn into the tablecloth. I wanted it to feel light and airy, and yet layered. Atop the dinnerware, custom embroidered napkins with my monogram were wrapped with fox and hare napkin rings to add a bit of brass and wildness. The idea was to bring a bit of wilderness to the table as if the forest animals leaped onto the table and found its way to each setting. At the end of the evening, guests were able to take the napkin rings home as a memento for the occasion.
THE GLASSWARE
For this dinner, I knew that guests would already have cocktails in hand prior to seating, so the two different glasswares needed for the table were wine and water glasses. I selected a progression of two wines for the dinner, both being red, so that freed up the table space with just a simple red wine glass. To balance the height of the centerpieces and candle tapers, I wanted a low water glass, so I found these vintage lowball glasses. I love that each is different and unique, yet together collectively feels curated. The vintage lowballs were all within the same color palette of the brass, black, and green hues. In continuation with the glassware, I also used fluted glass votives in varying heights to give a lightness to the table.
THE MENUS
The dinner theme was ‘A Night in Toledo’ with a Spanish tapas spread and a full paella for the main course. The menus were printed on the same Crane Lettra in Pearl White on a 110LB paper. Segments of the wood block illustration that I used for the welcome cards were pulled back into the menu and placed as headers for the dinner and cocktail menus. I tied each menu set with a fringed ribbon in ombré tones of cream and off-white. I left a good length of ribbon on each menu set to allow for a gentle cascade down the side of the table. From afar, you’re able to see the color suite of ribbons set along the tablecloth. I then added exotic feathers to each of the menus for a continued visual of the wild and natural backdrop of the hill country.
THE LIGHTING
With the sun setting prior to the start of dinner, lighting plays an important role. To start, I ran a single strand of globe lights that suspended above from tree to tree. At night the strand of light seemed to float and provide ample base lighting to the dinner. Moving to the table, I wanted the soft glow of candlelight to gently hum throughout the dinner. The 36” taper candles were stunning in scale and in time. The scale provided a small flame to float a feet above our heads as we enjoyed the dinner. As time passed, the candles slowly burned and a cascade of wax began to form as the warm glow lowered through our conversations. Thankfully, the winds were low and the candles managed to stay lit the entire evening. And to the tables, I brought the fluted votives scattered across the dinner setting to create a wave of warmth that both set the mood and provided illumination for the meal.
