ENTERTAINING PARTY ideas + decor

Party favors and table decor inspirations

Party favors and table top inspirations

Tonight I leave you with a set of inspirational shots. I took it from The Knot Web site. You can reuse these ideas for any milestone party. It gives me the chance to tell you a few design secrets.

Place cards and table-number centerpiece

The top left picture is so simple and beautiful. Start with a well designed printed table identifier tag. Do not hesitate to hire a graphic designer and to personalize designer tags. You can glue on both sides the printed label on a white foam core. Finish the top with a nice satin ribbon. I will insert a green flower tip to have more flexibility in fixing it into the grass. Select the style of the container to fit with the rest of your table décor. Voilà!

Fruits or vegetables make lovely place cards. You probably have seen it before but I like this idea. It is usually more elegant to print the information on a colored paper in the same hue as the fruit or vegetable. The key is to use the most beautiful waxed fruits you can get. That means that it is best to not use organic food because it lacks the preservative coating.

How to distribute party favors

The middle picture on the first row is an interesting party favor. As guests left, they picked up a letter-shape sugar cookies iced in white and pink or green. On the back, the sticker closure provided the newlyweds’ new address.

Bags must always be neatly presented in a container. Here, presenting the party favors in repetitive rows on a wood tray add a touch of class. The server job is to make sure that the plan stays intact until the last party favor is distributed. In fact, you see on the previous shot how the bags become a mess if they rest without a container.

Color palette

Green and pink makes a wonderful festive color combination. It can be dress up or down. A lovely idea for a girl birthday or a bridal shower is to give away flip flops as party favors. You prepare a metal bucket per sandal size. And write the number of a stick.

A touch of traditional elegance

Finally, I want to show you the pure elegance of the classical entertaining style. Even if I am a modernist, I can fall in love with traditional settings like these. You can ask your mother to borrow her stuff or hunt the antique shop to stock a few authentic pieces. There are a must for when you host a formal event.

Inspirations: Several weddings taken from the Real weddings section on The Knot Web site – you need to be a member to see them

  • Jenn
    July 23, 2007 at 22:30

    For my wedding reception we had apple center pieces and on each plate we placed a green apple with a ribbon like the last image.

    Center pieces just really make the entire ambiance for an event. Great post.

    Jenn~

  • At Home with kim vallee
    July 23, 2007 at 22:51

    Jenn, it sounds appealing. I will like to see a picture if you have one.

  • Bonnie Bell
    June 24, 2009 at 03:24

    I love the apple favor with the oversize leaf!