Autumn Al Fresco Entertaining
I'm so excited about today's post! As you probably know, autumn is my very favorite season. Today we’re enjoying Autumn Al Fresco Entertaining - surrounded by that crisp, cool air touched with the aroma of apples and falling leaves. I dressed up our back garden and made one of our favorite soups, Minestrone, for an intimate dinner al fresco. You’re invited {virtually}, so please pull up a chair. Thank you for joining our party!
My floral friends and I like to get together at this time of year to share ideas for fall and holiday decorating. This time we are all showcasing flowers with copper - because that warm glow of copper makes every floral bouquet shine!
We have a special announcement to make too, we're collaborating with one of our favorite family companies. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom and mark your calendars!
I really like to have easy dinner get togethers here at FrenchGardenHouse in the fall, either in our eat-in kitchen, or if at all possible outdoors. Our California weather means we can revel in beautiful fall weather, with the sun casting a golden glow on the early evening. This table setting on our back patio is perfect for an early evening dinner with a few close friends or family.
I'm excited to show you around!
Be sure to visit the rest of our Monday Morning Blooms bloggers if you are looking for more inspiration. You know they always go all out - they always share something breathtakingly beautiful. Each one of my floral therapy friends is linked at the bottom of this post with a sneak peek image.
It's the perfect tablecloth for this setting, the raw edges are just trimmed with pinking shears. {I congratulated myself on buying it all those years ago! YES...now it has a reason, and I'll be using it all autumn season long.}
For the color palette, my inspiration was nature and the glorious colors at this time of year, deep jewel-like burgundy wine, rust, brown, orange, green, and golden yellow. In the late afternoon, the sun hits our garden with a dappled golden glow, really showing off the colors of the season to their best advantage.
My very inexpensive basic white plates work on pretty much every table and I love them on this one. Then I added the vintage French Ercuis silverware, and my favorite linen napkins with wheat embroidery.
I wanted to go all out with a flower arrangement that celebrates the harvest colors of fall. This vintage copper champagne bucket suits the season and is wonderful filled with flowers. I'll tell you a secret, the burgundy dahlia bouquets are faux - eek! I know. My flower source only had light colors, their truck was late, so I made do with what I had. Fortunately for me, we just launched our Fall Holiday Floral Collection, so I had something to work with.
A water-filled jar in the back of the bucket holds several large branches from our gingko tree which is just now starting to turn golden yellow. It's actually a trick I use at times, when you mix good quality "pretend" flowers with real greens or branches, no one will even know your beauties weren't birthed by Mother Nature.
Apple cider cocktails start the dinner off in a festive way.
The rolls look so pretty on the antique bread board, with the carved knife, don't they? For ease in passing around, I placed them on this vintage French wicker tray, along with these beautiful Thomcord grapes. These small dark grapes are so good, they look amazing in the little French copper cocotte. The grapes are from the Critchley Family Farm here in California.
The day before, I made our favorite Minestrone Soup in an antique copper saucepan like this one. It's always good, but made one day ahead it's even better. All the flavors blend together. This delicious soup is ideal for a small al fresco autumn dinner. I'll be happy to share the easy recipe soon with all of you. Our family loves this soup, and my girls ask for it on a regular basis when they come here for dinner.
I'm a little in love with this table-scape. It's super easy, but has all the autumn feels we all love so much. It's amazing how flowers {faux and real,} a few pumpkins and apples make a table so lovely. Taking inspiration from what nature provides us with at this wonderful time of year, you can create your own beautiful Autumnal tables.
I hope this table and post inspire you to set up your own dinner table outdoors and do some autumn al fresco entertaining . Thank you so much for joining me today, you are always welcome at my table!
Welcome to Monday Morning Blooms!
My floral friends and I like to get together at this time of year to share ideas for fall and holiday decorating. This time we are all showcasing flowers with copper - because that warm glow of copper makes every floral bouquet shine!
We have a special announcement to make too, we're collaborating with one of our favorite family companies. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom and mark your calendars!
I really like to have easy dinner get togethers here at FrenchGardenHouse in the fall, either in our eat-in kitchen, or if at all possible outdoors. Our California weather means we can revel in beautiful fall weather, with the sun casting a golden glow on the early evening. This table setting on our back patio is perfect for an early evening dinner with a few close friends or family.
I'm excited to show you around!
Be sure to visit the rest of our Monday Morning Blooms bloggers if you are looking for more inspiration. You know they always go all out - they always share something breathtakingly beautiful. Each one of my floral therapy friends is linked at the bottom of this post with a sneak peek image.
Autumn Al Fresco Entertaining
Through the years, I’ve set a million tables in the fall, some very elaborate, most of them not so much. I couldn't find a cloth I loved, but fell in love with this fabric years ago {do you suffer from this?! You see fabric you love, you have absolutely NO reason to buy it but you find yourself at the cutting counter having 2-3 yards cut?}
It's the perfect tablecloth for this setting, the raw edges are just trimmed with pinking shears. {I congratulated myself on buying it all those years ago! YES...now it has a reason, and I'll be using it all autumn season long.}
For the color palette, my inspiration was nature and the glorious colors at this time of year, deep jewel-like burgundy wine, rust, brown, orange, green, and golden yellow. In the late afternoon, the sun hits our garden with a dappled golden glow, really showing off the colors of the season to their best advantage.
My very inexpensive basic white plates work on pretty much every table and I love them on this one. Then I added the vintage French Ercuis silverware, and my favorite linen napkins with wheat embroidery.
I wanted to go all out with a flower arrangement that celebrates the harvest colors of fall. This vintage copper champagne bucket suits the season and is wonderful filled with flowers. I'll tell you a secret, the burgundy dahlia bouquets are faux - eek! I know. My flower source only had light colors, their truck was late, so I made do with what I had. Fortunately for me, we just launched our Fall Holiday Floral Collection, so I had something to work with.
A water-filled jar in the back of the bucket holds several large branches from our gingko tree which is just now starting to turn golden yellow. It's actually a trick I use at times, when you mix good quality "pretend" flowers with real greens or branches, no one will even know your beauties weren't birthed by Mother Nature.
Apple cider cocktails start the dinner off in a festive way.
The rolls look so pretty on the antique bread board, with the carved knife, don't they? For ease in passing around, I placed them on this vintage French wicker tray, along with these beautiful Thomcord grapes. These small dark grapes are so good, they look amazing in the little French copper cocotte. The grapes are from the Critchley Family Farm here in California.
The day before, I made our favorite Minestrone Soup in an antique copper saucepan like this one. It's always good, but made one day ahead it's even better. All the flavors blend together. This delicious soup is ideal for a small al fresco autumn dinner. I'll be happy to share the easy recipe soon with all of you. Our family loves this soup, and my girls ask for it on a regular basis when they come here for dinner.
I'm a little in love with this table-scape. It's super easy, but has all the autumn feels we all love so much. It's amazing how flowers {faux and real,} a few pumpkins and apples make a table so lovely. Taking inspiration from what nature provides us with at this wonderful time of year, you can create your own beautiful Autumnal tables.
I hope this table and post inspire you to set up your own dinner table outdoors and do some autumn al fresco entertaining . Thank you so much for joining me today, you are always welcome at my table!
Be sure to visit my inspiring flower friends below. See you there!
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
and me Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
A BIENTOT
Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and above all uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com
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Darlene
October 20, 2021
You did an amazing job with “pretend” flowers actually weather
doesn’t always agree with fresh cut flowers even here in California we’ve had them destroyed from to warm and to windy!
Your napkins and tablecloth are gorgeous everything
Is simply fall worthy??