This past Friday I hosted a small cocktail party in honor of my mom's visit to DC. I had a small group of friend's come over for an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and of course a cheesescape! Prepping for this party was a new challenge for a few reasons. First and foremost- this was the first time my mom would be attending one of my soirees so I wanted to make sure that it was thoughtful, delicious, aesthetically pleasing and of course, fun!
The second aspect that I had to consider (and most challenging) was the size and shape of my new coffee table. Even though my new coffee table still yielded ample surface area, the width is about 4 inches shorter than my old coffee table and my new table has a rounded shape as opposed to my traditional rectangular table. While the table logistics sound trivial, the new size/shape affected the types of linens, flowers and serving pieces that I could use when scaping this spread. Below is a breakdown of both my menu and entertaining accessories used to compile this recent table setting.
The Menu
- Cheesescape
- Assortment of Olives from Whole Foods Olive Bar
- Lemon Hummus Garnished with Fresh Lemon Zest and Thyme
- Ina Garten's Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip
- Olli Salumeria Chorizo Salami
- 34 Degrees Crisps - Natural and Rosemary
- Simple & Crisp- Pear
- Fine English Charcoal Squares
- Not Pictured - Lemon Honey Ricotta Bites
Entertaining Accessories
- Cheeseboard- Nambe Cheese Block with Knife and Spreader
- Votives- CB2 Archer Candle Holder
- White Dip Bowls- Williams Sonoma Open Kitchen Snack Bowl, Set of 4
- Cocktail Napkins- Caspari Zebra Cocktail Napkins, Orange
- Cocktail Plates- CB2 Small Cuatro Platter
- Cocktail Picks- Julia Knight Classic Cocktail Pick Set
- Cheesescape Cracker Stand- Target West Emory Multi-Tiered Stand
- Crudités and Pita Chip Bowls- Tiffany & Co. Windham Bowl
- Olive and Chorizo Bowls- Crate and Barrel 6" Snack Bowls
This party ended up being a huge success. My mom had a wonderful time catching up with everyone and I was ecstatic that there were very few leftovers to clean up at the end of the night. Small bowls, a tiered cracker stand, bud vases and votives all aided in creating a table that accommodated my entire menu along with all decorations. More importantly, these specific entertaining accessories also provided enough breathing room to avoid the look of a table traffic jam. While it was most important to show my mom a great time on Friday night, I love that I was able to takeaway a new found awareness for both the space and serving potential on my new coffee table.