We believe that hosting is a fun, creative way to celebrate the season and create a beautiful, lowkey setting for great conversation with family and friends abound. There’s something intimate and special about cooking for loved ones and hosting them at your home. Going out to a restaurant is easy, but having your own dinner party is a special way of showing love. Keep reading if you are new to hosting or simply need some refreshing hosting inspiration!
Fall is here once again… It has whisked us off of our feet and charmed us with its presence, just as it does every year. Its beauty is incomparable, but many of us are truly rejoicing in fall’s arrival as we have eagerly been waiting to throw on our fuzzy sweaters, light a pumpkin caramel candle, and watch Monday night football with loved ones.
If there is one thing we are enamored with about this season, it is romanticizing these few months as some of the most beautiful, crisp, and cozy moments of the year. We are here to lean in, romanticize with you, and share some of our favorite fall entertaining recommendations so you can share the abundance of the season with those you love. In honor of the season, we have put together an autumn-inspired al fresco tablescape to share with all of you.
Indoors vs. outdoors? If you have a lovely outdoor space, we recommend embracing the weather this time of year. While it can be warm in September and chilly in November, we recommend a comfortable temperature as one in which you need only a light sweater. Of course, this is up to your discretion.
One fun challenge we’ve found with outdoor locations is that you have the ability to transform the outdoor space into a special moment for your guests. If you can, locate a spot that will take you and your guests out of reality for a few hours of the day, and transport you into a magical fall scene. For us, the vineyard was a no-brainer!
Once you’ve landed on a location, choose a loose theme to help bring cohesiveness to your dinner party. There is no need to choose a literal theme, but rather focus on an essence that will help you to decorate your table, guide the creation of your menu, and even help you decide what to wear as the host! Imagine fall colors, neutrals, and organic textures that you are loving at the moment. We created a mood board to help organize our thoughts and set some inspiration prior to digging into the details.
When it comes to colors, we leaned into a palette of burnt orange, light brown, and tans. The textures you will see used are wicker, wood, and vintage-style glassware. A good rule of thumb is to use elements, textures, and colors that remind you of Autumn. Literal elements like pumpkins and leaves are nice, but using them in moderation helps to construe a more elevated scene. Rather than creating a full table of orange plates, napkins, and glassware, you will see that we chose a few small ways to weave in our fall colors. Choose a couple of small features that will make your table feel cohesive!
Setting the table is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the whole dinner! Get creative here. There are no rules, but a few good practices. To set the table as you see in our tablescape, you will need a charger plate, a dinner plate, and a salad plate or soup bowl. We chose to use a brown wicker charger plate, and rustic, country-style white plates. You will need a napkin at each place setting (this can be cloth or paper). Napkins are a great element to use to tie together your whole color scheme. Don’t forget your silverware, consisting of one salad fork, one dinner fork, one dinner knife, and one soup spoon. For the glassware, if possible, it is wonderful if you can have three glasses: one water glass, one white wine glass, and one red wine glass. If you don’t have all three, not too worry, one wine glass will work just fine!
Determining a centerpiece can also be an overwhelming project for hosting a dinner party. Fortunately, the modern trend of creating a centerpiece has become one of simplicity. While our table centerpiece looks somewhat robust, we chose to source some greenery at a local floral shop and incorporate pops of orange with some floral elements (make sure to save some greenery and flowers for your *ice mold). We also added some beautiful taper candle holders, some gold and some vintage, and topped them with tall, orange-colored tapers. If you want, you can even opt out of greenery altogether and simply place some beautiful taper candles in the middle of the table and call it a day. Less is more!
When hosting outdoors, lighting is a crucial component. We chose taper candles to create an intimate setting, but you can use lanterns, string lights, or anything of the sort. Just make sure there is ample light for when the sun sets.
Background music? A must!
Being that fall is harvest time, it is such a fun, authentic time to enjoy the bounty of the season. When trying to determine your theme, try to first start with seasonal produce to embrace seasonal fresh fare and take advantage of what is available at the grocery store. Fall produce includes apples, brussel sprouts, carrots, cranberries, green beans, pumpkins, potatoes, and (of course) grapes, just to name a few.
Similar to a thanksgiving meal, a harvest-themed dinner often features hearty, savory, feel-good dishes. If you are a fan of this style, make sure to include starches and warm sides, such as sweet potatoes. If you wish to mix things up, don’t be afraid to stray from the traditional Thanksgiving meal. You can always opt for a lighter menu with fresh elements, switching out the potatoes for brussel sprouts or a fresh, fall salad for example. The choice is up to you!
With a decent amount of experience pairing food and wine, we have curated a unique menu for you to use for your next fall dinner party. If you are hosting wine lovers, having a wine that pairs with each course is a fun way to elevate the evening and genuinely indulge in each dish. Don’t worry though, we’ve done all the hard work for you! Below is a menu equipped with recipes and wine pairings, made so you look like a professional.
On the Menu
MAPLE BACON BAKED BRIE paired with Home Ranch Chardonnay
BRAISED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH RED CABBAGE AND FENNEL paired with Home Ranch Petite Sirah
DARK CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE WITH CHERRIES JUBILEE paired with Lizzy James Port
ZINFANDEL CITRUS SANGRIA with Home Ranch Zinfandel
There are tons of little ways you can make your fall dinner party a memorable evening your family and friends will cherish for years to come. It is important to remember that oftentimes people will remember the small, special details over the grandiose, expensive pieces. As they say, it’s the thought that counts!
Some easy, inexpensive ways to add detail to your party include creating name tags for your guests. Name tags are easy to print, or hand write, and allow your guests the ease of simply finding their nametag instead of determining the best place to sit. Planning the seating chart at your dinner party may seem unnecessary, but oftentimes makes the evening stress-free and allows you, as the host, to control the moment and flow of conversation. Most guests will be happy you made a spot just for them!
If you are looking for a conversation starter, look no further than this beautiful *ice mold! Found on Crate and Barrel, this ice mold is a foolproof DIY project that takes no more than a couple of minutes to put together. Using some greenery and flowers from your centerpiece, fill the mold with water and then stuff in your botanicals. Place it in the freezer the night before or first thing in the morning the day of the dinner party.
If you want to add variety to your dinner table, don’t be afraid of mixing textures and colors. You can do this with bowls, serving platters, glasses, etc. Mixing serving vessels creates an interesting tablescape that feels less like a wedding table setting, and more like a handcrafted dinner party.
You can find a lot of the items we used linked here!
BREAD BASKET (Also found at Harney Lane)
VINTAGE AKIMO GOLD TAPER HOLDERS
The key to hosting a successful dinner party is to prepare as much as you can beforehand. If you can, plan it on a day that you have time to prep the food before the party begins. It is important to be present when your guests arrive so that you can enjoy the evening with them. There’s no doubt hosting your own party will always be a little stressful, but there are ways to reduce some of the stress and celebrate the evening with your guests. Preparation is your best friend!
Oftentimes, bartending at your own dinner party can be too hard for one person or one couple to handle. One way to avoid preparing a drink for every individual request is to create a specialty cocktail all of your guests can make themselves. Rather than displaying all alcohol options, keep it simple with one specialty drink, beer, and wine. To make things even easier, wine can be the selected beverage of choice for the party, a one-stop shop so to say. Planning a special varietal for each course with completely erase the stress of bartending and will still feel like a thoughtful, handcrafted dinner party.
Don’t stress about the clean-up! The evening is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated to its fullest. You will have ample time later to fill the dishwasher and take out the trash. Slow down, rest, and savor the special moment you’ve created!
Cheers to hosting a fabulous fall dinner party with Harney Lane wine in hand!
