A Springtime Dinner Party
Spring has officially shown up here in North Texas and I am still rejoicing that winter is over! Spring is my absolute favorite season—I love the warm weather, peppered in with Texas thunderstorms. There’s nothing like it in the entire world, watching flowers spring forth where there was once only dried leaves and dead grass, and seeing the majesty of a good rain. What better way to celebrate the start of my favorite season than sharing a good meal with some of our closest friends? We couldn’t think of any so we hosted a group for a springtime dinner celebration.
I decided to use our springiest plates—they are actually china we got from our wedding registry! We paired with gold-rimmed wine glasses, gold chargers and a very spring appropriate table runner. Of course we had to include fresh flowers and candles. 🙂
One of the things I did to make our home more comfortable for our guests was to stock our hall bath with some essentials out in plain sight for them. We really wanted everyone to feel at home and comfortable, so having necessities or things that people might be embarrassed to ask for was something I felt strong about doing.
Our bathroom essentials included bottles of water with ibuprofen, shout wipes, mouthwash with little disposable paper cups, flossing picks, secret lady supplies hidden away in a cute wicker basket and of course fresh flowers. 🙂
After we had everything prepped and ready for our guests it was time to enjoy and have fun! We started off the evening with wine and a “fancy” cheese plate. My favorite pairing was gouda on a cracker with a drizzle of honey and a slice of granny smith apple. Yum!
We stood around and drank wine and ate while we shared stories and laughed. It was so fun! Dinner wasn’t anything too fancy—we had ham, scalloped potatoes, roasted veggies and some baguettes. We were so excited to have our friends over—Annica and James with their adorable baby boy and Megan and Mark!
After dinner I was super, duper excited about dessert. I am pretty obsessed with Baked Alaska, but rarely get to have it since it has to be served and consumed immediately. If you’re not sure what it is- it’s a cake (we did chocolate) that has ice cream (we went with vanilla!) on it—then you pour a meringue mixture on top and bake it for 5-10 minutes. The meringue somehow magically protects the ice cream from melting, and you’ve got cold ice cream, warm cake and a crispy meringue shell. OMG. It was my first time making it, so a bit of a risk…but well worth it!! 🙂 It was a crowd pleaser!
We had so much fun! We ate and drank and laughed and stayed up late hanging out and telling stories. We have decided to make it a monthly thing, and we are already planning next month’s festivities. 🙂 One of my friends told me that she had never heard of anyone under 60 having dinner parties—but I think they are totally becoming popular again, no? If not—totally starting a trend. There is nothing greater to us than having loved ones under our roof, sharing a good meal and a good drink. 🙂 And anything that’s a good excuse to make Baked Alaska and buy fresh flowers is ALWAYS a win in my book! 🙂
The best part of the whole night? After everyone left I was lying on the couch sleepy from the late hour and the wine, and my sweet husband told me to just lay and relax. He then proceeded to clean the entire kitchen for me…what a stud. <3
Tania Griffis is an accomplished writer, blogger, and interior designer with a Journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. She started her popular blog, Run to Radiance, in 2011, demonstrating her design expertise through the personal remodeling of six houses to millions of readers across the globe.
Tania also owns The Creative Wheelhouse, a respected ghostwriting agency for bloggers, further showcasing her talent for creating engaging and informative content.
How fun!! I love that you have bathroom essentials 🙂 What a sweet hubby you have!
Our dinner parties usually consist of pizza and boardgames 😉
Yay! Loved reading this post. We had such a blast and I loved finally getting so see your awesome home (even though I felt like I’d already been there since I’ve read your blog so much). Thanks for inviting us! 🙂
oh my gosh… just a few things… 1) those dinner plates… i’m pretty sure i have to have them… 2) secret lady supplies. awesome. 3) your apple green pendants… lovely!
oh gosh, this looks like if anthropology hosted a spring dinner party – so lovely. i don’t think i’d seen your curtains before, but they are gorgeous <3
Your dinner party looks delightful! We haven’t been hosts in a long time, but I love cooking for people and gathering together over a delicious dinner & beverages – that’s my kind of a party 🙂 LOVE your table setting, especially those lovely spring plates!
Love this idea! So fun. And your table setting was so pretty 🙂 Happy spring!
What a lovely idea! And that tray of guest essentials is brilliant.