Post Party Flowers

We celebrated Milly and her cousin turning three on Saturday, and while I’m saving the party pictures for a bit later, I thought I could share a sneak of the before and after with you.  It’s kind of interesting how much time one really spends before and after all of the “fun.”

I try to go through my entertaining pieces and collect new things at least a few weeks out, but it’s not until the week prior that I start pulling it all together.

I think this might be my favorite step.  I get to see bits of my vision come together after months of dreaming and collecting.  It’s a creative part of the process that I can take my time with, and I really enjoy that.  When the table actually comes together the day of it’s often rushed and things get compromised because of time, food, etc.  This collecting part is strictly creative and I try to have lots of choices to make the hours leading up to the party a bit less stressful.

If a party has had flowers, I love finding spots in the house for them to live afterwards.  This go around I had Emily from The Bloom Academy whip up some gorgeous, moody florals.  They were beautiful for the birthday and just as stunning a few days later sprinkled throughout our house.

The arrangement in the dining room is especially luxurious.  I layered some long candlesticks in to amp up the stately feel, and I certainly wouldn’t be upset if I could keep this look going week to week.

I’ve grown up watching British television and continue to be inspired by shows like Downton Abbey that visually portray the classicism and elegance of spaces and events.  My dining room doesn’t seat 14, and I don’t have footmen to wait on us, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a touch of that granduer in our space.

I may not live in a castle, but I can at least pretend for a moment that I never have to cook again because there are women in the basement for that.