Valentines has always been a favorite holiday for me to celebrate all that is good and kind in the world. Not to get too mushy, but it is a great winter celebration to spend time with the ones you love whether you have a significant other or not. I've been in a #seasonofyes this year, which means spending more quality time with my girlfriends and investing in new relationships. What better way than to gather your gal pals around a beautiful table and delicious food to celebrate the season of love?!!
As I've discussed before, setting a beautiful table is a great way to signal to your guests that they are in for a real treat. I decided to pull from some of my favorites to create a "pretty in pink" theme with a sophistication appropriate for a special night out.
I thought it would make a nice touch to mix in a fashion component for the event, and Lettermade makes the most beautiful Icon Cocktail Napkins with the faces of Karl, Anna, Oprah, and Coco. Each of my guests received a boxed set that was placed at each table setting, and they were so excited to open these when they arrived.
I added in a fun twist to the table by using the most gorgeous Ngala Ardmore table cloths that were both whimsical and sophisticated. We kept the flowers simple by placing two large arrangements in Jayes Studio petal containers at the ends of each table so as not to inhibit conversation.
For this event I chose 5 Church to help with the food so that I could just focus on the table setting and my girlfriends. We chose a simple menu to keep things easy. 5 Church makes the most delicious shrimp & grits, and this dish was a hit with my gals. AND-- the red velvet cake was so good, my ladies took their leftovers home in plastic bags!! Ha! You know the dinner is good when people take a doggie bag home!
To help promote meaningful conversation during dinner, I asked guests to each write down their "Word of the Year" and we discussed as a group. While my word is #seasonofyes, several ladies said their word of the year is "no". No to things that don't bring them joy anymore. No to guilt. No to taking on other people's burdens. I say, "heck yeah" to that!
Gathering your gal pals doesn't just have to be during Galentine's-- it can be anytime of year. My rule of thumb is that you can elevate simple food to levels of extraordinary when you set a beautiful table. Just go for it!
XO, JuJu
This post is in partnership with Maris DeHart. The opinions are 100% my own.