Whenever you’re hosting a dinner or cocktail party, a centerpiece should be the focal point and correspond with the theme of the night. Be creative this summer and choose ideas that will leave your guests a visual to remember!

Girls Cocktail Night– Take a large margarita glass (can be bought for under $15 at Michael’s Craft Store and fill it with pink and white marbles. For a more intimate effect, add water and a few floating tea light candles that will float around as the night lingers.

BBQ Dinner- Fill a pail with sand and make it look like you just came from the beach! Stick a tiny shovel in with seashells for an additional beach-effect. It’ll make your guests feel like they are at the beach while they chow down on hamburgers and hotdogs!  A second idea is to create an interactive centerpiece.  Fill a beach pail with a bouquet of sunscreen, bug spray, hand sanitizer and more.  It will be a great colorful centerpiece and your guests will thank you!

Dinner for Two– Take additional wine glasses (preferably alternating in size) and turn them upside down. On the flat base (which is now the top of the class), place think, tall candles and throw flower petals around each glass. The combination of candle and flower aromas will enhance the mood.  If you desire a little more color to go with your theme, cut the stems off your preferred flowers and place them under the glasses.  This offers a unique look and shows off your creativity.

Dinner al’ fresco– A bucket filled with bright lollipops is the perfect burst of color and special treat for your guests after the meal has concluded! To keep the lollipops in place, fill the bottom of the container with jellybeans or a similar colorful candy.

Book Club – If it’s your turn to host book club this month, dive into the characters and setting of that the book and use it as inspiration.  Allow your guests to transport to the scene of the novel and allow their imagination flourish.  Just finished Secret Life of Bee’s?  Rather than a bucket of beers, present a bucket of classic glass Coca Cola bottles with peanuts on the side with fun straws to drink from.  (If you haven’t read this book, you should!)

Happy Dining!

-Lisa Glover, Summer 2011 Intern

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 at 11:20 am and is filed under Event Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.