Saturday Night Fiesta!

My girlfriend Mademoiselle "S" was fortunate to have an interesting blend of cultural influences growing up...one of them being Mexican because her Mother (although not of Spanish descent) grew up in Mexico.  As a result my girlfriend speaks fluent Spanish  (jealous!!) and has an appreciation for all things colorful and festive...she is also a fabulous cook bringing all those delicious Mexican dishes to the table when she entertains!

This weekend she decided to throw a fun Summer fiesta and she put some interesting touches on her party that I thought might be interesting to all of you....

First of all she was expecting a pretty big crowd...40 people or so...which required some thoughtful space planning since she was planning to serve dinner....how do you sit 40 comfortably for dinner?

She got creative and set up lovely tables using the items she had around her home to make things work!

She created inside and outside seating so that everyone could be comfortable and have their choice of environment ( aka...air conditioning or hair frizz) for the evening....

She cleverly coordinated all the spaces using the same color palate...with linens and place settings

Since it was a "hot one" ice cold...Mojitos and Water...were a classic combo!

See how this works? She took standard fold up chairs, a couple poufs, a table from inside her home and a rug that was in storage in her basement and put together a wonderful cozy seating area for four on her patio! Necessity is the mother of stylish invention!



Even though I didn't get a picture of it... this little area was gorgeous at night!

 Simple little touches like putting votives in planters and in planting beds and on (and under) tables made the patio space sparkle at night...

 Large empty wine bottles (available at Trader Joe's) were transformed into majestic candle holders that looked even better as the wax dripped on the bottles throughout the evening....

Here is a simple little trick for empty planters! Many of you know that the hot Summer has not been kind to us gardeners....and my girlfriend had some sad looking urns and such around her patio...a quick fix was to cut some greenery from her evergreens on her property and to set fun lanterns with the greenery in the urns to "zhoosh" them up for the evening....

Mademoiselle "S" cooked the entire meal herself which included delicious and wonderful Mexican specialties....

Everyone brought dessert....

Simple store bought cakes were plated and "sweetened up" with a variety of berries and chocolate for a little more presence on the table....

What a lovely idea...cupcakes in the form of a bouquet....

and as we left a basket of Mexican candies was available for a final treat....

all in all...a wonderful evening....Muchas Gracias S & B for your wonderful hospitality! XO