Whether you’re planning a casual affair or a more formal gathering, beautiful blooms will work wonders in dressing up your table setting and home. Flowers bring a space to life like nothing else can, and here we share advice on how to incorporate flowers into your next dinner party.
Consider your surroundings
If you are holding a garden party in the back yard you may like to contemplate more casual floral arrangements than if you’re seating guests at the dinner table in your dining room. Casual events can call for informally styled blooms in clusters of multiple vases or herbs incorporated into arrangements. Formal occasions may be best suited to a traditional long and low arrangement or tall vases brimming with the current season’s favourites.
Choose vessels and a colour scheme that complement your home. If you have styled your home with modern furniture and furnishings, consider vessels with a geometric print or texture filled with grouped structured blooms and foliage. If you have a more traditionally styled home, you can get away with fussier combinations of gorgeous English style arrangements. If you have lots of any one colour in your dining room, use multiple tones of this colour in your floral arrangements to base your theme around. For homes that are predominantly white or neutral in colour, think about continuing this theme through to your flowers and instead of colour using texture to create depth. Alternatively, colour can also be used to create a strong contrast and really make your dinner party flowers stand out.
Consider the comfort of your guests
So guests can chat comfortably with each other, always make sure they have an unobstructed view to guests seated on the opposite side of the table. As a general rule of thumb, have low arrangements no taller than 30cm. Likewise, have tall arrangements styled in slender vases or if wider, make sure they are clear and can be seen through, and make sure the floral arrangement itself is above eye level.
Take into consideration the size of your table and make sure your guests have enough room to comfortably sit, eat and chat at each place setting. Do not overload your table with too many flowers and other styling elements in exchange for their comfort. It is important to advise your florist of your table measurements so this can be taken into consideration when designing your table centrepieces.
Carry the theme through your home
Style touches of fresh blooms throughout the rest of your home rather than stopping at just the dining table. A vase of loosely styled flowers and foliage to match on your foyer table helps to set the scene, whilst a small bowl of fragrant blooms in the powder room is a lovely touch. Placing a single bloom or miniature posy tied off with ribbon on each napkin at the dining table adds an extra special element.
Buy your flowers in advance
You want your flowers to be in full bloom and looking their best on the day of your event, so if arranging yourself it is best to buy them a few days in advance so they have a chance to open. You will need to refresh the water and trim the ends of the stems every second day to ensure their longevity, and the flowers are best arranged the day before or day of your party. By purchasing your flowers a few days before, you alleviate any last minute pressure and get to enjoy your beautiful blooms in the lead up to your event. If you’re acquiring the assistance of a florist to arrange your dinner party flowers, they will nurture your blooms until it is time to create, and can even deliver and install them at your home eliminating another thing you need to worry about!
We at Victoria Whitelaw Beautiful Flowers look forward to helping you turn your next dinner party into a night to be remembered!
