Signature Holiday Table-Winter Theme

Winterr White table with black & silver accents

Winter White table with black & silver accents

It's the most wonderful time of the year! For me, this is my favorite holiday....hands down!  We are all busy shopping and preparing for our holiday celebrations. A lot of us are thinking about our holiday tabletop decor. What kind of place settings that we will use and the colors of our holiday theme. Will it be the traditional green and red or will be it be blue and silver for our Hanukkah celebrants or will you go out on a limb and try something new and different for your color theme?

My company recently did a Holiday Networking Soiree at Private Stay by MadlyLiving. The owner of the bed & breakfast wanted a black, silver, gold, white & cream colortheme for the event. I quickly teamed up with my friend Kelly Ann Downes of Select Event Rentals, who sponsored all the rentals for the event. 

White, Silver & Black place settings

White, Silver & Black place settings

For the table setting above we choose a Shantung Silver tablecloth and overlay it with a Bash White overlay. The Bash White overlay is a new linen that Select has for the holidays and it is absolutely gorgeous. The crystal and beads give the tablecloth a beautiful sparkle that fits in  with any winter theme. For the base plate I choose a 12" Silver Beaded charger and topped it with Orleans dinner and salad plate. The silverware belongs to MadlyLiving and it blended beautifully with the design. The napkins are also Shantung Silver and I tied them with a Silver Gem napkin ring. I brought out the black in the plates and accented the design with Pache Black stemware, which rounded out the design.

For centerpieces, I use a base plate/charger called  Silver Saturn, placed a Crystal Silver Lamp in the middle and loaded it up with snowflakes. I then topped the snowflakes with different silver and white ornaments. This helped to make the table sparkle more and lend to the winter  theme.

On the side buffet where the cocktails were served, I added a silver, gold, cream & white runner and placed a fruited silver centerpiece with white candles in the middle.

Dior Silver Pintuck linens adorn the two 36' round tables that flanked the dining table on either side. From there we served up our delicious holiday buffet and desserts.

After you have decided on your holiday color theme this year, then visit Select Event Rentals website, where you can create your tabletop design with their amazing online tools. From there, you can visit their showroom in Laurel, MD and order and pickup your rentals.

Here's to a beautiful holiday table!

Signature Beach/Boardwalk Theme Party

              

Beach Invitation

Message on a Bottle

Beach Board Walk

Beach Board Walk

I absolutely love my job! When I get to transform a venue into anything that my client envision, it gives me the greatest joy. At this event, my client wanted a beach/boardwalk themed event for their Staff Appreciation celebration. We were able to transform the terrace and ballroom area of Chartwell Golf & Country Club into a beach/boardwalk scene.

It all starts with the invitaton. Your invitation is the window to the soul of your event and it give your guests a glimpse of what to come. The invitaton at this event did just that with the colored sand and shells in the bottle. The printed invitation was then tied to the bottle for a message on a bottle.

Beach Themed Cocktail Table

Beach Theme Cocktail able

Beach Theme Cocktail Table

As you can see in the pictures above, we added interactive games under tents, fishing nets with sealife attached, a beach backdrop, beach themed cocktail tabletops, beach pails, beach balls, sand and leis to create a beautiful boardwalk. The employees were able to limbo to a DJ that played Jimmy Buffet, Beach Boy and Reggae music all afternoon long.

Boardwalk Directional Sign

Beachmat Logoed Favor/Beach Themed program

Beach Themed Vignette

Beach Themed Tabletop

All Photos by: William H Joseph (joe-co)



Inside the ballroom there was seagulls flying above and pails filled with sand as the centerpiece. There were shells on top of the sand and on the table with sunglasses and beachballs spilling out. The tables were draped with white toppers atop sand colored tablecloths with sand colored napkins.  There was a boardwalk directional sign that pointed to where all the fun and activites were for the day. We created a beach themed vignette in a corner of the ballroom. The vignette had two andirondack chairs with a logoed beachmat (our client's logo) between them. We then draped the chairs with beach towels and smimsuit wraps and beach bags. Beachballs, beach magazine, beach hats, sunglasses and flip flops completed the look. To complete the theme, each employee was given a logoed beachmat as a parting gift. It was a fun, interactive and beautiful beach day all for all who came.

Signature Tabletop Designs

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year

Halloween Wedding

Halloween Wedding

Earth Day

Earth Day

Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom

St. Patrick's Day

 St. Patrick's Day

All Photos by: William H Joseph (joe-co)
I am a member of the D.C. chapter of the International Special Events Society and we staged a tabletop design competition called a "Lifetime of Celebrations" on  June 15, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency on Capital Hill. The Attendees' Choice Award went to the Halloween Wedding table by Avista Events and Amaryllis; Best Use of Innovative Products: Earth Day by Rentals to Remember, Intrigue Design and Decor, Two Hands Studio; Highest Level of Difficulty: Cherry Blossom Festival, Springtime Celebration in D.C. by Ultimate Events; Best Interpretation of Theme: Chinese New Year by Sublime Creations; Most Original Design Ideas: St. Patrick's Day by Multiflor. I hope that these tabletop designs inspire you to create designs equally as beautiful at your next event!