My sister-in-law Missy and I hosted an engagement dinner for our good family friend Haley on Saturday night. As it turned out, the date Haley planned to come home for the party coincided with Food Network being here, so we had the crew film all the festivities (and the food!) The episode will air in a couple of months, but I thought I’d give you just a few (brief!) peeks now.
I knew I’d be busy with filming and kids and husband and dogs, but I wanted to make sure Haley’s dinner was special since she’s so special to us. So my friend Talmadge (who helped me pull off a wedding reception for my sister Betsy back in 2004, less than a month after I gave birth to my fourth baby prematurely, but that’s another story for another time) swooped in and saved the day with some beautiful decorations.
The flowers were so pretty: everything from painted mason jars to small bottles in antique Coke bottle crates.
You’ve likely seen these all over Pinterst (here are several pins with instructions on how to make the jars.)
I love the way they turned out, and they added a nice country feel to the dinner.
One of my favorite things were all the crates. Talmadge bought some simple, plain wooden crates and stained them, then used them to hold flatware, napkins, and to hold platters and recipe-identifying chalkboards on the buffet.
The party favors were another of my favorite elements. These are candles that are handmade in Tulsa at a store called The Nest, and each guest (well, each couple!) got to take one home.
They were displayed right by the door so the guests wouldn’t miss ‘em.
The scents were delicious, and I loved the symbolism of the flame of the candle…the love burning bright…and all that mushy stuff.
But probably my favorite aspect of the whole dinner were Missy’s cupcakes…which neither of us has a picture of because we were so busy cooking, serving, and visiting during the party that we completely forgot! She made Chocolate/Grand Marnier, Mango/Jalapeno, and Honey/Lavender flavors…and as delicious as they were, they were every bit as beautiful. Missy is amazing.
I’m sorry I don’t have any photos of the cupcakes! I’m trying to find one in a phone or a camera somewhere, and will post them when I do.
And I’ll let you know when this episode airs so you can see more details about the partay! (And the beautiful bride and groom-to-be!)