Entertain: Halloween

Maybe it's the candy and the costumes, but Halloween seems to bring out the little kid in us. Is there anything better than a fun evening of hocus pocus with friends and kiddos? Here's to hoping you have a wonderful Halloween weekend!

Invitation by Paperless Post

The Graveyard: No, this isn't from a movie or haunted house. We've mentioned before that Halloween is Jami's favorite holiday, and her front yard proves it. She and husband Joe create a fantastic display of ghouls and graves that bring in droves of trick-or-treaters.
The Tabletop: Mix and match from these fun and festive colors. (Clockwise from top left) Green Chloe Goblet, Onyx Glassware, Amber Goblet, Tangerine Acrylic Scalloped Charger with Leopard China, Scalloped Black Charger with Black and Gold China.
The Decor: (Clockwise from left) These wine bottles turned candle holders provide a glamorous look for Halloween. The decor should be as whimsical and enchanted as possible.

POSH 101: The Invite

Being in the event rental business, we get to see the most beautiful events and the most beautiful invitations. With the holidays upon us and wedding season around the corner, we thought it would be nice to brush up on our invitation etiquette. Cue Susan Strauss, Owner/Creative Director/Everything of Simply LUXE, a Simply Personal company. 

You may remember Simply Personal and Simply LUXE for winning the NACE 2012 People's Choice Award earlier this Fall. (We loved their "Tree of Life" tablescape! See images here.) See what Susan has to say about invitations for your most important events. 

Images courtesy of SimplyLUXE

From Susan Strauss:

"At SimplyLUXE, we love to assist our clients with common questions regarding addressing, RSVP information, and timing on when to send invitations out for their big event. It is the first glance a guest will have of their personality, style, and event - so make a statement! The invitation should provide guests with practical information such as directions, location, parking information, and often time attire - it truly sets the tone for the event. As we often say, 'Every event deserves a great invitation!'

Gathering the guest list is often the hardest part of the planning process. When sending invitations, we suggest that the client provide her address list to us that has state names and words such as street, drive, or avenue spelled out. We like to keep abbreviations to a minimum for aesthetic and practical purposes. Normally, we have our clients write out exactly who is invited to their event, including children's or significant other's names. The more specific the better, which will clearly communicate to the guest who is invited and who is not. SimplyLUXE also offers envelope addressing using dozens of font options and colors - it's a great match especially for wedding invitations.

Wedding and large event invitations are typically sent out 8 weeks before the event to give guests enough travel and planning time. The suggested date for the RSVP return date is about two weeks before the reception venue/catering final count is due. We try to allow time for those RSVP cards that trickle in - they always do! Remember, if you are a guest to a wedding, always send back your RSVP! The bride and groom have gone through painstaking measures to ensure that YOU are on their final guest list, so please do them the honor of responding on time!

Visit SimplyLUXe at www.simply-luxe.com

 

Set the Table: Festive Fall

When we saw this fabulous and fun place setting design from Julian Leaver of Bella Flora, we knew we had to share it with our readers! Mixing our Exotic Bird Collection with a Tangerine Acrylic Scalloped Charger provides a pop of color for the neutrals and browns we normally see on the seasonal October tablescapes. Throw in a little animal print, like his leopard print linen, and you've got a refreshing new look for Fall, perfect for a festive evening with friends. 

Top image via Pinterest / Bottom image courtesy of designer Julian Leaver of Bella Flora of Dallas

 Get the look: Rentals - Tangerine Round Scalloped Acrylic Charger, Exotic Bird Dinner and Salad Plate, Amber Martini Compote, Floral Elegance Flatware, Vintage Parisian Glassware (all POSH Couture Rentals) / Linen and Design - Julian Leaver for Bella Flora

Tabletop Tuesday: The Scarlet Linen

Laurel picked the Scarlet Embossed Leather Velvet linen as a Fall favorite, so we knew we had to share this gorgeous tabletop with you. From the deep hue to the rich texture, this tabletop is seasonal textbook perfection.

Tabletop Rentals: Gold and Silver Beaded Glass Charger, Arte Italica Dinner Plate, Scarlet Filigree B&B Charger, Vintage Glass Compotes, Gold Lyons Flatware. All POSH Couture Rentals. Linens: Faux Fur napkin rings and Scarlet Embossed Leather Velvet linen from Resource One, exclusively at POSH Couture Rentals.

Get the look with these POSH Couture Rentals (From top):
1. The Arte Italica Vetro Gold Dinner plate for those with the most discriminating taste; hand-etched glass embellished with 18 karat gold makes for a pretty stunning setting. Guests won't easily forget eating a meal off this dinner plate.  
2. Added gold accents include Gold Lyons Flatware, Royal Gold Glassware, and Gold Filigree Etched Glass Goblet. Choose one or all for a setting fit for royalty.
3. The Gold Pebbled Charger is the perfect foundation for a simply china pattern or the embellished Arte Italica. 
All available at POSH Couture Rentals.

On Trend: Laurel's Picks

Our favorite POSH pairings easily transition from Fall to Winter. Here, Laurel picks her favorite linens and tabletop collections and tell you why they work well alone or mixed with your personal collection for POSH perfect late Fall and early Winter tablescapes. How would you use these? 

1. The Mottahedeh Tree Collection is a great pattern choice because it can be both modern and classic, rustic or contemporary, depending on the chargers and color schemes used in the tablescape. Our clients are extremely stylish, so we're always coming up with a new way to make this great collection look incredibly fresh and fun. For Fall or Winter, this is a clear choice for a stunning place setting.
2. Bronze Metallic Linens are a favorite for Fall and Winter. With baroque being so strong on the runways, we're seeing an influence of brocade linens as well. It's perfect for a luxurious tabletop for an important dinner or event. You can create an ornate tabletop with lots of metallic touches from our Couture Collections or let the linen speak for itself with the clean Simply Ivory Classic Catering Collection and a few embellished goblets depending on your personal preference and budget. The hues used in accents are really what will help transition this linen from Fall to Winter. The possibilities are endless. 
3. The Jan Barboglio charger is so great. It can obviously be rustic, but the amazing thing about this design is it's unique enough to really make a couture china dinner plate completely pop. You can let your imagination run into the wild with Jan Barboglio. 
4.  This Scarlet Leather Embossed Velvet linen is a favorite for the transition between seasons. The deep hue reminds me of the changing of the leaves in Fall, but then can easily transfer to traditional holiday hues. The texture alone is amazing. Again, it's one of those pieces that take your tabletop to the next level. (Check back tomorrow for a Tabletop Tuesday post featuring this great linen!) Guests don't forget a great linen or accent piece on your tabletop. With these four pieces, you have the making of a fantastic seasonal tablescape. 

All pieces are rentals from POSH Couture Rentals. Linens are Resource One, exclusively at POSH Couture Rentals.