A Fall Celebration

I recently hosted an intimate fall dinner party with Alexis and Erica, the gorgeous and talented ladies of Darlington Avenue, my favorite ladies to party with—and my good childhood friends! Darlington Avenue is a truly gorgeous floral design company and entertaining at home blog. We are both sharing the images and the story behind this party, so be sure to check out Darlington Avenue as well!

Have you ever seen a cuter party guest?! Alexis’ son Jackson is such a little sweetheart. Don’t even get me started on his gorgeous blue eyes and those striped jammies!

We knew we wanted a dramatic fall feel for the event. We decided on a rich color palette of navy, grey and blush with pops of gold and burgundy. I LOVE the velvet tablecloth we rented from La Tavola Fine Linen. It really sets the scene, don’t you think? Aside from drybar, La Tavola might be my favorite place on the planet—so many pretty things to choose from! We brought in some pink with the iridescent blush napkins and my favorite wine glasses. These wine glasses were such a good investment! I use them seriously all the time. You saw their twin sister champagne flutes in the rosé pasta post I shared recently. We went with Metal Philia dining chairs to give the party a bit more of an industrial vibe- I think they give the table a really cool feel and are a more interesting choice than the Chiavari chairs you see everywhere. Of course, Alexis’ flower arrangement completely stole the show. She used a combination of hydrangea, viburnum berries, seeded eucalyptus, dahlias, spray roses and blue thistle. SO gorgeous, right?

Our entire menu was based around a festive pumpkin theme. What is a great party without really great food?! We wanted to cook with the season and give our friends and family a true taste of fall. Thankfully, Alexis went to culinary school and is a very talented chef, so she was able to effortlessly guide the cooking process. It was my job to do the grocery shopping beforehand and I was running around Trader Joe’s like, “Um excuse me! I’m trying to make pumpkin risotto. Do you know what Arborio rice is?! While you’re at it, what’s pumpkin puree?” Lol!

I may not be the world’s most amazing chef, but I definitely know my way around a cheese board. We wanted it to be delicious and pretty, so we gathered fresh figs, dark grapes, several different cheeses (the pink one is my fave obviously!) and a variety of crackers and meats. We also scooped out a little pumpkin and filled it with yummy Boursin. In addition to the cheese board, guests also snacked on pumpkin ricotta toast before dinner. These little guys were DELICIOUS. Y’all I don’t even like onions, and I had about a million of the toasts. Highly recommend as your next fall hors d’oeuvre!

For dinner, we served an arugula salad with pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, feta and squash and then pumpkin risotto family-style. Our guests also enjoyed (aka got slightly hammered) on pumpkin punch lol! Naturally for dessert, we made yummy pumpkin donut holes. We may have gone a teensy bit overboard with all the pumpkin but the theme is just too good for fall.

I swear we did not coordinate our outfits beforehand! Isn’t it so funny that Erica, Alexis and I all showed up in bell sleeves?! I love the blouse I wore. It’s such a vibrant fall pink, and the floral embroidery is really eye-catching. The same print is available in a dress as well if you’re looking to add a bit more drama to your fall wardrobe.

Get excited for more entertaining content coming up on Brooke du jour! I’m shooting red wine brownies tomorrow (yes you read that right– red wine brownies!), and Darlington Avenue and I are also planning on hosting a Friendsgiving feast together! xx

Event design and styling

Brooke du jour Events and Darlington Avenue

Décor

Metal Philia dining chairs, La Tavola tablecloth, La Tavola napkins, Lucca dinner plates, West Elm silverware (similar), Anthropologie wine glasses, Crate & Barrel water glasses, Jacaranda & Co. place cards, Mole Hollow candles, Anthropologie cheese knives, Williams-Sonoma cheese board, Crate & Barrel champagne flutes (I tried to link everything but if I forgot an item you’re interested in, leave a comment and I will try to source it for you!)

Flowers

Darlington Avenue

Our outfits

Me: Gorjana choker, Gorjana necklace (similar), Devlin top, Gorjana bracelets here and here, Articles of Society jeans (similar), Halogen boots (similar)

Alexis: Eliza J dress

Erica: Club Monaco top (similar)

Kara Coleen Photography