It may not feel like summer in Chicago yet, but I’m officially doing everything with a “citrus” theme. Maybe it will help chase this cold, gloomy weather away, but if not then at least I’ll be happy soaking up all these bright summer fruits.
If I’m being honest, I’m OBSESSED with this tablescape! I’ve thrown quite a few bridal showers over the past few years and have my first baby shower (and another bridal shower) I’m throwing coming up this fall. Busy, busy I know. But although I’ve thrown about five showers to date now, I have never thrown one during the warm months. Side note to my friends/family about to get engaged: can someone do a fall wedding so I can do a summer shower? Please and thank you.
I’ve thrown showers in the winter, fall and spring that felt like winter, but never one when it was warm enough to be outside. So of course, when I came across the new Martha Stewart Citrus collection I knew this was my chance to do the citrus themed tablescape that I’ve been dying to do since oh I don’t know, 2010? I just made that up. I don’t really know when they got big, but my point is this has been a long time coming. A lloonngg time coming and I knew immediately I needed to shoot it on the cutest rooftop in the city, DL Loft rooftop.
I mean could this scream “I LOVE SUMMER” any more? I don’t think it’s possible. This tablescape is perfect for a fun backyard dinner party, bridal shower, baby shower, bridal brunch, summer girls night, the list goes on and on because who doesn’t love a bright and colorful themed table, right?
The best part about this tablescape is it’s so easy, your husband can put it together. No joke, just ask mine. He’s becoming quite the party planner or should I say Siri is. While setting up this tablescape I was on a major time crunch so had my husband step in and help (he’s the best!). I asked him to help place the silverware and while I’m frantically working on the one end of the table, I look up to see him with his phone “Siri, how do you place silverware for a proper dinner table?”. Just when I thought I couldn’t love him anymore, my heart jumped out of my chest. The guy just asked siri where to set the utensils for me. Yup, he’s a keeper and I may just hire him;)
But just in case you don’t have siri to help, I’ll show you how you can create the perfect citrus themed tablescape!
The Centerpiece
Don’t be intimidated, this centerpiece is a piece of cake and by far the most fun I’ve ever had making a centerpiece. To start off you’ll need the following. Please note these quantities are based on a 6 ft table.
- 12 Limes
- 14 Lemons
- 8 Oranges
- 14 Clementines
- 4 Grapefruit
- 24 Roses (I used my favorite Martha Stewart Bloomsybox “Green Lemonade” roses to fit the theme!)
- 6 Peonies
- Greenery (I used lemon leaves)
Step 1. Start by placing your greenery across the entire surface that you want your centerpiece to cover. Once you’ve covered your surface, place a second layer of greenery to create depth. Don’t worry this doesn’t have to look pretty as you’ll fill it in later.
Step 2. Cut half of your fruit in half and set aside. Place your non-halved grapefruits evenly throughout your greenery to create your “mini” centerpieces. Next place your non-halved oranges evenly throughout, followed by your non-halved lemons and limes.
Step 3. Use half of your roses to fill in and start creating more of a garland effect. Then evenly place your peonies throughout.
Step 4. Using all of your halved fruit, fill in the rest of the empty space. You may end up pulling the peonies out a little as you don’t want to cover them up since they’re your pop of color. Lastly, fill in the rest of the space with the remaining roses.
Step 5. Take a step back, rearrange and tweak. Have fun with it, you can’t mess it up so it may take a couple times of rearranging before you like the final look. Feel free to also add in a little extra greenery on the ends after if needed.
The Drinks
My favorite part! For an outdoor party, I love a styled bar cart. Such a fun and easy way to offer a variety of drinks without having to have guests go inside to refill their glass or take away from your table setting with bottles on the table. For this party, I served up Sparkling Spiked Pink Lemonades and a variety of my favorite summer wines from the Martha Stewart Wine co. <-they have the best pre-selected collection of wines that pair perfectly with outdoor grilling recipes.
The Place Setting
These adorable citrus appetizer plates steal the show! No question about it. For this place setting, I wanted to create something that felt everyday with a splash of fun. Get it, citrus, splash? Anyways, for this table setting I used my everyday dishes as the main plates and accessorized with fun cups, appetizer plates, woven chargers and napkins to add that pop of fun without breaking the bank or creating anything too formal looking.
The Food
Saved the best for last, the food. For this outdoor grill themed feast I whipped up some of my favorite recipes on the grill including a fun grilled appetizer board.
Appetizer: Lemony Whipped Feta Dip with grilled pita, grilled peppers and sliced cucumbers
Main Dish: Grilled Chicken & Pea Salad with Potatoes, Mint & Dijon Dressing from Martha & Marley Spoon
Dessert: Pound Cake with Peaches and Cream
This post was in partnership with Martha Stewart, some items in this post were c/o and some links are affiliated to help create (and give a budget) to my party throwing ideas!
SO PRETTY! ðŸ˜
Thanks Maddie:)