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9.05.2013

A Fabulous Fall Fete!


OK, just so we start off on the right foot here, that word is not 'FEET'! It's more like 'FATE':



fête [ fāt , fet/ ] (faet / fate)
noun
noun: fête; plural noun: fêtes; noun: fete; plural noun: fetes
  1. 1.
    a celebration or festival.
verb
verb: fête;
1.
honor or entertain (someone) lavishly.
"she was an instant celebrity, fêted by the media"


Let's go with BOTH definitions, for they certainly fit this story!

Today, I'd like to share with you some welcoming, elegant fall event decor.
I took the photos in this post back in October, 2010, at the Remnants of the Past Antique Show - 
which was held at the historic Dana-Powers House in Nipomo, CA at that time.
[it's now held at the glorious Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo]

Judi Powers (left) owns her family's historic property, and Judy Watkins (right) owns the show.
 Together, they created beautiful decor to welcome the show vendors for a party.
The gathering was held on the beautifully landscaped grounds of the farm on the night before the show.
And 'the Judys' always make things SPECIAL!
They have great style, and I know you'll love seeing what they did...
The setting was the beautiful gardens surrounding the historic house...
 a private and perfect site for weddings and parties all year long!


continue reading for more inspiration...

The soft color palette reflects early fall in nature's garden and the architecture here:  
browns, greens, grays, oranges and whites

They used simple, inexpensive materials and elements for the decor:

burlap . terra cotta pots . mismatched & tarnished silver and brass candlesticks
1"X4" planks of plain pine wood
 white miniature pumpkins . small herb topiaries . handfuls of foliage from the trees
 

I love how they combined those items in fresh new ways:

* using a plain pine board as the centerpiece base
* placing handfuls of olive tree foliage into simple glass vases - as flower stand-ins
* not worrying about whether the candlesticks matched or not

This decor is lovely, welcoming, and reflects the garden setting...
 but it didn't cost a lot of money or take a lot of time to set up.
Everything used here is re-usable somewhere else the next day - or for the next party!

Later in the evening when the sun had set and the candlelight was visible,
the patio & garden setting felt like a swanky country club. 
There was even old jazz playing on an old Victrola!
The very hard-working and exhausted vendors LOVED it!
Any great party is truly all in the details -
so if you would like to 'entertain (someone) lavishly' at your celebration,
 follow the lead of 'the Judys' and keep it fabulously SIMPLE!

please click links for more information about 
The Historic Dana-Powers House Event Venue, Nipomo, CA
sadly, the Remnants of the Past Antique Show is no longer in business.

1 comment:

  1. What a beautiful fete. You can see the talent in every detail. I would have loved to be sitting there enjoying that beautiful setting- xo Diana

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