Mummies Only - Witches Dinner

What is scarier than Halloween night? Getting through life without the light and support of ones' Mummy-friends! My girlfriends near and far have kept me afloat through some of my most challenging moments as a mother. We rejoice in our children's milestones, we are there for each other when our babies are sick, we group text when comparing notes on handling temper tantrums and we remind each other that we are good mothers when we are feeling our worst.

I decided to put a "Mummies Only" Dinner spin on my Aunt Susanne's annual Witches Tea in Louisville, Kentucky for my Philadelphia girlfriends. Five of my close "mummy" friends (my own Mommy included) and I shared a meal and endless cackling.  Featured below is our dinner menu and a collection of pictures from prep to party! Stay tuned for a follow up post featuring the recipes from our spooktacular night!

With love,
Mrs. Darling

The Menu

Mrs. Darling's Asian Style Short ribs
Stir- Fried Shrimp
Pickled Radish
Steamed Bok Choy with Garlic and Chestnuts
Spiked Apple Crisp a la Mode

Good Night Babies - Once the little darlings were bathed and tucked in bed, party prep commenced!

My mother and I found this spectacular punch bowl while antiquing in Adamstown. I take every opportunity to break it out. For our dinner, I brewed a Sparkling Apple Cider Rum Punch! 

The beginning of the bar setup 

 These festive Mario Luca Giusti glasses and the pitcher below were purchased two years ago at Barneys. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them. The best part is that they are acrylic! No matter how wild the party gets, there will be no breakage!

Fresh thyme cocktail garnish. I love the smell and infusion of fresh herbs. These sprigs were the perfect touch to the punch and St. Germain cocktails.

These creepy gem spider rings from Target were a huge hit! I used them to decorate the silver and place mats and we each donned a couple on our fingers

The place setting: Black linen napkins and silver brought my every day Juliska "Berry and Thread" pattern from Neiman Marcus to life!

One of the flowers I used in the tablescape was Echinacea. It's spiky texture and rich color was a sophisticated twist on the traditional Halloween feel.

The Leucadendron looked so much like little cocoons. They paired beautifully with the Echinacea and created such a great look in the individual vase place care holders.

Putting the finishing touches on the tablescape!

This is one of my favorite fall decorative items! I have had this little fruit pom for six years and since we moved to Philadelphia, every time I hang it, I think of my dear friends in Virginia Beach and all of the dinners we shared and the toasts that we made. 

I ordered black tapper candles from Williams Sonoma that were placed in my brass and crystal candlesticks on the buffet. They created a dim and intimate setting along with my seasonal pillar candles from Target!

The bar is set and equipped to wet the driest of whistles!

My most prim and proper mummy-friend shocked and delighted us all with her killer (and completely out of character) press on nails and festive attire. She flew in the door on a household broom baring candy and flowers ... the key to any fellow witch's heart!

What would a Witches Dinner be without the perfect witch hat? Ryan's feathered number was the darling of our dinner!

The Apple Crisp a la mode - ready for consumption!

Witches Broom Goodie Bags ... Thank you Pinterest ... and Casey for helping me make them!

We cackled until the clock stroke midnight! Abby was parent-of-the day in the morning, Diana had an early morning conference call and a trip down to Virginia, Susan and Stephanie were exhausted and Ryan had a drive all the way back to the suburbs. It was time for these witches to hit the road!

As soon as my guests left, my "mummy" and I threw off our jewelry and got to work on rinsing the silver and wrapping up the food. We left the rest of the clean up for the morning (**one of the top entertaining tips that I learned from my mother is to leave the cleaning of breakable serve and glassware until the morning. When you're tired or have had a couple of cocktails, accidents can happen. It's best to wash them when you are rested and refreshed ... especially if they are heirlooms**).