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Thursday, November 13, 2014

2nd Annual Witches Dinner

We're now into the month of November and it's hard to believe that the time of trick or treat has passed us. It was my personal treat this year to host my 2nd Annual Witches Dinner for an intimate group of girlfriends here in Philadelphia.

My mother and I once again joined forces to create a satiating meal with killer cocktails for a group of wickedly brilliant and supportive women.  These special ladies have been one of my many anchors in the storm over these past few months. They've sat and talked with me for hours, they've offered playdates and dinner dates for the children. They've held us and comforted us as well as laughed and celebrated with us.

 Gathering these women together was an exciting pleasure. It was my goal to create an enchanted forest setting, replete with curly willow branches arranged with moss, stones and white and green pumpkins. We added a haunted twist with black bat wall decals, skull candles from Williams Sonoma and "poisoned" apples.  I wanted my girlfriends to get lost in the ambiance and the joy of friendship and fun. The hand calligraphy signs were the beautiful creation of Ashley Wrenn-Peterson of Hello, Bird. I have been a fan of her work for a while and it was a pleasure to work with her.  Not only was she enthusiastic about our project at hand, she was accommodating and gracious throughout the entire creative process.

This year was a little less formal compared to last year. For example, everything was served buffet style, save the Champagne, which I personally poured throughout the night for my guests. While we were only a group of twelve, it was more than our tiny city home was used to.  Creekside Stables was kind enough to give us a few hay-bales that I was able to use for extra seating. For comfort, I draped them with sheepskin so that no ones backside got pricked!

Over all the evening was spectacular. My friend and fellow blogger, Lauren Morton was speechless and another dear friend, Stephanie, exclaimed, "I just want to live here in this mix of rustic lux." This of course, made my heart swell with pride. Giving my girls a magical escape to forget the time and the every day stress of life and delight in each other is something that  inspires me as a stylist. The love and warmth that filled our home was spellbinding. I wish I could have bottled the feeling up and saved it, but fortunately we all have the memory (and the photographs, thanks to Allison Tatios) of another night shared together in good cheer!

Below are some snap shots of our brew-- Enjoy!

With love,
Sara

THE MENU

#EatDarling
Cod & Potato Tufts
Miniature Peppers Stuffed with Spiced Rice
Baked Zucchini Squares
Braised Chayote
Cucumber topped with Tapenade
Asian Rib-lets on a bed of Legumes and Greens
Quinoa Chili

#TrickorTreatDarling
Plum Cherry French Macaroons
Mini Chocolate Cakes with Mango Filling
Assorted Candies

#DrinkDarling
Veuve Clicquot Brut and Demi Sec
Mulled Wine
St. Germaine
Assorted Spirits


THE ALBLUM PLAYLIST
Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour
Broods - Evergreen
Allen Stone - Allen Stone & Last To Speak



Guest Prep - Lighting all the candles before the witches arrive

The Entrance

These pesky bat wall decals just about did me in. I'm not sure what was wrong with the batch that I purchased this year, but they did not want to stay up on the walls. I put them up a week early to save myself some time, but from the moment I put them up, they started falling down. I was still fixing them moments before my guest arrived. After all the aggravation they caused, I probably will not be using them again next year. 


My mother and I created vignettes like this throughout the house. The branches, moss, gourds and pumpkins added to the feel of an enchanted forest.

Quinoa Chili - Almost ready to be dished out!

The Asian Riblets

Cod and Potato Tufts

These tiny bowls and spoons were perfect for serving the quinoa chili

Stuffed Peppers

Setting up the buffet

Ashley's signs fit in perfectly with our decor


The Bar - We used my favorite punch bowl from last year and I set up my collection of new and vintage wine glasses and champagne coupes



The bourbon drinkers delighted in these ice skulls made from molds that I purchased from Williams Sonoma

The #TrickorTreat / Dessert Station

Mini Plum Cherry French Macaroons - Homemade by my Mother

More homemade treats - Mini chocolate cakes filled with mango
Tiny bottles of St. Germain were parting gifts for all of the witches!

The full station effect

Leah and Lauren - I loved their spin on the traditional witch's hat!





Mother and Daughter

I had to end with my iPhone snap shot of most of the witches. I'm so thankful to all of them for being a part of another memorable night. We're all looking forward to next year!

2 comments:

  1. How sweet of you to host such a beautiful party for your witches! I love all the details + especially the calligraphy signs.

    xxChristie
    www.KiKiMac.me

    ReplyDelete
  2. Christie,
    Your kind words mean so much to me as YOUR work and attention to detail has completely captured my fancy! I can't wait to catch up on your blog and continue to follow your discoveries. Thank you for reading and posting! With love, Sara

    ReplyDelete