Summer Soiree Tablescape (July 4th)

You just can’t beat a big family celebration centered around a star-spangled holiday like the Fourth of July! I love to make summer soirees extra-special with a cute invite that hints at the theme—even for casual gatherings! My talented friend put together a custom red, white, and blue paper suite that also includes the menu, carefully curated with our family’s favorites. My family’s love language is cooking and sharing a meal together, so I was sure to include a few nostalgic nods here: Trinity Road Salad, named after the road our farm is on; my grandmother CC’s biscuit BLT; and our sweet family friend Mr. Jay’s pralines. She also whipped up some food label cards to mark each dish and drink—including sparkling sangria cocktail for us to toast to our freedom! Think about your family’s signature dishes, and make your menu special by incorporating a few of them!

On the table, traditional blue hydrangeas are a great in-season flower to help us say cheers our country! Our bumper crop of tomatoes is the perfect pop of red with the blue blooms. I simply placed one vase inside another, larger one, and filled the bigger one with cherry tomatoes. Add your water and flowers to the smaller vase! This is such a creative way to incorporate whatever is in abundance in your garden—I love the food and the centerpieces to complement the current crop!

Finally, you know we Southerners love a surcee, and it makes my heart happy to share our surplus with friends and family. I’ll send them all home with extra tomatoes and these pretty little jars of homemade tomato jam to enjoy at home!