Autumn Entertaining

Autumn Entertaining

One of the things I get really excited about at autumn time, is hosting cosy dinner parties and cooking up some delicious autumn treats in the kitchen! Think hot soups, mulled apple juice and apple cinnamon swirls! And let’s be honest, I’m a bit obsessed with all the details when it comes to hosting. I love thinking about the finishing touches like décor and how to make it feel extra special for my guests! Personally, I don’t do Halloween, but I’m already planning my alternative autumn party for the 31st October! From food to games, from décor to dress code, I’m going all out! With that in mind, I thought I’d share some fun décor and party ideas, whether you’re hosting or just wanting to bring a bit of autumn cosiness to your home.
 
1. Candles and Fairy Lights
Most obvious of all and a low-effort option… fairy lights and candles! Spread these around your home or wherever your party is and it is sure to bring a sense of warmth and cosiness. I find just looking at fairy lights and candles makes me feel warm and fuzzy, especially in a slightly dim room. They are most certainly not just for Christmas! If you want to put a bit more design into your candle displays, cluster different size candle holders together. Clear glass vases in different sizes look lovely with pillar candles inside. If you’ve got scented candles, light them before your guests arrive to make sure your house is smelling lovely when they enter! You could go for an autumn scent like spiced pumpkin. (Just be sure to remember not to leave lit candles unattended!)

 
2. Physalis
Physalis (also known as Chinese lanterns,) are really versatile when it comes to decorating, because they dry out nicely. They can be used in door wreaths, scattered along the table, used to fill decorative baskets or simply displayed in a nice tall vase. You may have seen them in a fancy restaurant on top of your dessert (although I wouldn’t eat the ones you buy from a florist!) One other fun thing you can do with them is to thread them along some cotton to create your own autumn garland. You could even intertwine this with some fairy lights and watch the lights glow through the papery lanterns!

 
3. Table Runners
Source some autumnal ribbon and use this as a runner when laying your dinner table or food station. You could use some of the physalis to scatter along as well, space candles along it or have a nice vase of seasonal flowers in the centre. It doesn’t matter what shape your table is, this can still look really effective. If you have a round table, you may want to use a wider ribbon or a bigger length of fabric.

 
4. Place Settings
Another nice touch to add to your table décor, is little place settings. You could cluster some dried flowers together with garden twine for a rustic look that will last out of water and can be reused over and over again.

5. Pumpkins
Like me, you may not be into Halloween, but it doesn’t mean you have to rule out pumpkins! They can make a lovely display, whether clustered with some candles or by themselves. You could carve a heart in one and place a tealight inside. Or your local florist will most likely be offering pumpkin flower displays like the one below.
 
You can order one on my website here. Or if you fancy having a go at making one yourself, check out my upcoming workshop here.

 
6. Door Wreaths
More and more people are having seasonal wreaths on their front door all year round and autumn is no exception. You may prefer artificial flowers, but I particularly like using fresh evergreen foliage that lasts well out of water, like conifer, along with dried flowers, dried fruits, cinnamon, pine cones and other decorative items that feel seasonal. The vine wreath rings work well, because they look nice half-covered, with the other half on display, giving a natural look.
 
You can order a ready-made one on my website here. Or if you fancy having a go at making one yourself, check out my upcoming workshop here.

 
Other things to think about:

Food:

If you’re hosting a mingle party rather than a sit-down meal, you want to keep things simple when it comes to food. Why not go for something like a soup bar where people can help themselves and add their own toppings like croutons, cream and herbs. You could use a slow cooker on the keep warm setting so you don’t have to man the hob and if you need more than one, ask family or friends if you can borrow theirs.
One of my favourite autumnal drinks is mulled apple juice, using cinnamon, oranges and cloves. Try pre-making it and decanting it into flasks so it keeps warm. I recommend adding some caramel sauce in the mix and topping with cream. It’s like drinking warm apple pie!
For dessert, pre-made cakes and other treats go down well and you could even do a hot chocolate station. It’s a bit like the soup station where people can add their own toppings.
 
Dress Code:

You don’t want to put pressure on your guests to dress up, but it could be fun to suggest a non-compulsory dress code, like autumn-coloured clothes. This way, people can go as smart or as casual as they like, whilst joining in with the autumnal celebrations!
 
Games and Crafts:

If you like providing something for your guests to do, prepare a few fun but simple activities in advance. This is particularly good to think about if you have kids coming along that need entertaining! Here’s a few ideas for you…

• Cut out autumn-coloured leaves and get people to write something they are grateful for on the leaf. Then they can stick it on a tree drawn on a bigger piece of paper or card and as each leaf is added, you’ll have a lovely autumn tree full of positivity!
• If you like to pray for people, put out a prayer bowl and if your guests feel comfortable, they can write a prayer request on a piece of paper and drop it in the bowl. Make sure it’s easy for people to keep their prayer requests anonymous/ confidential if they want to.
• Tie ring doughnuts on pieces of string and hang them somewhere high. A portable coat rail works well. The idea is for people to eat the doughnut off the string without using their hands. This works particularly well as a competition to see who can do it first! It does get messy so make sure you provide kitchen roll and put something down on the floor underneath! This one is great for kids, but goes down just as well with the adults too!

If you need help sourcing bits for your party, do get in touch. I’m happy to help with sourcing ribbons, flowers, candles etc.

To place an order or for more advice, get in touch here.

Have fun and keep cosy!