Party Prep: Fall Family Reunion

We recently hosted a family reunion at our house, and although I dropped the ball on documenting the day — I took all of 5 pictures — I’d like to think it was a success! Hopefully everyone had a good time. (We also hosted two years ago at our old house.) Chris’ dad’s side of the family came from Alabama and North Carolina, and we hung out all day and visited. It was a lot of fun, and so great to see relatives that we don’t see often enough. It rained most of the day, with a short break in the afternoon for the kids to run wild outside for a bit before being cooped up inside again. Hosting an event can seem like a whirlwind, so in the midst of it I just didn’t get a chance to take many photos like I would have liked. I tried to be in the moment and just enjoy everyone’s company, not to mention the fact that I had a clingy baby attached to my hip who seemed to be a little in shock by the crowd of people. I did snap a few shots as I was prepping everything for guests, so I wanted to share that with you.

We de-hoarded our sunroom and set up a buffet table out there for all of the food. (I’ll show you more of the sunroom later, as we are going to be making it over and turning it into an office at some point.) We served breakfast for some of the family, and everyone else showed up around lunchtime. We had lunch catered — nothing fancy, just a sandwich tray and chips, and we had some side items to go with it. For dinner, we grilled burgers and hot dogs. We kept things as casual and low-maintenance as possible.

I loved the navy plaid tablecloth I picked up here, and I’ve had the drink dispenser for a few years. I got it at World Market and I don’t think they have it anymore, but this one is similar.

I built the succulent planter that I use for an outdoor centerpiece, and I shared the tutorial over at Rent.com.

A couple of years ago I built this outdoor table with plans from Shanty 2 Chic. Unfortunately when we moved, we didn’t reattach the top right away and the boards warped. I finally just replaced them with 3 wide boards (2 x 12s) instead of the original 4 skinnier boards. I need to clean up the base a little and re-stain the benches, but at least it’s useable now!

As a blogger, it’s common to just want to capture photos of every single detail and moment, and I do love documenting experiences and projects. It was too hard to document the reunion and capture photos of the food table all set up, and I didn’t set a perfect tablescape and have Pinterest-worthy centerpieces. And you know what? That’s ok. I’m glad I chose to be in the moment and enjoy the day. (I did buy flowers and a few small pumpkins at Trader Joe’s, by the way — that’s my go-to place for affordable flowers and seasonal greenery.)

What are some of your favorite hosting and/or event decorating tips? I’m taking notes for next time!